Understanding Emotional Development and Psychosocial Growth in Infants: The First Two Years

1. Part II Chapter Seven • Emotional Development • Theories About Infant Psychosocial • The Development of Social Bonds • Conclusions in Theory and Practices The First Two Years: Psychosocial Development

2. Smiling and Laughing • Social smile: smile evoked by a human face, normally evident in infants about 6 weeks after birth

3. Anger and Sadness • Anger evident at 6 months • Usually triggered by frustration • Healthy response • Sadness indicates withdrawal • Accompanied by increase of cortisol, a stress hormone

4. Fear Stranger wariness: infant no longer smiles at any friendly face • Cries if an unfamiliar person moves too close Separation anxiety: tears, dismay, or anger when familiar caregiver leaves • Peaks at 13 months

5. Separation Anxiety

6. Mirror Recognition Self-awareness: person’s realization that he or she is a distinct individual Self-recognition: in the mirror test as well as in photographs usually emerges at about 18 months

7. Psychoanalytic Theorists Freud • Oral stage: mouth is young infant’s primary source of gratification • First year (birth to one) • Anal stage: main pleasure comes from the anus. • Sensual pleasure of bowel movement • Pleasure of controlling them • Second year (one to two)

8. Psychoanalytic Theorists Erikson: Trust and Autonomy • Trust versus mistrust: Infants learn basic trust if the world is a secure place where their basic needs are met consistently • Autonomy versus shame and doubt: infants succeed or fail in gaining sense of self-rule over their own actions and bodies

9. Behaviorism • Emotions and personality molded as parents reinforce or punish the child’s spontaneous behaviors • Social learning:learning by observing others • Albert Bandura’s Bobo Doll experiment

10. Cognitive Theory • Thoughts and values determine a person’s perspectives. • Early experiences are important because of: • beliefs • perceptions • memories • Working model: set of assumptions that individual uses to organize perceptions and experiences

11. Epigenetic Theory • Temperament: Inborn differences between one person and another in: • Emotions • Activity • Self-regulation

12. The New York Longitudinal Study (NYLS) • Recognized each newborn has distinct inborn traits • Easy – laugh (40%) • Difficult – cry (10%) • Slow to warm up – quiet (15%) • Hard to Classify (35%)

13. The Big Five • Openness • Conscientiousness • Extroversion • Agreeableness • Neuroticism • Across cultures, ages, compliments NYLS classifications of infants

14. Parents and Temperament • Goodness of fit: similarity of temperament and values that produces a smooth interaction between the individual and the social context • School • Family • Community

15. Proximal and Distal Parenting Proximal parenting: parenting practices that involve close physical contact with the child’s entire body Distal parenting: parenting practices that focus on the intellect more than the body

16. Attachment Attachment: “tie” infant forms with the caregiver • Measure using the Strange Situation (Ainsworth, 1973)

17. Attachment Secure attachment: infant obtains both comfort and confidence from the presence of caregiver • 50-70% toddlers • Child plays happily, pauses and is unhappy when mother leaves

18. Attachment Insecure-avoidant: an attachment pattern in which the infant avoids connection with the parent • 10-20% toddlers • Child does not seem to care about parent’s presence, departure, or return

19. Attachment Insecure-resistant/ambivalent attachment: pattern of attachment in which anxiety and uncertainty are evident • 10-20% toddlers • Child is upset upon parent’s leaving, but resists and seeks contact upon return

20. Attachment Disorganized attachment: type of attachment marked by an infant’s inconsistent reactions to the caregiver’s departure and return • Child is cautious during play; stares, yells, confused when mother leaves; acts oddly upon return

21. Attachment Can Change • Insecure-avoidant and insecure-ambivalent styles may be adaptive • Explore environment if parent ignores • Find alternate sources of attachment • May change parent’s behavior

22. Attachment Can Change • Secure attachment can be disrupted by traumatic family events before age of 12 years • Abuse • Divorce

23. Social Referencing Social referencing: seeking information about how to react to unfamiliar ambiguous object or event by observing someone else’s expressions and reactions

24. Types of Nonrelative Care • Family day care: child care that occurs in the home of someone to whom the child is not related • Center day care: place especially designed for the purpose, where several paid adults care for many children • Children are grouped by age • Facility is licensed • Providers are trained and certified

25. The Effects of Infant Day Care • Parent-infant relationship is crucial • Infants can benefit from professional day care • Center care contributes to cognitive development (language)