Infancy: Socioemotional Development
Announcements
Reading reflection #2 due
Extra credit: 4/5 and 5/5 equals 10 points
Upcoming Quiz #1
Material revision important
Format: Two open-ended questions
Resources: Use notes, textbook, and slides
Topics to review:
Bronfenbrenner’s ecological theory
Prenatal and infancy development
Infancy: Socioemotional Development
Presented by Lucía G. Medina, MA.
Course: HDFS 2400
Key Topics Covered
Attachment
Temperament
Emotions
Parental influences
Emotion regulation
Wired for Connection
Human Infants:
Biologically wired to seek connections with caregivers
Psychosocial theory: Trust vs. Mistrust
Describes the enduring emotional bond that results from repeated interaction patterns
Key processes:
Parental sensitivity is crucial for developing trust
Trust leads to the formation of attachment bonds
Bowlby's Theory - Attachment Behaviors
Infants have innate attachment behaviors that include:
Crying
Cooing
Smiling
Gazing at caregivers
Stages of the Development of Attachment
Indiscriminate sociability (Birth – 2 months)
Infants respond positively to all caregivers.
Discriminating sociability (2-7 months)
Infants show preferences for familiar caregivers.
Directed attachment (7-24 months)
Specific attachment forms; infants express attachment behaviors toward specific individuals.
Manifestations of Attachment
Safe base/reference point for exploration
Interactions with strangers
Responses to separation:
Distress, avoidance, happiness responses
Reunion responses:
Proximity-seeking (relief), indifference, or clinginess but also resistance
The Strange Situation – Mary Ainsworth
Protocol Steps:
Introduction to the setting
Introduction of the stranger
Parent leaves: to assess infant's response to separation
Stranger alone with infant
Parent returns: observance of comfort-seeking behaviors
The Strange Situation - Overview of Attachment Types
Secure Attachment (60-65%)
Exploration characterized by periodic checking in with the parent
Friendly interaction with strangers and seeks reassurance from parents
Some distress upon separation but comforted by strangers; seeks comfort on reunion
Development Factors:
Consistent, responsive parenting
Stable home environment; positive childcare experiences
Insecure-Avoidant Attachment (20-25%)
Shows little interest in parents; minimal interest in exploration
Behaviour towards stranger is similar to reaction with parent
Indifferent to parent upon separation and no significant signs of wanting comfort during reunion
Development Factors:
Lack of responsiveness and emotional unavailability from the caregiver
Cultural norms discouraging emotional expression
Insecure-Resistant Attachment (10-15%)
Hesitant in exploration; highly clingy to the parent
Wary of strangers and seek comfort from the parent
Intense distress when separated; show ambivalence during reunion
Development Factors:
Inconsistent caregiving
Parental anxiety affecting attachment style
Disorganized Attachment (5-10%)
Exhibits freezing behavior or jerky movements during exploration
Show mixed responses upon reunion with caregiver
Lack of clear emotional response during separation
Development Factors:
Inconsistent or frightening caregiving styles
Parental substance abuse or mental health disorders affecting care
Attachment and Subsequent Development
Internal Working Models (IWM):
Cognitive frameworks formed from early experiences that shape perceptions of:
Self: feelings of worthiness of care and attention
Others: perception of reliability, responsiveness, and supportiveness
Relationships: understanding of closeness and trust
Can IWMs Change?
Yes, through:
New relationships
Life experiences
Therapeutic interventions
Temperament
Definition:
Biologically rooted differences in emotional reactivity and self-regulation which appear early in life
Influences:
Genetic predispositions
Neurobiological factors
Further shaped by life experiences
Components of Temperament:
Activity
Affectivity
Attention
Self-regulation
Models of Temperament:
Thomas and Chess’s Model
Mary Rothbart’s Model
Self-Reflection on Temperament
Questions to Self-assess Temperament:
How do I handle new situations (jumping in, resisting strongly, hesitating)?
How regular were my daily routines as a child (very regular, unpredictable, somewhat regular)?
What was my usual energy level (moderate, high, low)?
How did I respond when upset (mild, strong, in-between)?
How did I deal with routine changes (adapted easily, resisted, needed time)?
What was my general mood (mostly positive, negative, neutral)?
How did I focus on tasks (long attention, lost interest quickly)?
How did I interact with peers (quickly engaged, avoided, hung back)?
Theories of Emotions - Caroll Izard
Differential Emotions Theory:
Infants express emotions that directly reflect their subjective emotional experiences.
Emotions and development timelines:
Interest and disgust: Present at birth
Joy: bonding occurs between 6-10 weeks
Sadness: occurs with disruptions in attachment during 6-10 weeks
Anger: emerges in response to unmet expectations around 4-6 months
Fear: emerges as a cautionary response around 7-8 months
Guilt and Shame: stem from self-awareness and understanding of social standards
Theories of Emotions - Campos and Barrett
Functionalist/Relational Theory:
Emphasizes that emotional development involves how emotions function in social interactions and help navigate the environment.
Key Points:
Crying calls for attention
Smiling encourages engagement
Fear encourages seeking safety
Frustration leads to problem-solving
Caregiver’s emotional signals guide the infant’s appraisal of situations.
Social Referencing
Definition:
A process where infants gauge emotional and behavioral responses from others in ambiguous situations.
Examples:
In unfamiliar settings, infants observe and modify their behavior based on parental emotional expressions.
Still-Face Paradigm
Definition:
A research method examining the disruption of normal communicative signals between parents and infants.
Procedure:
Parent displays a withdrawn, depressed expression for 3 minutes
Findings:
Infants demonstrate behavioral and physiological signs of distress
Infants attempt to re-engage with brief smiles, eye-contact, and self-soothing behaviors (e.g., thumb sucking)
Caregiver resumes normal interaction.
Regulating Emotions
Definition:
The process through which emotions are monitored, appraised, and modified.
Developmental Strategies:
Situation modification (0-6 months): Infants use cues to indicate needs
Attention deployment (2-3 months): Infants learn to avert gaze to manage emotions
Response modulation (0-2 months): Self-soothing behaviors (e.g., sucking) are used
Cognitive change (18-30 months): Children begin using words to express and manage emotions.
Strategies to Handle Tantrums
Situation Selection:
Identify and prevent emotional triggers (Childproofing the environment, minimizing routine disruptions, offering reasonable choices).
Situation Modification:
Reduce sources of frustration in the environment.
Attentional Deployment:
Redirect focus away from stressors.
Cognitive Change:
Listen to and infer emotional appraisals, modifying negative emotions.
Response Modulation:
Validate emotions by labeling, providing comfort, and modeling self-regulation skills (e.g., DIY Glitter Jar).
Awareness in Emotion Regulation
Key components include:
Awareness of emotional standards
Differentiation of situations
Development of autonomy and self-regulation
Ultimately culminates in generalization of rules and autonomy in self-regulation.
Think-Pair-Share (TPS) - Tantrums
Key Question:
What lessons do young children learn when they experience tantrums and caregivers respond with harsh discipline (e.g., shouting, humiliation, prolonged time-outs, spanking)?