Chapter 10 - Emotional Development

Question 1

What is temperament?

Answer 1

Made up by behavioural styles which are fairly stable across situations and are biologically based

Question 2

When are differences in emotion and style of behaviour evident?

Answer 2

In the first few weeks after birth and are important throughout life

Question 3

What patterns of temperament did Thomas and Chess identify?

Answer 3

• “Easy” babies: Most common; usually happy and cheerful; tended to adjust well to new situations; had regular routines for eating, sleeping, and toileting
• “Difficult” babies: Less common; unhappy; were irregular in their eating and sleeping; often responded intensely to unfamiliar situations
• “Slow-to-warm-up” babies: Often unhappy; not upset by unfamiliar situations

Question 4

What do researchers want to determine rather than emphasizing creating different categories of infants?

Answer 4

The different dimensions that underlie temperament

Question 5

What is surgency/extraversion?

Answer 5

The extent to which a child is generally happy, active, vocal, and regularly seeks interesting stimulation

Question 6

What does negative affect refer to?

Answer 6

The extent to which a child is angry, fearful, frustrated, shy, and not easily soothed

Question 7

What is effortful control?

Answer 7

The extent to which a child can focus attention, as not readily distracted, and can inhibit responses

Question 8

What do most theories about temperament agree on?

Answer 8

Both heredity and experience

Question 9

What else does the impact of heredity depend on?

Answer 9

The temperamental dimension and the child’s age

Question 10

What seems to reflect environmental influences?

Answer 10

Laughing often, being generally happy, and often expressing pleasure

Question 11

How do infants develop if when mothers are abrupt in dealing with them and lack confidence?

Answer 11

More often develop intense, difficult temperaments

Question 12

What is DRD4 linked to?

Answer 12

Behaviours that make up temperament (e.g., novelty, seeking, fearlessness)

Question 13

What is the Fels longitudinal project?

Answer 13

A study of many aspects of physical and psychological development from infancy
- Found that fearful preschoolers tended to be inhibited as older children and adolescents

Question 14

In many aspects, what does temperament resemble?

Answer 14

Personality

Question 15

What do extroverted individuals tend to be like?

Answer 15

Affectionate, prefer the company of others, and like being active

Question 16

What do introverted individuals tend to be like?

Answer 16

More reserved, enjoy solitude, and prefer a more sedate pace

Question 17

What does extroversion look like?

Answer 17

A blend of the temperamental dimension of positive affect and activity level; and longitudinal studies find that inhibited children are more likely as adults to be introverted than extroverted

Question 18

Why should be not expect children’s temperament to be consistently related to their personality as adults?

Answer 18

Temperament changes as children develop, depending on their experiences

Question 19

What was one of the goals of Thomas and Chess’s New York Longitudinal Study?

Answer 19

To discover temperamental features of infants that would predict later psychological adjustment

Question 20

What else was found when looking for links between temperament and outcomes of development?

Answer 20

• Persistent children are likely to succeed in school, whereas active and distractible children are less likely to succeed
• Shy, inhibited children often have difficulty interacting with their peers and often do not cope effectively with problems
• Anxious, fearful children are more likely to comply with a parent’s rules and requests, even when the parent is not present
• Children who are frequently angry or fearful are more prone to depression
• Children who are capable of greater effortful control and school-age children, are less likely to be diagnosed with ADHD

Question 21

What dimensions did observers score children’s behaviour on?

Answer 21

• Inhibition: The extent to which children avoided the experimenter
• Concerned expression: The extent to which children displayed obvious concern for the injured experimenter or mother
• Helpful behaviour: The extent to which children acted in ways apparently aimed at reducing distress

Question 22

What does the influence of temperament often depend on?

Answer 22

The environment in which children develop

Question 23

What is the link between temperament and behaviour problems?

Answer 23

Infants and toddlers who temperamentally resist control - those who are difficult to mange, who are often unresponsive, and who are sometimes impulsive - tend to be prone to behaviour problems, particularly aggression, when they are older

Question 24

When are young adolescents likely to do if they experience many life stressors?

Answer 24

More likely to drink, smoke, and use drugs

Question 25

What are young adolescents who are temperamentally cheerful less likely to have/do?

Answer 25

Less affected by life stressors and consequently are less likely to drink, smoke, or use drugs