Chapter 7: Infancy: Social and Emotional Development

Attachment

an emotional bond shown by seeking closeness with another and feeling distress upon separation

Mary Ainsworth attachment

an enduring emotional bond between one animal or another

Theories of Attachment

Cognitive

Behavioral

Psychoanalytic

Ethological

Harlow Experiment

Cognitive

Object permanence; the care giver still exist when they leave

Behavioal

Attachment happens because of conditioning

Psychoanalytic

The baby will attach like a love object: freud

Building up a trust relationship: Erikson

Freud

(psychoanalyticist)

the baby will attach like a love object

Erikson

(psychoanaylticist)

building up a trust relationship

Ethological

Ainsowrth & Bowlby

They will say that smiling is key

Harlow

Attachment has nothing to do with being feed

Contact comfort

Not

Early attachment is (not) uniform

Sensitive care

secure attachment

Unavailable & rejecting

avoidant

Inconsistently unavailable

insecure-disorganized

Abuse or neglect

insecure-disorganized

does

Baby's temperament does (not) impact development

Intergenerational effect

However you attach to your parents, that is your default mode

Diaper Index

Diaper changing is correlated with attachment

Stability of attachment

Attachment can change if the care-giving changes

Initial-preattachment phase

Birth - 3 months; indiscriminate attachment

Attachment-in-the-making phase

3-4 months; perference for familiar caregivers

Clear-cut attachment phase

6-7 months; intensified dependence on primary caregiver; followed closely by stranger anxiety

Reactive attachment disorder

They seem like they are doing great but as soon as it gets personal they push away

Poor & Southern families

Child abuse is more prevalent among what type of families?

Boys

Who is more likely to suffer from physical abuse

Mothers

Who is more likely to abuse

Types of abuse

Physical

Sexual

Emotional

Physical neglect

Emotional neglect

Educational neglect

Neglect

More injuries and death result from

Effects of Child Abuse

Increased physical, social, and psychological, and educational problems; impact is life-long

Causes of Child Abuse

Situational stress

History of abuse

Lack of cooping/problem-solving skills

Deficient child-rearing skills

Unrealistic expectations/lack of understanding of child development

Substance abuse

Proper Response

Mandatory reporting

Reach out to children who are aggressive or withdrawn

Share what you learn about child development

Come alongside parents are the first signs of struggle with parenting

Prevention

Education for parents

Support services for parents

Increased publicity about the problem

Education for children

Autistic Spectrum Disorder

Characterized by deficits in communication & social skills & repetitive movements

Treated with behavior modification & drugs

Day Care

More self-confident & independent

More cooperative with peers & adults

Higher stress levels

More aggressive behavior later in childhood

Children in high-quality day care outperform children who remain in the home in cognitive skills.

Children in day care are also more aggressive, but some aggression may indicate independence, not maladjustment.

Emotional Development

linked to cognitive development & social experiences

Bridges & Sroufe's Single Emotion Theory

Newborns begin with one emotion & the others slowly develop from it

Izard's Differential Emotions Theory

Many emotions are present at birth, but expression depends on maturation and the child's needs

Based on facial expression

Negative emotions

Securely attached infants seem to experience fewer ________ negative

Stranger Anixiety

Begins 5-7 months

Declines in 2nd year

Can be reduced by social referencing, contact with caregiver, and lack of touch from stranger

Temperament

Core of personality

Typical way of responding to the environment; genetically driven

Girls

who smiles more as infants and talks and expresses themselves more

Separation anxiety

Fear of being separated from a target of attachment usually the primary caregiver

Secure attachment

a type of attachment characterized by showing mild distress at leave-takings, seeking nearness to an attachment figure, and being readily soothed by the figure

Avoidant attachemtn

a type of insecure attachment characterized by apparent indifference to the leave-takings of and reunions with an attachment figure

Ambivalent/resistant attachment

a type of insecure attachment characterized by sever distress a the takings of and ambivalent behavior at reunions with an attachment figure

Most emotional

Disorganized-disoriented attachment

a type of insecure attachment characterized by dazed and contradictory behaviors toward an attachment figure

