topic 6: Socioemotional Development in Childhood

Emotions are a combination of ______ to thoughts or experiences (neural responses),

physiological factors, subjective feelings, emotional expression, and

the desire to take action.

physiological and

cognitive responses

Emotions motivate _______ and communicate ______

goal-directed behavior; our

state to othersgoal-directed actions; feelings

Emotions often arise in reaction with an

individual’s

goals

goal is met

happiness

goal is unmet

anger/frustration

goal is abandoned

sadness/loss

Happiness → First-month smiles are _________

(REM sleep, gentle touch)

physiological, not yet social

True social smiling begins

~3 months, smiling at

familiar people

happiness, By ~7 months

Smile/laugh more at unexpected than expected

events. Start to smile primarily at familiar people rather

than people in general

surprise appears _______ when expectations are

violated; typically brief, often transforms into

happiness.

6 mo

Fear/worry emerges _____ and lasts until ______

6 mo, appx age 2

Highly variable across kids and contexts

fear of strangers is adaptive.

Separation anxiety specifically emerges ~8 months,

increases through ______ then _______

15 mo; declines

separation anxiety

Distress at separation (real or anticipated) from

an attachment figure; observed across cultures;

some amount is normal and adaptive.

Sadness usually seen by _____

usually seen after losing a desired

object; adaptive

2–3 months

Infants easily sense _______________ in caregivers.

tension, frustration,

or panic

anger Emerges between ______ In response

to

3-6 mo. ; frustration

Lewis found that when 3 mo.-old

babies learned to control a visual

display (evoking joy), but then lost

control of that display, they showed

frustration & anger

disgust

Seen in the first days of life in response

to unpleasant tastes and odors and

persists thereafter.

Why might disgust be so early to

develop?

May be an innate response to expel

spoiled or toxic food

Self-conscious emotions

jealousy, empathy, embarrassment, pride,

shame, guilt

Self-conscious emotions require

a sense of self

Self-Conscious Emotions Develop late in _______, once a child has internalized standards/rules/goals and can evaluate the self against them.

the 2nd year

Cross-cultural variation in how self conscious emotions displayed

Some regions of Nepal have parents who ignore displays of shame,

others respond with support, and children learn from which pattern they

see; Hungarian mothers are less likely to encourage pride displays in

daughters than sons.

As children age, they develop

• Awareness of their own emotional

states

• Ability to recognize emotions in others

• Social refencing

• Ability to self-regulate own emotions and to cope with stressful

events

• Understanding that people can fake emotions

Real vs. False Emotions: Understanding the difference between real and false emotions

improves considerably

ages 3-5

Over the preschool/elementary years kids develop more refined

understanding of

emotional display rules

emotional display rules

Simulating an emotion you don't feel or Masking one you do

Real vs. False Emotions

The Gift-box Study

The "gift box" deception study: children instructed to fake excitement over an unattractive toy. The child was instructed to look into each box and then act if there is a super-

duper gift inside no matter what they find in the box

• If the child succeed in tricking the experimenter, then the child could keep

the toy.

• If the experimenter was able to guess correctly the attractive toy, then the

experimenter keep the toy.

By age 8, most can________; 4-year-olds mostly can’t

yet.

successfully mask

disappointment

Kids get better at understanding that what

you feel and what you show _________

don't have to

match

versions of this skill:

________ an emotion you don't actually

feel, and ______ one you do. same

underlying ability, used in opposite

directions.

simulating; masking

Emotional intelligence is the ability to

understand and react appropriately to your own and others' emotions

Six concrete component skills of Emotional Intelligence

attentional control, calming of emotions, planning and goal oriented behavior, perspective talking, empathy, assertive communication

attentional control ex

looking or walking away form something that is tempting or irritating to decease irritation. coping strategies can include distractions such as fidget toys, twirling hair, and wiggling toes

calming of emotions ex

breathing deeply, stretching, closing eyes to calm down and lower the level of emotionally counting to ten, taking a drink of water, using muscle relaxation

planning and goal directed behavior ex

focusing on a future goal to stay on task by completing a chore, complying with a rule, or avoiding distractions

perspective taking ex

understanding the desires, wants, and1 motivations of other people

empathy ex

feeling the affective emotional state of others and offering consolation and comfort

assertive communication ex

being able to communicate needs, desires, and struggles to ask for assistance and help

The Building Blocks of Emotional Intelligence develop unevenly,

a child can be strong in one and

still lagging in another.

Neurodiversity

escribes any psychological,

emotional, cognitive, or sensory experience

that differs from the majority (includes

deafness, blindness, language/motor delays,

intellectual disability).

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD): Affects

1 in

6 children (~17%)

Neurodiversity In Early Childhood: Autism Spectrum

Disorder Common early signs

Difficulty with reciprocal

social interaction, eye contact, understanding

others' perspectives, and verbal communication

Similar-looking behaviors for ASD can have other

explanations entirely

intense focused interests, a

second-language learner's different use of tone/pronouns,

cultural norms around touch and eye contact

Interventions like applied behavior analysis (ABA)

have real benefits but also real, active controversy

some autism advocates argue it can pressure kids

to mask their natural way of being rather than build

genuine skills.

Erikson’s Stage 3: Initiative vs. Guilt — Children navigate initiative vs. guilt as socializing becomes a bigger focus

Asking to do things themselves, taking the lead in play, seeking

peer connection.

