10/9 (psych)

Two key developmental trajectories:
- Trajectory 1: Transition from relying on a caregiver to self-reliance.
- Trajectory 2: Development of new behavioral strategies.
- Movement from diffusing behavioral strategies to cognitive strategies.

Age Range: 2 to 7 years old.
Children start incorporating cognitive skills, reshaping how they regulate emotions.
Early behaviors observed in a laboratory environment:
- Children established reliance on their caregivers.
- Experiment observing children's emotion regulation introduced a scenario where caregivers were non-responsive.

Cultural Socialization: Families influence emotional development through examples and direct teaching.
Rehearsal: Repeated practices help children understand emotionally challenging scenarios, improving regulation.
- Eg. Children can visualize events that may elicit emotion, preparing them for real-life occurrences.
Temperament: Factors that arise even during pregnancy can impact a child's emotional behavior.

An experiment showed children responding to their caregivers’ emotional cues.
Still Face Experiment: Mother plays with a child, then stops responding:
- Child reacts with increasing frustration when mother goes unresponsive, showcasing understanding of social interactions.
- Negative responses include turning away, loss of posture control, and ultimately self-soothing when caregiving resumes.
Observing resilience:
- Children may overcome early attachment disruptions, showing ability to reconnect once caregivers return.

During early childhood (2-7 years):
- Language skills develop, helping children learn to express and understand emotions.
- Children begin to recognize causes and contexts of emotions in others.
- As children age:
- They identify others' perspectives, recognizing that different situations can elicit various emotions (e.g., pride and guilt).
Social Rules: Understanding social norms concerning emotional expressions:
- For instance, children learn to display happiness at celebrations, even when feeling sad internally.

Females generally display a greater emotional understanding in interaction than males, based on experimental evidence.
Observations suggest that girls use emotional terms more frequently in conversations than boys;
- Males more likely to express anger or frustration than sadness.

Puberty: Marks a significant phase with notable physiological changes influenced by hormonal shifts (testosterone in boys, estrogen in girls).
Gender differences during puberty:
- Boys typically gain muscle mass while girls accumulate body fat.
- Reviews of physical changes and peer group interactions reveal emotional responses linked to body image and self-esteem.
- Social Comparison: Early maturing boys generally report positive self-esteem impacts, while late-maturing boys often report anxiety.
- Conversely, early maturing girls may face negative societal pressures and body image issues.

Research indicates that the timing of puberty can impact psychological development. Various factors such as:
- Processed Food Intake: Hormones in food are posited to contribute to early maturation.
- Environmental Factors: Stress and social changes also play a role.
Expectation is that as physical maturation occurs, emotional and cognitive regulation must also develop. There's a risk of disconnect, leading to emotional distress or maladaptive behavior (e.g., eating disorders in the context of ideal body images).

Societal standards can heavily influence personal body image and contribute to eating disorders, especially among females.
- Perceptions vs. Reality: Studies reveal a significant gap between how young women perceive their bodies versus societal standards.
- Factors identified in body image issues:
- Media portrayal of body types.
- Peer influence and family expectations.
- Rising trends in social media usage correlate with negative body image perception.
Anorexia Nervosa: A prevalent eating disorder among young women, characterized by an extreme distortion of body image, often leading to significant health risks.
- Approximately 1% of the general population is affected, but rates rise to 10% among college-age young women. Auto-regulation among males seems less emphasized due to sociocultural norms around emotional expressions.

Addressing eating disorders requires understanding of socio-cultural factors at play, including family dynamics and emotional support systems.
Interventions must adapt to comprehensive strategies considering both individual and societal influences to mitigate detrimental impacts on youth mental health.

Emotional development is complex and influenced by a variety of factors, including parental guidance, social expectations, and individual temperamental characteristics.
Continued research is essential to better understand the psychosocial dynamics during critical developmental stages and their implications on long-term emotional and mental health outcomes.