emotional development. four basic components of emotions: 1.stimuli that provoke a reaction...

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Four Basic Components of Emotions:

1. Stimuli that provoke a reaction

2. Feelings – Pos. or neg. conscious experiences of which we become aware

3. Physiological arousal

4. Behavioral response

Example:

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Sequence of Emotional Development:

Newborn

3 months

2 ½ - 6 months

8 – 10 months

Second year

Third year

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Functions of Emotions:

1. Adaptive function

2. Communication

3. Social relationships

4. Sociomoral development

5. Source of pleasure or pain

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Temperament: a person’s characteristic modes of responding emotionally and behaviorally to environmental events, including such attributes as activity level, irritability, fearfulness, and sociability.

Moderately heritable! Non-shared experiences affect later temperament.

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

New York Longitudinal Study: 40% Easy, 10% Difficult, 15% Slow-to-Warm-Up, rest showed unique patterns

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Attachment: a close emotional relationship between two persons characterized by….

1. Mutual affection

2. Frequent interaction and close proximity

3. Selectivity

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Infant characteristics promoting attachment:

1. “kewpie doll” appearance

2. Rooting, sucking, grasping reflexes

3. Smiling

4. Cooing, babbling

5. Crying

6. Synchronous movement

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Infant characteristics making attachments more difficult:

1. Physically unattractive

2. Weak reflexes

3. Irritable

4. Little pleasant vocalization

5. Irritating, shrill cry

6. Easily over stimulated

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Caregiver characteristics hindering attachment:

1. Maternal depression

2. Abused mother

3. Mother doesn’t want baby

4. Mother unable to take lead

5. Mother insensitive to infant

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Ecological Constraints on Attachment:

1. Several children

2. Poor marital relationship

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Theories of Attachment

Psychoanalytic Theory

Learning Theory

Cognitive-Developmental Theory

Ethological Theory

Summary of Evidence

1. Feeding not as critical as once believed.

2. Contact comfort & responsive interaction are important.

3. Timing is related to obj. perm.

4. Infants are active participants.

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Stranger Anxiety – Wary reaction to a stranger which occurs shortly after attachment to a primary caregiver.

Separation Anxiety – Wary or fretful reaction that infants and toddlers often display when separated from the person(s) to whom they are attached.

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Separation Anxiety

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Why Infants Fear Separation and Strangers

“Conditioned Anxiety” Hypothesis

- Separation

- Strangers

- Comments

Ethological Viewpoint

- Separation

- Strangers

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Why Infants Fear Separation and Strangers

Cognitive-Developmental Viewpoint

- Separation

- Strangers

Conclusion:

1. Child’s fear of losing warmth/security of caregiver

2. Apprehension of unfamiliar

3. Inability to fit into existing schemes.

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Types of Attachment

Secure Attachment

• Explores

• Distressed when separated

• Warmly greets mom

• Outgoing to strangers when mom is there

Insecure Attachment (Anxious/Resistant)

• Anxious

• Very distressed when separated

• Ambivalent on mom’s return

• Wary of strangers when mom is there

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Types of Attachment

Insecure Attachment (Anxious/Avoidant)

• Not interested in exploring

• Little distress when separated

• Avoids contact on return

• Not wary of stranger

Insecure Attachment (Disorganized/disoriented)

• Show mixture of other two types of insecure attachment

• Show approach/avoidance conflict when mom returns

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Explanations of Attachment Differences

Ainsworth’s Caregiving Hypothesis: quality of an infant’s attachment depends largely on the kind of attention the infant has received.

Secure attachment:

Insecure attachment (anxious/resistant):

Insecure attachment (anxious/avoidant):

Insecure attachment (disorganized/disoriented):

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Explanations of Attachment Differences

Ainsworth’s Strange Situation

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Explanations of Attachment Differences

Kagan’s Temperament Hypothesis: quality of an infant’s attachment reflects individual differences in infant temperament. All other factors being equal, then:

Easy temperament:

Difficult temperament:

Slow-to-warm-up temperament:

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Explanations of Attachment Differences

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Explanations of Attachment Differences

Kagan’s Temperament Hypothesis: quality of an infant’s attachment reflects individual differences in infant temperament. All other factors being equal, then:

Easy temperament:

Difficult temperament:

Slow-to-warm-up temperament:

Who is correct? What is the evidence?

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Long-term Correlates of Attachment Quality

Securely attached toddlers and preschoolers tend to be:

1. Better problem solvers at age 2

2. More creative

3. More attractive playmates

4. Initiate play activities

5. Sensitive to others

6. Curious

7. Self-directed

8. Eager to learn

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Important Factors in Daycare & Attachment

• Quality of care

• Parental attitudes

• Two-parent or Single parent?

• Socioeconomic status (SES)

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Important Factors in Daycare & Attachment

Characteristics of High Quality Day Care:

1. Child-to-caregiver ratio

2. Caregivers warm/expressive/responsive

3. Little staff turnover

4. Age-appropriate curriculum

5. Administration willing/eager to confer with parents about child

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

Daycare & Attachment

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The “Unattached” Infant

A. Harlow’s Studies of Socially-Deprived Monkeys

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The “Unattached” Infant

A. Harlow’s Studies of Socially-Deprived Monkeys

1. Three months of Isolation

a. Characteristics displayed

b. Recovery?

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The “Unattached” Infant

A. Harlow’s Studies of Socially-Deprived Monkeys

1. Three months of Isolation

2. Six months of Isolation

a. Characteristics displayed

b. Recovery?

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The “Unattached” Infant

A. Harlow’s Studies of Socially-Deprived Monkeys

1. Three months of Isolation

2. Six months of Isolation

3. Twelve months of Isolation

a. Characteristics displayed

b. Recovery?

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The “Unattached” Infant

A. Harlow’s Studies of Socially-Deprived Monkeys

1. Three months of Isolation

2. Six months of Isolation

3. Twelve months of Isolation

4. Summary of this work

5. Later recovery

EMOTIONAL DEVELOPMENT

The “Unattached” Infant

A. Harlow’s Studies of Socially-Deprived Monkeys

B. Early Social Deprivation in children

1. Characteristics of Infants

2. Characteristics of Toddlers/Older Children

3. How to Aid Recovery from Early Social Deprivation