Notes on Social Development

Social Development Overview

  • Content is derived from Chapter 13 of specified readings and presentations.
  • Material not covered in presentations will not be included in assessments.

Learning Objectives

  • After engaging with the lecture and readings:
    • Define "temperament" and explore research findings.
    • Understand longitudinal studies related to temperament.

Temperament

  • Defined as biologically based individual differences in emotional and behavioral responses to the environment.
    • Reactivity: Speed and intensity of emotional responses, attention, and motor activity.
    • Self-regulation: Techniques that alter reactivity.

Thomas & Chess Classification (1966, 1987)

  • Conducted the New York longitudinal study.
  • Classifications of children:
    • Easy Child (40%): Establishes routines quickly, cheerful, and adaptable.
    • Difficult Child (10%): Inconsistent routines, slow to adapt, intense negative reactions.
    • Slow to Warm Up Child (15%): Shows inactivity and low-key reactions, adjusts slowly.
    • Remaining (35%): Unique combinations of the above temperaments.

Kagan's Research (2004)

  • Identified that temperament can be detected in the womb.
    • “Born Shy”: Cautious and reserved infants.
    • “Born Bold”: Sociable and spontaneous infants.

Longitudinal Studies Insights

  • Evidence shows some stability in temperament throughout early childhood.
    • Low stability during infancy but moderate during preschool years.
    • Temperament evolves with age; extremes may stabilize without switching.
    • Temperament after age 3 can predict later personality traits.

Cultural Differences in Temperament

  • Japanese belief emphasizes independence and reliance on parents through close contact.
  • American belief prioritizes autonomy and independence from parents.

Goodness-of-Fit Model

  • Proposed by Thomas & Chess (1977).
  • Illustrates how temperament and environment interact to create positive developmental outcomes.
  • Advocates for a child-rearing environment that honors individual temperamental differences while fostering adaptive skills.

Attachment

  • Defined as an emotional bond leading to a desire for proximity with another person and feeling of loss when separated.
  • Significant for social development and parent-child relationships.

Bowlby's Theory of Attachment

  • Biological predisposition in infants and adults to form attachments, creating lifelong relational schemata.
  • Stages of attachment:
    • Preattachment Phase (birth - 6 weeks)
    • Innate signals (smiling, crying) encourage attention from caregivers.
    • Attachment not fully developed; infants are indifferent to separations.
    • Attachment-in-the-Making Phase (6 weeks - 6/8 months)
    • Development of differentiation in responses to parents versus strangers.
    • Trust develops, infants don’t mind separations.
    • Clear-Cut Attachment Phase (6/8 months - 18 months/2 years)
    • Evident attachment; separation anxiety may appear, influenced by temperament.
    • Formation of Reciprocal Relationships (18 months/2 years onwards)
    • Enhanced understanding of parental absence and presence; decline in separation anxiety.

Ainsworth's Strange Situation

  • Research in the 1970s measuring attachment in infants using the "Strange Situation Test".
  • Observes child reactions to parent leaving and returning in a play area with a stranger.

Types of Attachment

  • Identification of four attachment patterns:
    • Secure Attachment (60-70%)
    • Base interaction with parents; prefers parent over stranger; seeks contact upon return.
    • Avoidant Attachment (15-20%)
    • Unresponsive to parents; indifferent to their absence; slow to engage upon return.
    • Ambivalent (Resistant) Attachment (10-15%)
    • Clingy behavior; distress upon separation but mixed feelings on return.
    • Disorganized/Disoriented Attachment (5-10%)
    • Confused behaviors upon reunion, indicating high insecurity.

Stability of Attachment

  • Discussions regarding attachment stability and its predictive validity.
  • Secure attachments often remain stable, more predictive in childhood than adulthood.

Cultural Interpretations of Attachment

  • Cultural context affects attachment types.
  • German children may show higher avoidant styles due to cultural values on independence.
  • Japanese mothers' close contact may influence higher resistant attachment styles.

Socialization

  • Defined as the lifelong process of acquiring behavior patterns, values, standards, and skills.
  • Critical in childhood, with ongoing socialization across life changes and community integrations.

Processes in Socialization

  • Key processes include:
    • Reinforcement and Punishment: Learning through outcomes as described by B.F. Skinner.
    • Social Learning: Learning through observation (Albert Bandura's work) highlights the role of imitation and modeling.
    • Cognitive Development: Emphasizes the understanding of interpersonal interactions and moral reasoning.

Parenting Styles

  • Diana Baumrind identified three features:
    • Acceptance/Involvement
    • Control
    • Autonomy Granting

Authoritative Parenting

  • High acceptance and involvement; responsive to children's needs.
  • Reasonable demands and supports self-regulation.
  • Fosters open communication and joint decision-making.

Authoritarian Parenting

  • Low acceptance; often cold and rejecting.
  • High control: strict discipline, often using force or punishment without encouraging autonomy.

Permissive Parenting

  • High acceptance; over-indulgent or inattentive.
  • Low control; few demands for discipline, allows child autonomy.

Uninvolved Parenting

  • Emotionally detached; lack of responsiveness.
  • Very low control and neglectful, indifferent to decisions made by the child.

Parenting Styles Summarized

  • Authoritative: High acceptance, responsive, encourages self-regulation.
  • Authoritarian: Low acceptance, strict control, and makes decisions unilaterally.
  • Permissive: High acceptance, low control, allows child decision-making but fails to provide structure.
  • Uninvolved: Low responsiveness and control, neglectful of parenting duties.