Chapter 6: Attachment and Emotional Development

A comprehensive set of vocabulary flashcards covering attachment styles, developmental phases, theoretical views, autism, and emotional regulation based on chapter 6 lecture notes.

Mary Ainsworth (1989) and John Bowlby (1988)

The researchers who developed attachment theory, which posits that early childhood attachments impact social and emotional development throughout life.

Strange Situation

An observational method developed by Ainsworth to identify patterns of attachment based on children's responses to caregiver separations and reunions.

Secure Attachment

A pattern where infants show mild distress when separated from the caregiver but are soothed upon their return.

Insecure-Avoidant Attachment

A pattern where infants avoid or ignore the caregiver, showing little emotional reaction during separations and reunions.

Insecure-Ambivalent/Resistant Attachment

A pattern where infants exhibit severe distress during separations and seek closeness but resist comfort upon reunions.

Intergenerational Transmission of Attachment

The idea that parents pass on patterns of attachment across generations based on their own attachment styles.

Initial-Preattachment Phase

A stage from birth to $3$ months characterized by indiscriminate attachment behavior.

Attachment-in-the-making Phase

A stage occurring at $3-4$ months characterized by a preference for familiar figures.

Clear-cut-attachment Phase

A stage occurring at $6-7$ months characterized by intense dependence on the primary caregiver.

Cognitive View of Attachment

The perspective that attachment develops only after object permanence forms.

Behavioral View of Attachment

The perspective that behaviors are conditioned based on caregivers meeting an infant's needs.

Psychoanalytic View of Attachment

The perspective that early caregiver interactions shape trust and the quality of future attachments.

Ethological View of Attachment

The perspective that attachment is instinctive and ensures survival through proximity to caregivers.

Critical Period for Attachment

A time frame in early development when bonding with caregivers is essential for normal emotional and social development.

Imprinting

A form of rapid and resistant learning where young animals form attachments to the first moving object they encounter.

Harlow's Monkey Study

Research indicating that emotional comfort, rather than just physical needs, is crucial for healthy attachment.

Autism Spectrum Disorder

A condition characterized by impaired social skills, communication challenges, and restricted behaviors.

Mutism

The refusal or inability to speak, sometimes observed in individuals with autism.

Echolalia

The repetition of phrases or sounds made by others.

Stranger Anxiety

A reaction that typically begins around $6-9$ months and peaks between $9-12$ months.

Social Referencing

A process where infants look to caregivers to gauge how to respond in unfamiliar situations using three components: looking, associating, and regulating.

Emotional Regulation

The ability to effectively manage one's emotional states, often learned through caregiver modeling.

Self-Concept

The emergence of self-awareness in infancy, typically observed through behaviors like recognizing oneself in mirrors.

Easy Temperament

A type of temperament where children adapt well and maintain regular patterns.

Difficult Temperament

A type of temperament characterized by irregular patterns and negative moods.

Slow to Warm Up Temperament

A type of temperament where children exhibit cautiousness and mild reactions initially but gradually adapt.

Goodness of Fit

The compatibility between a child's temperament and the caregiving style, impacting emotional development.