Week 5: Emotional and Social Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood

Basic Emotions

Happiness, interest, surprise, fear, anger, sadness, and disgust.

Happiness

Encourages caregiver affection, attachment, and development.

Anger

Increases from 4–6 months onward, often when goals are blocked.

Sadness

Can result from loss, pain, separation, or unresponsive caregiving.

Fear

Increases around 6 months; helps protect infants from danger.

Stranger Anxiety

Fear of unfamiliar people; appears after 6 months and peaks in the second year.

Social Referencing

Using trusted adults' emotional reactions to understand uncertain situations.

Self-Conscious Emotions

Guilt, shame, embarrassment, envy, and pride; emerge around 18–24 months.

Temperament

Early individual differences in emotional reactivity and self-regulation.

Easy Child

Regular routines, cheerful mood, and easy adaptation.

Difficult Child

Irregular routines and intense negative reactions.

Slow-to-Warm-Up Child

Low activity, cautious reactions, and slow adaptation.

Rothbart's Temperament Model

Describes temperament through emotions, attention, activity, and self-regulation.

Effortful Control

Ability to focus attention, control impulses, and manage emotions.

Shyness vs. Sociability

Shy infants withdraw from novelty; sociable infants approach it.

Genetic Influences on Temperament

About 50% of temperament variation is attributed to genetics in these notes.

Differential Susceptibility

Some children are more sensitive to both positive and negative environments.

Goodness-of-Fit Model

Development improves when caregiving fits a child's temperament.

Poor Goodness of Fit

Mismatch can increase stress and emotional or social problems.

Supportive Parenting

Warm, patient, consistent caregiving supports emotional regulation.

Attachment

A strong emotional bond that provides comfort and security.

Harlow's Monkey Study

Showed that comfort and contact, not just food, form attachment bonds.

Bowlby's Internal Working Model

A mental blueprint for what to expect from relationships.

Preattachment

Birth–6 weeks; reflexes attract caregivers, but no true attachment yet.

Attachment-in-the-Making

6 weeks–6/8 months; infants increasingly prefer familiar caregivers.

Clear-Cut Attachment

6/8–18 months; separation anxiety and secure-base behavior appear.

Reciprocal Relationship

18 months onward; language helps toddlers understand caregiver departures and returns.

Secure Attachment

Infant uses caregiver as a secure base and is comforted at reunion.

Insecure-Avoidant Attachment

Infant avoids or shows little response to caregiver at reunion.

Insecure-Resistant Attachment

Infant is very distressed and difficult to soothe at reunion.

Disorganized Attachment

Contradictory, confused, or fearful behavior toward caregiver.

Strange Situation

Ainsworth's procedure observing separation and reunion to assess attachment.

Secure Base

Caregiver provides safety while the child explores.

Cultural Variation in Attachment

Attachment is universal, but its expression differs across cultures.

Factors Affecting Attachment

Consistent caregiver availability, caregiving quality, infant traits, and family context.

Self-Awareness

Recognizing oneself as separate from others.

Implicit Self-Awareness

Early awareness shown through body perception and social interaction.

Mirror Self-Recognition

Usually emerges around 18–24 months.

Scale Errors

Toddlers attempt to use objects that are too small for their bodies.

Sensitive Caregiving and Self-Awareness

Responsive caregiving and joint attention support self-recognition.

Empathy

Recognizing or responding to another person's distress, such as offering comfort.