PSYC 200: Chapter 7 - How do Emotions and Personality Develop in Infancy

what is emotion?

feeling that happens when a person is in a state/interaction thats important to them (esp. affecting well being)

what are 2 reasons emotions are important for infants?

• communicating w/ others

• behavioral organization (how they behave in the world)

what influences emotions?

• biology: different parts of the brain (brain stem, hippocampus, and amygdala, etc.) are tired to certain emotions

• cognitive: cognitive processes

• environment: how distressed family/caregiver is → positive/negative impact

when do primary emotions appear in infants?

6 months old

what are primary emotions?

emotions present in humans and other animals like surprise, interest, joy, anger, sadness, fear, and disgust

when do self-conscious emotions appear in infants?

1.5-2 years old

what are self-conscious emotions?

emotions that require self-awareness like empathy, embarrassment, pride, shame, and guilt

what is the relationship between infant and caregiver in regards to emotions?

its mutual, synchronous: caregiver feels/expresses an emotion → infant also feels/expresses that emotion

what are the first forms of emotional communication for infants?

• cries

• smiles

what are the 3 types of cries?

• basic cry

• anger cry

• pain cry

what is basic cry?

crying then silence then a higher pitched whistle then silence then cry

what is anger cry?

crying that sounds like shouting

what is pain cry?

sudden loud cry then breath holding

what are the 2 types of smiles?

• reflexive smile

• social smile

what is reflexive smile?

appears during first month after birth; not caused by external stimuli

what is social smile?

appears 4-6 weeks old in response to caregiver’s voice/other external stimuli

what is one of a baby’s earliest emotions appearing at about 6 months old, peaking at about 18 months old?

fear

what is stranger anxiety?

fearing strangers

what is separation protest?

infant crying when caregiver leaves

what is temperament?

individual differences in behavioral styles, emotions, and characteristic ways of responding

what are the 3 types of temperament? (Chess & Thomas)

• easy child

• difficult child

• slow-to-warm-up child

what is easy child temperament?

positive mood, quickly adapts to new changes

what is difficult child temperament?

negative mood, doesnt quickly adapt to new changes

what is slow-to-warm-up child temperament?

somewhat negative

what are the Rothbart and Bates’ 3 classifications of temperament?

• extraversion/surgency: the opposite of an inhibited child

• negative affectivity: fear, frustration, sadness, and discomfort

• effortful control: attentional focusing and shifting, inhibitory control, perceptual sensitivity, and low-intensity pleasure capabilities

what is goodness of fit?

how well child’s temperament fits w/ environment child is in

how to cab parents deal w/ their child’s temperament?

• being sensitive to their characteristics

• being flexible in responding to those characteristics

• avoid negatively labeling them

what 2 things are important for personality development during infancy?

• trust

• development of self and independence

once a child gains trust during infancy, does it carry on/not change later in life?

it can change; they can feel mistrusted if something happens to provoke that

when do infants begin to develop a self-recognition?

~18 months old

what is face-to-face play?

• happens between caregiver and infant when ~2-3 months old

• involves caregiver vocalizes, touches, and makes gestures w/ infant

what is the still-face paradigm?

caregiver alternates between engaging in face-to-face interaction w/ infant and remaining still and unresponsive:

• infants show more positive emotions when responsive and not still

• infants show more negative emotions when not responsive and stil

how does the development of locomotion skills promote infant for independence?

they feel motivated to become independent when they are rewarded w/ learning locomotion skills

what is social referencing?

develop when infant is end of 1 years old to start of 2 years old; the ability to “read” other’s emotions to determine how to act

how did Harry Harlow’s cloth-wire monkey experiment prove that Freud’s hypothesis that infants attach to caregivers based on providing oral satisfaction is wrong?

• even tho both types of monkey mothers fed infant monkeys, they attached to the cloth monkeys

• infant monkeys ran back to cloth monkeys, but not wired monkeys when they were frightened

what is John Bowlby’s ethological perspective on attachment?

attachment develops in a series of phases from a baby’s general preference for human beings to a partnership w/ primary caregivers

what are Bowlby’s phases?

• Phase 1 (birth-2 months old): infants are attached to humans

• Phase 2 (2-7 months old): infants are attached to unspecific, irregular caregivers, distinguishing between familiar w/ unfamiliar humans

• Phase 3 (7-24 months old): infants are attached to specific, regular caregivers like mother/father

• Phase 4 (4-25 months old): children are aware of other’s feelings, goals, and plans to help determine how they act

what is Bowlby’s internal working model of attachment?

simple mental model of caregiver, their relationship, and the self as deserving of nurturant care

what is Ainsworth’s Strange Situation?

• observational measure of infant attachment in which infant experiences a series of intros, separations, and reunions w/ caregiver and adult stranger in a specific order

• goal: provide info on how motivated infants are to be near caregiver and how secure and confident they are w/ them

what are the 4 different types of attachment babies resulting from the Strange Situation?

• securely attached:

  • want to explore the world

  • has positive interaction when caregiver comes back from departure

• insecure avoidant:

  • has negative/distant interaction when caregiver is w/ them and come backs from departure

• insecure resistant:

  • doesnt want to explore the world

  • clings on to caregiver when w/ them

  • doesnt cling on to caregiver when comes back from departure

• insecure disorganized:

  • dazed, confused, and fearful w/ caregiver and when they come back from departure

what is the relationship between caregiver’s interactions w/ infants and whether infants are securely/insecurely attached to their caregivers?

caregiver’s interactions w/ infants influence whether infants are securely/insecurely attached

does attachment security in infancy always produce long-term positive outcomes?

no, they influence later outcomes thru connections w/ the way children and adolescents subsequently experience various social contexts as they develop

what is the developmental cascade model?

involves connections across domains over time that influence developmental pathways and outcomes; includes many processes including biological, cognitive, etc.

what is developmental social neuroscience?

study of connections between socioemotional processes, development, and the brain

which 2 hormones are involved in maternal-infant bond?

• oxytocin

• dopamine

what is the transition to parenthood like for a couple?

its life-changing and challenging; be close w/ both child and partner, etc.

what is the Bringing Baby Home Project?

a workshop for new parents to strengthen the couple’s relationship, understanding and becoming acquainted w/ baby, resolving conflict, and developing parenting skills

what is reciprocal socialization?

socialization is bidirectional; children socialize parents just as parents socialize children

what is scaffolding?

adjusting level of guidance to fit child’s performance

ex: feeding food to child, then feeding them less when they know how to feed themselves

what are 2 ways to manage and guide infant’s behavior?

• be proactive and childproof environment so infants wont encounter potentially dangerous objects/situations

• use corrective methods when infants engage in undesirable behaviors like excessive fussing, crying, throwing objects, etc.

why does some of parent’s corrective feedback likely arise (like spanking, slapping hand, yelling)?

parents expect toddlers and young children to have greater control over their emotions and impulses (even tho they dont due to a developing prefrontal cortex)

how many children under the age of 6 years are in child care in the US?

~15 million (alot)