HD 101 Exam 2

Attachment

• Positive emotional bond between a child and a particular, special individual

• Most important aspect of infant socioemotional development

• Provides pleasure, comfort, and safety

• = Offspring Survival

Harry Harlow

Researched that monkeys preferred a soft terry-cloth “mother” over a wire mother that provided food

Secure Base

Child seeks comfort during times of fear (activator) and uses it to regulate emotions (terminator)

John Bowlby

• Applied Harlow’s findings to human infants

• Looked at effects of maternal deprivation on mental illness in children: Children need continuous relationship with permanent caretaker

Attachment Behavior System

A pattern of mutual regulation between infant and caregiver

Internal Working Model

Over time, the infant forms a mental relationship to anticipate the nature of relationships

Bowlby’s Attachment Stages

1. Pre-Attachment

2. Attachment in the Making

3. Clear-cut attachment

4. Reciprocal Relationship

Pre-Attachment Stage

• 0-6 Weeks

• Signals bring infant close to others

Attachment in the Making Stage

• 6 weeks - 6 months

• Responds differently to caregiver

Clear-cut Attachment Stage

• 6 months - 2 years

• Develops stranger/separation anxiety

Reciprocal Relationship Stage

• 2+ years

• Responds to caregiver's feelings/needs

Strange Situation

By Mary Ainsworth to observe exploration, separation anxiety, and reunion behavior with caregiver

Attachment Patterns

• Secure

• Insecure Avoidant

• Insecure Resistant

• Insecure: Disorganized

Secure Attachment Style

• Secure base for exploring, recovers quickly at reunion

• Caregiver is sensitive and consistent

• 66%

• Associated with positive outcomes in infancy, childhood, and adolescence

Avoidant Attachment Style

• Explores without concern, slight distress at separation, ignores at reunion

• Caregiver is unavailable, rejecting

• 15%

Resistant Attachment Style

• Little Exploration, extreme distress at separation, seeks caregiver but agitated at reunion

• Caregiver is inconsistent with responses

• 10%

Disorganized Attachment Style

• Inconsistent behavior, frightened, confused, no attachment at reunion

• Caregiver neglects or physically abuses

• <10%

Quality of Parenting

• Sensitive responsiveness = secure attachment

• Consistent across both parents

Temperament

• Consistent patterns of arousal and emotion

• Forms the basis for personality development

• Fairly Stable across the lifespan

9 Dimensions of Temperament

• Quality of Mood

• Activity Level

• Rhythmicity

• Distractibility

• Attention Span & Persistence

• Approach or Withdrawal

• Adaptability

• Threshold of Responsiveness

• Intensity of Reaction

Quality of Mood

How friendly is infant’s response?

Activity Level

How active is infant?

Rhythmicity

How predictable is infant?

Distractibility

How distracted is the infant?

Attention Span & Persistence

How long does infant try? Does infant overcome obstacles?

Approach or Withdrawal

Response to new experiences?

Adaptability

How well does infant adapt to change?

Threshold of Responsiveness

How intense does a situation need to be to elicit a response?

Intensity of Reaction

How strong is the response? Talking? Laughing? Crying?

Main Patterns of Temperament

• Easy

• Difficult

• Slow to warm up

Easy Temperament

• Positive mood

• Regular schedule

• Moderate reactions

• Adaptable

• Comfortable with unfamiliar situations

Difficult Temperament

• Negative mood

• Irregular routine

• Intense reactions

• Slow to adapt

• Resist unfamiliar situations

Slow to warm up Temperament

• Low activity

• Low intensity

• Slow to adapt

• Shy in new situations

What shapes temperament?

• Heredity

• Environment

• Innate tendencies

How does heredity shape temperament?

Genetic, inborn tendencies

How does environment shape temperament?

Support or discouragement from parents and culture

How do innate tendencies shape temperament?

