Infancy Emotional Social Development Emotional Development n Basic

Infancy Emotional & Social Development

Emotional Development n Basic emotions are universal, suggesting evolutionarily adaptive n Emotions develop in a sequence: – – Happiness (6 -10 wks) promotes bonding (social smiling) Anger (4 -6 mo) allow infant to assert themselves Fear (6 -8 mo) keeps infants safe (stranger anxiety) Social referencing (7 -10 mo) fosters learning But, do some infants have specific patterns of emotion?

Temperament n Stable individual differences in quality & intensity of emotional reactions, activity, & attention n Thomas & Chess( 1956) – Participants: 141 infants followed from early infancy to adulthood – Method: parents rated child on 9 dimensions Type % Easy 40% Difficult 10% Slow-to-warm up 15% 35% were not categorized!

1. Is temperament stable? – – 2. Low to moderate stability More stable after 2 yrs Is it genetic or influenced by environment? – – Twin studies, cultural & gender differences provide strong support for genetics Environment matters too: Goodness-of-fit Model Parent’s Genes Infant’s genes Infant’s Environment Infant’s Temperament

Erikson’s Psychosocial Lifespan Theory of Personality n Personality is an interaction between psychological (inner) maturation & societal demand n 8 psychosocial stages of personality development – “Crisis” of opposing tendencies to be resolved – If successful, acquire personality “strength” n Epigenetic principle: sequence biologically fixed, but social context influences how crisis is resolved

Stages of Personality Development 65+ 30 -65 21 -30 12 -21 6 -12 3 -6 18 m-3 y 0 -18 mo If trust & autonomy not acquired, developmental problems later

Attachment n Why do infants become attached to caregivers? – Early theories suggested feeding – Harlow & Zimmerman (1959) rhesus monkey studies suggested something else…

Ethological theory of attachment J. Bowlby n n Promotes survival by keeping parent close “Clear-cut attachment” (6 -8 months to 18 mo-2 yrs): infants develop separation anxiety Use caregiver as a secure base for exploration An internal-working-model develops & is the foundation for future relationships How do we measure attachment?

Strange Situation

Attachment Patterns Pattern Exploration/Alone/Return Secure attachment Secure base/may cry/comforted Avoidant Ambivalent/not distressed/avoid Resistant Cling/distressed/angry or resist Disorganized/disoriented Some exploration/cry/confused How common are these patterns?

Prevalence of attachment patterns