Indiscriminate attachemnt

the display of attachment behaviors toward any person

Contact Comfort

the pleasure derived form physical contact with another; a hypothesized need or drive for physical contact with another

ASD

characterized by extreme aloneness, communication problems, intolerance of change and ritualistic behavior

Mutism

inability or refusal to speak

Echolalia

the automatic repetition of sounds or words

emotion

a state of feeling that has physiological, situational, and cognitive components

Physiologically

emotions are strong, our hears may beat more rapidly and our muscles may tense

emotion: Carroll Izards

Differential emotions theory proposes that infants are born with discrete emotional states. However, the timing of their appearance is linked to the child's cognitive development and social experiences. For example, Izard and Malatesta reported that 2 month old babies receiving inoculations showed distress, whereas older infants showed anger.

Izard claimed to have found many discrete emotions at the age of 1 month by using his Maximally Discriminative Facial Movement Scoring System.

Situationally

may feel fear in the presence of a threat and joy or relief in the presence of a loved one

Personality

an individual's distinctive ways of respondign to people and events

Self-concept

one's impression of oneself; self-awareness It is the sense of self. Nose touching suggests that children recognize themselves and that they have a mental picture of themselves that enables them to perceive that the dot of rouge is an abnormality. Self awareness begins in the middle of the 2nd year and has a powerful effect on social and emotional development. Knowledge of self permits the child to develop notions of sharing and cooperation.

Separation-individualation

the child's increasing sense of becoming separate from and independent of the mother

Ainsworth Strange Situation Method

The initial-reattachment phase lasts from birth to about 3 months and is characterized by indiscriminate attachment. The attachment in the making phase occurs at about 3 or 4 months and is characterized by preference for familiar figures. The clear-cut-attachment phase occurs at about 6 or 7 months and is characterized by dependence on the primary caregiver.

Attachment: Cognitive

Suggest that an infant must develop object permanence before specific attachment is possible.

Attachment: Behaviorists

Suggest that infants become attached to caregivers because caregivers meet their bodily needs.

Attachment: Psychoanalysts

Suggest that the primary caregiver becomes a love object.

Attachment: Harlow's experiments

Experiments with monkeys suggest that contact comfort is a key to attachment.

Attachment: Ethologists

View attachment as an inborn fixed action pattern (FAP) which occurs during a critical period in response to a releasing stimulus.

Attachment fails: social deprivation

The Harlows found that rhesus infants reared in isolation confinement later avoided contact with other monkeys. Females who later had offspring tended to ignore or abuse them. Institutionalized children who receive little social stimulation encounter problems in development. Many exhibit withdrawal and depression. Deficiencies in sensory stimulation and social interaction may cause more problems than lack of love per se. Infants have considerable capacity to recover from deprivation.

Attachment fails: Child Abuse and Effects

Nearly 3 million American children are neglected or abused each year, and neglect results in more serious harm than does abuse. About 150,000 children are sexually abused each year. Maltreated children are less intimate with peers and are more aggressive, angry, and noncompliant than other children. Child abuse and neglect may run in families because abusive parents serve as role models. Exposure to violence in the home may lead children to accept family violence as the norm. Some parents rationalize that they are hurting their children "for their own good" to discourage problem behavior.

Social Referencing

Using another person's reaction to a situation to form one's own assessment of it.

Emotional Regulation

Techniques for controlling one's emotional states.

Early in life, a two way communication system develops in which the infant signals the caregiver that help is needed, and the caregiver responds.

Research evidence suggests that the children of secure mothers are likely not only to be securely attached themselves but also to regulate their own emotions in a positive manner.

Temperament types

1.Easy 40%Regular sleep schedule, approaches new situations with enthusiasm, adapts easily

2. Difficult 10%Irregular sleep,responds to frustrations with tantrums, loud crying

3. Slow to warm up 15%Do not react as strongly but have irregular sleep and feeding patterns

Sex Differences

Girls tend to advance more rapidly in their motor development in infancy. They sit, crawl, and walk earlier than boys do. Boys might be found to be more active and irritable than girls.

They do differ in their preferences towards toys and play activities.