Can be reinforced, channeled, frustrated

Goodness of Fit

Match between child’s innate tendencies and the environment leads to better developmental outcomes

Nonverbal Encoding

Nonverbal expression of emotions

Nonverbal encoding characteristics

• Born with the capacity to display basic emotions

• At birth: interest, stress, disgust

• At 1 month: joy, anger, surprise, fear, sadness

• Culturally Universal (Similar across most diverse cultures)

Social Referencing

• First appears around 8 - 9 months

• Intentional search for cues

• Aids in understanding other's’ behavior in context

Emotional Development in Early Childhood

• Emotional capacity involving self-awareness increases with brain maturation

• Move beyond egocentric view (false belief task)

• Slowly gain insight into what others may be thinking

• Increase in ability to understand the motives and reasons behind behavior of others

Emotional Development in Middle Childhood

• Better understanding of emotions helps with emotional highs and lows (Control of emotions grows)

• Empathy expands as children become more adept at genuinely experiencing the emotions of others

• Ability to hide emotions increases (Emotional Dissemblance)

Emotional Development in Adolescence

• Emotions tend to be among the most volatile during early adolescence

• Emotions are more negative and more extreme than they were in middle school

• Emotional response more transient and apt to be more quickly replaced

Self Concept in Adolescence

Describe self in multiple ways that are often contradictory

Ideal Self

Self one aspires to be

Real Self

One’s actual self

Mismatch between Ideal and Real Self

Linked with poorer adjustment (depression, self-esteem, poor grades)

Adolescent Self-Esteem

Increasingly accurate in understanding self

Factors that Influence Adolescent Self-Esteem

• Gender

• Race

• Socioeconomic Status (SES)

Gender Differences in Adolescent Self-Esteem

Girls lower than guys

Racial Differences in Adolescent Self-Esteem

African and Latin American have lower but having Ethnic identity helps increase it

Reference Groups

Peers and peer groups provide opportunity to compare and evaluate opinions, abilities, and physical changes

Status

The evaluation of a person by other relevant members of a group

High Status

• Have more friends

• Engage more frequently in activities with peers

• Disclose more of themselves to others

• Involved more in extracurricular activities

• Well aware of their popularity

• Less lonely than rejected and neglected peers

Low Status

• Have fewer friends

• Engage in social activities less frequently

• Have less contact with opposite gender

• See themselves as less popular

• Are more likely to feel alone

Popular social status

Mostly liked - High Status

Controversial social status

Liked by some disliked by others - high status

Rejected social status

Uniformly disliked - low status

Neglected social status

neither liked nor disliked - low status

Health Concerns for Adolescents

Depression

Depression in Adolescents Statistics

• Over 25% report feeling it for two weeks or more

• About 3% of adolescents experience MDD

• Only 35% of teens received treatment

Depression Risk Factors

• Genetics

• Environment

• Group Differences

Environmental Risk Factors for Depression

• Parenting behaviors

  • learned helplessness

• Peer Rejection

• Lack of engagement

  • School, athletics, etc.

Group Risk Factors for Depression

• More girls than boys

• Possibly more Native American and African American

Emotional Development in Early Adulthood

• Happiest memories

• Unhappiest memories

• Feelings of autonomy, competence, connectedness, self esteem

Happiest Memories

Psychological needs rather than material needs satisfied

Unhappiest memories

Basic psychological needs left unfulfilled

Basic Psychological Needs

• Autonomy

• Competence

• Connectedness

• Self-Esteem

Autonomy

Feeling a sense of independence and freedom to control your own life

Competence

Feeling confident in your knowledge and abilities

Connectedness

Feelings of connection with other humans

Self-Esteem

A generally positive or negative feeling of oneself

Health Concern in Daily Adulthood

Stress

Factors of Stress

• Daily Hassles

• Middle-aged adults experience more daily stresses

• Hardiness

Chronic Stress

Small stresses that quickly accumulate to influence adults’ mood and ability to cope

Hardiness

Ability to adapt (Self-efficacy, autonomy, view challenges as growth)