Upcoming Selfassessment Due 4413 Super Nanny assignment Due

Upcoming Self-assessment Due 4/4/13 Super Nanny assignment Due 4/4/10; Watch on Lifetime or Internet/Supernanny webpage archive etc. Keep responses brief! Attachment and Temperament Effects of early experience Next up: Cognition & Aggression; Parents, Adolescents & Peers; Stereotypes and Racism

Super Nanny Watch 1 episode of Super Nanny Describe CHILD using Thomas and Chess’ nine dimensions of temperament (reference text, use only relevant dimensions for the particular case). Categorize CHILD using Thomas and Chess’ profiles (3) & Categorize CHILD’s siblings. (reference text) How would you describe the goodness of fit between CHILD and his/her parents? How would you describe the goodness of fit between the siblings and parents? (1 -2 sentences) Which attachment classification characterizes CHILD’s relationship with his parents? Which attachment classification characterizes the siblings’ relationships with their parents?

Super Nanny Thought Questions What does this tell us about predicting attachment classification from other relationships? What are the implications for modifying parental responding to CHILD? What are your predictions of for CHILD at age 21? (based on the research presented and your reading of the text)

Attachment Does the past predict the future? Are early experiences the basis of later normal or abnormal behavior? Does the infant’s relationship with his/her primary caregiver predict the quality of later relationships?

What happened to Gabriella? Gabriella is an attractive and outgoing student at MTC. She will graduate in May and has already accepted a job in the profession of her choice (early childhood development!). She seems to have everything going for her. Yet, something fundamental is missing from her life—Gabriella has never managed to sustain a loving, long-term relationship with an intimate partner. Was there something about her early childhood experience that caused her inability? What role do early relationships play in determining our characteristics and relationships as adults?

Bowlby/Ainsworth theory Crucial to have balance exploration of novelty proximity/protection seeking from familiar The type of attachment is based on the balance Attachment is NOT a single behavior, but rather -A variety of behaviors that vary depending on circumstances

Attachment Individual differences in attachment quality Secure Insecure: Resistant/ambivalent Avoidant Disorganized

Secure attachment Hallmark of secure attachment observed during REUNION episodes of the Strange Situation If Distressed: immediately seeks and maintains contact is effective in terminating distress If Not Distressed: active greeting strong initiation of interaction

Resistant/Ambivalent Attachments Poverty of exploration Difficulty separating to explore Wary of novel situations and people Mix contact seeking with contact resistance (hitting, kicking, squirming, rejecting toys) Continue to cry and fuss Striking passivity Separation: Melt-down Reunion: Difficulty settling

Avoidant Attachments Independent exploration Readily separates to explore Little affective sharing Affiliative to stranger when caregiver absent (little preference) Turns/ looks/moves away, ignoring Arches back if picked up Separation: Somewhat indifferent Reunion: Active avoidance

Disorganized/Disoriented No consistent way of relating Shows contradictory features of other patterns May strongly seek contact, then stop, freeze, and avoid caregiver Seems to move in slow motion. May wander with confused, dazed, or fearful facial expression Conflicted Seems to fear caregiver

Three cases Which of these three children seemed securely attached? Which were insecurely attached? What evidence do you have for your classifications? What are the primary differences between the children? What social factors might affect a child’s reactions to being alone with a stranger, and to having Mom leave? Do you think these three categories would apply equally to children in all cultures?

The Strange Situation: Three cases A B C

Types of Attachment Cross-cultural research: More similarities than differences across many different cultures Western Europe Israel Africa Japan

Factors that influence attachment Quality of caregiving (e. g. , responsive, warm, consistent? ) Child characteristics Temperament (e. g. , inhibited) Aspect of personality with a genetic component -- inborn dispositions Gender (e. g. , new toy: angry vs. scared) Appearance (e. g. , attractive, premature) What else?

Temperament Not a fixed genetic trait Probabilistic, not deterministic Temperament renders some outcomes: very likely some moderately likely some unlikely (although not impossible) depending on experience

Probabilistic, not deterministic

Attachment and temperament Does the past predict the future? Are early experiences the basis of later normal or abnormal behavior? Does the infant’s relationship with his/her primary caregiver predict the quality of later relationships?

Gabriella: What happened to her? Gabriella is an attractive and outgoing student at MTC. She will graduate in May and has already accepted a job in the profession of her choice (early childhood development!). She seems to have everything going for her. Yet, something fundamental is missing from her life—Gabriella has never managed to sustain a loving, longterm relationship with an intimate partner. Was there something about her early childhood experience that caused her inability? What role do early relationships play in determining our characteristics and relationships as adults?

Do early attachment relationship gets carried forward? Bowlby’s answer is: Yes and no Development is complicated IWM’s can be changed by later experiences but usually, the rich get richer and the poor get poorer…

Attachment: Research findings Hazan & Shaver (1987) (Inventory for college students) Results for adults are so similar to those of infant studies that Infant’s relationship with primary caregiver predicts/causes his/her later relationships with peers or romantic partners Conclusion: The past predicts the future Your experiences? ? ? Study limitations…

Direct evidence of attachment continuity/discontinuity: Sroufe & Egeland: Minnesota Parent-Child Project (longitudinal) Overall: Early attachment did NOT predict adult attachment well (little continuity) Participants who started and ended as insecure were more likely to experience abuse than if transitioned to secure abuse maintains/reinforces insecurity? Participants whose mothers were depressed, more likely to transition from secure to insecure - mother’s depression affects her parenting sensitivity? Environment too chaotic and negative for stability?

What happened to Gabriella? Participant in an early study of the impact of maternal depression on child outcomes, development, and resilience As an infant and young child experienced inconsistent caregiving and sporadic neglect (maintained insecure attachment) due to mother’s depression Became a well-functioning, successful adult, but continued struggles with insecure attachment in adult relationships… Probabilistic, not deterministic Development is complicated

Significance: Attachment and later development INTERNAL WORKING MODELS (IWM): (i. e. , schemas) Children and adults develop complex schemas and mental representations Repeated interactions with caregivers form cognitive expectations that guide attention and memory about relationships

Significance: Attachment and later development INTERNAL WORKING MODELS (IWM): Guide organization of attention and memory about relationships Are largely automatic and unconscious Can be changed but Have a propensity for stability

Temperament: Example Some young children very uninhibited with strangers or other unfamiliar things. Likely to become spontaneous, fearless, sociable 10 -yearolds. But, a small number of these outgoing infants may become timid later in life because of intervening stressful experiences…And, vice versa Probabilistic, not deterministic

Conclusions Development is complicated Low to moderate stability Greater stability for temperament vs. attachment Greater stability linked to extreme or negative life events (e. g. , abuse, depression) Probabilistic, not deterministic