Chapter 6: Socioemotional Development in Infancy and Toddlerhood

Attachment

A lasting emotional tie between two individuals.

Autonomy Versus Shame And Doubt

In Erikson’s theory, the psychosocial crisis of toddlerhood in which individuals must establish the sense that they can make choices and guide their actions and bodies.

Basic Emotions

Emotions that are universal in humans, appear early in life, and are thought to have a long evolutional history; includes happiness, interest, surprise, fear, anger, sadness, and disgust.

Categorical Self

A classification of the self children use to guide their behavior; based on broad ways in which people differ, such as sex, age, and physical characteristics.

Difficult Temperament

A temperament characterized by irregularity in biological rhythms, slow adaptation to change, and a tendency for intense negative reactions.

Easy Temperament

A temperament characterized by regularity in biological rhythms, the tendency to adapt easily to new experiences, and a general cheerfulness.

Emotional Display Rules

Unstated cultural guidelines for acceptable emotions and emotional expression that are communicated to children via parents’ emotional behavior, expressions, and socialization.

Emotion Regulation

The ability to adjust and control one’s emotional state to influence how and when emotions are expressed.

Goodness of Fit

The compatibility between a child’s temperament and their environment, especially the parent’s temperament and child-rearing methods; the greater the degree of match, the more favorable the child’s adjustment.

Insecure-Avoidant Attachment

An attachment pattern in which an infant avoids connecting with the caregiver, showing no distress when separated from a caregiver, such as during the Strange Situation, and does not seem to care about the caregiver’s return.

Insecure-Disorganized Attachment

An attachment in which an infant shows inconsistent, contradictory behavior in the Strange Situation, suggesting a conflict between approaching and fleeing the caregiver and perhaps fear.

Insecure-Resistant Attachment

An attachment pattern in which an infant shows anxiety and uncertainty, showing great distress at separation from the caregiver during the Strange Situation and simultaneously seeks and avoids contact upon the caregiver’s return.

Internal Working Model

A set of expectations about one’s worthiness of love and the availability of attachment figures during times of distress.

Secure Attachment

The attachment pattern in which an infant uses the caregiver as a secure base from which to explore, seeks contact during reunions, and is easily comforted by the caregiver.

Secure Base

The use of a caregiver as a foundation from which to explore and return to for emotional support.

Security of Attachment

The extent to which an individual feels that an attachment object, such as a caregiver, can reliably meet their needs; measured by the Strange Situation.

Self-Conscious Emotions

Emotion that requires cognitive development and an awareness of self, such as empathy, embarrassment, shame, and guilt.

Self-Recognition

The ability to identify the self, typically measured as mirror recognition.

Separation Anxiety

Also known as separation protest; occurs when infants respond to the departure of an attachment figure with distress and crying.

Slow-To-Warm-Up Temperament

A temperament characterized by mild irregularity in biological rhythms, slow adaptation to change, and mildly negative mood.

Social Referencing

Seeking information from caregivers about how to interpret unfamiliar or ambiguous events by observing their emotional expressions and reactions.

Social Smile

A smile that emerges in response to seeing familiar people; occurs in an infant between 6 and 10 weeks after birth.

Strange Situation

A structured laboratory procedure that measures the security of attachment by observing infants’ reactions to being separated from the caregiver in an unfamiliar environment.

Stranger Wariness

Also known as stranger anxiety; an infant’s expression of fear of unfamiliar people.

Temperament

Characteristic differences among individuals in emotional reactivity, self-regulation, and activity that influence reactions to the environment and are stable and appear early in life.

Trust Versus Mistrust

The first psychosocial crisis in Erikson’s theory in which infants must develop a basic sense of trust of the world as a safe place where their basic needs will be met.