6 - Attachment and Emotion Flashcards
What are emotions?
- Subjective reactions to the environment
> transient states (context-dependent)
> correspond to distinct internal feelings - Usually experienced cognitively
- Generally accompanied by some physiological arousal
> e.g. increased heart rate - Communicated to others through behaviour
Approaches to Emotional Development (3)
Genetic-Maturational View
Learning Perspective
Functionalist Approach
What’s the best way to measure (index) infant’s emotions?
- More direct way is to look at their facial expressions
> relatively easy to measure - Could ask mothers’
> this is subjective
Primary Emotions (6)
- first to develop (around 6m)
- culturally universal
- develop via Social Referencing
> children use the emotional cues of people around them to learn how to react in those situations
> fear > joy > disgust > anger > surprise > sadness
Why do the 6 primary emotions emerge first?
> ontogeny mirrors phylogeny
+ the order in which emotions develop in a child, mirrors the order in which these emotions came about in evolution
+ i.e. the first emotions to come along are the most essential to survival
+ complex emotions emerge later
+ different combinations of primary emotions in different strengths give rise to the more complex emotions
Types of Emotions (4)
Primary emotions
- emerge within 6m
Secondary emotions
- emerge from 18m-3y
Complex emotions
- emerge as young as 2y
Machiavellian emotions
Secondary Emotions and cognitive milestones
18m-3y
> these involve self-awareness of one’s own thoughts and feelings
> allows us to feel concern about what people think
+ embarrassment
+ envy
+ empathy
> once these have developed, these are built on by incorporating social standards/norms
understanding that there are particular expectations, and internalising these
+ guilt
+ shame
+ pride
- Secondary emotional development occurs at the same time as the development of the amygdala
> remembering emotional and social events - so it could be that these complex emotions require more complex neural circuitry
Complex Emotions and requirements (3)
- embarrassment
> requires self awareness
> as young as age 2 - guilt
> requires personal responsibility to moral standards
> somewhat culturally specific - jealousy
> generally seen as complex but may emerge earlier
> an internal emotion, not really expressible
Machiavellian Emotions
> using emotional expressions to manipulate/influence people, when they aren’t actually feeling these emotions
Recognising Emotions
- response to emotions emerges early
- idea is that their using non-verbal cues (facial expressions, tone of voice)
> 4m track emotions
> 5m are sensitive to emotions of speakers of their non-native language - this can depend on the emotions they’re exposed to
> abused children tend to recognise these negative emotions more easily than those that haven’t
What is Negativity Bias?
- infants have a greater response to negative emotions
> less likely to play with a toy that the adult acted negatively towards - could have survival benefits evolutionarily
What is Emotional Contagion?
- exposure to another person’s emotions can cause us to feel that same emotion
- emerges by 6m
> could be a form of emotional imitation
> could be a result of mirror neurons
What is Emotional Regulation?
- Situation Modification
- Attentional Deployment
- Response Modification
Emotional Regulation
- deliberately suppressing emotions in certain situations
> Situation Modification
+ change situation to change emotion (external = mother moves baby)
> Attentional Deployment
+ change thoughts to distract and move attention away from the stressor
> Response Modification
+ change the physiological response caused by stress to reduce the emotional impact (i.e. deep breaths)
What are Emotional Display Rules?
Rules that dictate what emotions are appropriate at what circumstances
> can be cultural (stiff upper lip)
Define Temperament and Personality
Temperament
- tendency towards particular emotional and behavioural responses to specific situations
- biologically rooted
- used to describe infants
Personality
- temperament + creativity + intelligence + other factors
- used to describe older children and adults
What are the 3 main categories of temperament?
> emotionality
activity level
sociability
- all have a strong genetic component
- all are linked to specific brain circuitry or other physiological factors (HR or hormonal expression)
- all seem to be present across species
Study of Temperament
Results:
- classified babies as having these temperaments:
> easy (40%)
> difficult (10%)
> slow to warm up (15%)
> average (35%)
- these had some predictive power in terms of later personality
- also suggested goodness of fit between child and environment
> same environment can have different reactions for children depending on their innate temperament - Parents’ influence:
(also siblings and peers)
> reinforcement
> imitation
> emotional coaches by talking about emotions and exploring their understanding of their own and others’ emotional responses
Study: New York Longitudinal Study - interviews with mothers about infants' routine and activity - developed nine-dimensional scale to look at different aspects of temperament > activity level > approach/withdrawal > adaptability > mood > responsiveness > reactivity > distractibility > rhythmicity > attention span/persistence
Results:
- classified babies as having these temperaments:
> easy (40%)
> difficult (10%)
> slow to warm up (15%)
> average (35%)
- these had some predictive power in terms of later personality
- also suggested goodness of fit between child and environment
> same environment can have different reactions for children depending on their innate temperament - Parents’ influence:
(also siblings and peers)
> reinforcement
> imitation
> emotional coaches by talking about emotions and exploring their understanding of their own and others’ emotional responses
4 Types of Temperament in infants
> easy
difficult
slow to warm up
average
- these had some predictive power in terms of later personality
Parental influence on temperament
> reinforcement
imitation
emotional coaches by talking about emotions and exploring their understanding of their own and others’ emotional responses
Define Attachment
A strong emotional bond formed between infant and caregiver
forms 6-12m
Separation Anxiety
Develops at 8m
- distress caused by separation from caregivers
- indicates specific bond
- culturally universal
> as infants age, their display of separation distress changes from i.e. crawling to asking for them
Psychoanalytic Theory of attachment and it’s limitations
- nursing is the earliest form of pleasure and gratification being satisfied (oral stage)
> this forms a bond between mother and child+ limitation: what about fathers? (no empirical support) - babies have different bonds based on gender and sex roles, and these persist throughout life
Learning theory of attachment and it’s limitation
- babies have physical drives (hunger/thirst)
> when caregivers respond to these drives, the child associates the caregiver with positive reinforcement
+ forming a bond with the mother - these biological drives guide attachment
> limitation: why does the strong bond retain when they can feed themselves?
Ethological Theory of attachment
- Bowlby coined the bond between parent and child ‘attachment’
> infant wants to be proximal to caregiver
> focus on evolutionary role of attachment
+ instinctual behaviours ensure that they get attention (crying, sucking)
+ from this proximity, attachment develops
> distinct from dependency (reliance for sustenance)