Success →

initiative and confidence approaching others

Barriers (rejection, discouragement, being told it's rude to

approach others first) →

guilt and wariness about initiating

social contact

Erikson’s Stage 3: Initiative vs. Guilt Builds on trust vs. mistrust (_______) and autonomy vs. shame/doubt (_______).

infancy; toddlerhood

caregivers can

help by responding to

bids for social connection and letting kids take on manageable

independence.

Self-Concept → How _______ develops

who am I

at age ______ self-concept is limited to basic

facts (name, gender, age, relation to others)

3

by age ______ kids add interests/hobbies

(concrete, not evaluative),

4

Evaluative self-description ("I'm good at

___") starts closer to age _______ and matures later in middle childhood

5-6

Personality, distinct from temperament, begins

emerging around age

5

Stable internal attitudes, cognitions, and

preferences that appear across contexts,

measured on a _________

rather than as categories.

continuum (high/medium/low)

Components of the Big Five appear in

early childhood

openness

imagination, novelty-

seeking

conscientiousness

attention,

persistence, desire for routine

extraversion

outgoing vs. withdrawn

agreeableness

compliance, desire to please

neuroticism

emotional stability and reactivity)

the big 5 personality traits

openness, conscientiousness, extraversion, agreeableness, neuroticism

Traits are still _______ at this age, a child can

be moderate in a trait by being high in it sometimes and

low other times, depending on setting.

context-dependent

Temperament refers to

biologically based

individual differences in emotional, physical, and

attentional reactivity and self-regulation that are

exhibited across contexts and that are present

from infancy

temperament can be predicted from

differences in fetal activity

temperament influences infant’s

emotional expressivity, reactivity,

soothability, and regulation

3 Temperament clusters:

easy child, difficult child, slow to warm up child

easily child

Adjusts readily, establishes routines, cheerful,

easy to calm

difficult child

Slow to adjust, reacts negatively/intensely to

novelty, irregular routines

slow to warm up child

Initially difficult, eases over repeated

contact

Temperaments produce

different reactions to the same event

Reframing ”Difficult"

Rothbart and current theorists prefer "reactive" or "exuberant" over

"difficult” (label is subjective and carries negative connotations)

Temperament is assessed via

parental report, trained observer

report, and lab observations

Lab temperament assessment battery (TAB) paradigm

Placing a baby in situations

designed to provoke fear, anger, joy, and interest (e.g., a

"prohibited plant" the child is told not to touch, or a "risk room"

with mildly challenging physical obstacles)

How temperament affects behavior depends on goodness of fit

the degree to which a child's temperament matches the

demands/expectations of their environment.

A loud, active child may thrive where

parents encourage debate

quiet, sensitive child may thrive in

a gentler home

high activity level: alex is very active energy has lots of energy. a good fit would be

a classroom that includes movement breaks and hands on activities. alex stays engaged and participates well

high activity level: alex is very active energy has lots of energy. a poor fit would be

requiring long periods of sitting quietly. alex becomes restless and distracted

slow to warm up: mia is cautious in new situations and needs time to feel comfortable. a good fit would be

parent giving mia time to observe at a birthday party. she slowly starts playing and becomes comfortable

slow to warm up: mia is cautious in new situations and needs time to feel comfortable. a poor fit would be

immediately pushed into a large group activity. mia withdraws or becomes upset

adaptability: ethan generally adjusts easily to new situations. a good fit would be

family changes vacation plans unexpectedly, ethan adjusts well and is excited about the new plan

adaptability: ethan generally adjusts easily to new situations. a poor fit would be

a child who struggles with transitions may need advance warning and predictable plans

high sensitivity: sophie is sensitive to noise and easily becomes overwhelmed. a good fit would be

calm classrooms with lower noise and fewer distractions. sophie focuses well

adaptability: ethan generally adjusts easily to new situations. a poor fit would be

loud, crowded classrooms. sophie would feel overwhelmed and have trouble concentrating

high sociability/approach: diego is very sociable and seeks out interaction with others. a good fit would be

group projects allowing diego to talk, share ideas, and collaborate. he is engaged and enthusiatic

high sociability/approach: diego is very sociable and seeks out interaction with others. a poor fit would be

long independent work periods. diego may seek interaction and have difficulty staying on task

low activity level: lily is lower in activity level and prefers calm, quiet activities. a good fit would be

quiet reading or art time. lily is comfortable and engaged

low activity level: lily is lower in activity level and prefers calm, quiet activities. a poor fit would be

highly competitive, fast-paced physical activity. lily may be less enthusiastic or need more time to participate

Gender identity develops in 3 milestones

labeling, stability, constancy

Labeling

~age 3: "I'm a girl/boy"

stability

~age 4: understanding gender persists over time,

though preschoolers often still think a haircut or activity can

"change" it

constancy

~age 6: gender is immune to superficial changes

like hairstyle or clothing

Preschoolers are often rigid, rule-bound enforcers of gender norms during

this window (quick to police peers who break stereotypes), but _________

easing once

constancy is reached.

A parallel process to gender

ethnic labeling, ethnic knowledge, ethnic constancy

ethnic knowledge

comparing food/traditions and, eventually,

stereotypes

ethnic constancy

~age 6, understanding race/ethnicity is stable

regardless of situation

Teaching "colorblindness" to children has been found

counterproductive, more recent approaches favor acknowledging

difference and actively learning about other cultures and histories

instead.