Psych: Lecture 5: The first 2 years: Socio-emotional development

Psych Winter 2026

Face recognition 6 months

• Infants discriminate different human faces

• Infants discriminate different monkey face

Face recognition 9 months

• Infants discriminate different human faces

• Infants fail to discriminate different monkey faces

SENSITIVE PERIOD - PERCEPTUAL NARROWING FOR FACE

Neonatal imitation

Infants match their responses to the of the adult

Imitating means-end relations

18 year olds copy intentional acts more often other accidental act

Selective imitation of purposeful means

Imitating persistence: Methods

15 months olds infants

Modeling phase:

Effort condition: Adults open container after extended hard work

No effort condition: Adults opens container easily multiple times

Test phase:

Infants get music box with button

Result = Infants persist more after seeing an adult putting effort into problem solving

Self recognition in children: Before 18 months

Infants will reach out for objects or people that are selected in the mirror

Mirror-rouge test: Touch mirror

• No difference between self and other

Self recognition in children: 18 month revolution

Self recognition

Mirror rouge test: Touch own forehead

• Differentiation between self and other

Basic emotions

Are developed by 6 months and include; Joy, fear, anger, surprise, sadness, disgust

Smiling: Reflexive smile

Smile that does not occur in response to external stimuli

Smiling: Social smile

In response to others around 2-3 months

self conscious emotions

Embarrassment, pride, shame, guilt jealousy

Require understanding of self in relation to social norms and standards

Develops starting 2-3 years

Social referencing

Seeking information on how to react to unfamiliar or ambiguous object or event by observing someone else’s expressions and reactions

Attachment

Emotional bond between children and their caregivers. Possibly because of oral satisfaction (Freud) or source of rewards/food (behaviorism)

Attachment figure/researchers

Konrad Lorenz (imprinting one geese study)

Harry Harlow (did many money experiments)

John Bowlby and Mary Ainsworth

Attachment styles: Secure

Caregiver as secure base for exploration

Upset at separation, but happy during reunion and recovering quickly from distress

Attachment styles: Insecure Ambivalent (resistant)

Clinging to caregiver, little explorations

Ambivalent: Seeking contact, but resisting efforts to comfort at reunion

Attachment styles: Insecure avoidant

Relatively free exploration, somewhat indifferent to caregiver

Fails to greet caregiver, avoids contact

Attachment styles: Insecure disorganized

No consistent way of coping with stress

Want to seek caregiver, but also fearful expressions towards caregivers

Internal working model: Bowlby’s idea

Early attachment experience shapes expectation about other social relationships

• Children develop internal working model of social relationships

• This influences their expectations about social relationships over the lifespan