Emotional Development + Attachment Reltionships Flashcards
(16 cards)
Emotional development:
State of feeling that has physiological, situational, subjective and cognitive components and desire to take action
Emotional components:
- neural responses
- physiological factors, include Herat rate, breathing rate and hormone levels
- emotional expressions
- subjective feelings
- desire to take action, including desire to escape, approach, or change people/ things in environment
- cognitive component: evaluation
Emotional development
1. Emergence of emotions
Darwin: evolutionary approach to emotions; facial expressions of some basic emotions are innate
Ways to investigate this:
- are facial expressions universally understood?
- do newborn infants spontaneously produce recognisable facial expression?
Emotional development
1. Emergence of emotions ( basic positive emotions)
0-3 months: smiles reflexive, not directed at other people
Around 3 months: social smiling- directed at ppl
3-4 months: laughter emerges (tickling)
Around 7 months: smiling more at familiar ppl
2 years: more intensive, varied positive emotions
Emotional development
1. Emergence of emotions ( basic negative emotions)
New born: general distress (hunger, pain)
Fear: evident by 6-7 months
- fear of strangers, loud noises
8 months: separation anxiety
Anger: 4-8 months
- due to needs not being met, frustration
Emotional development
1. Emergence of emotions (self-conscious emotions)
Emerges around 18-24 months
Cultural variation for:
- pride
- shame
- guilt
- embarrassment
Pride: involves body as well as face
- erecting posture
-slight smile
-extended arms
These emotions require:
- basic sense of self
- awareness of others’ reaction to us
- awareness of standard norms
Understanding emotion: recognising and using others’ emotions
3-month-old: distinguish between photo of people smiling/ frowning
4-7 months: distinguish between happiness and surprise
10-12 months: begin social referencing- looking to adult for cues to help interpret ambiguous situations
18 moths: more wild understanding of others’ desires
Toddler + preschool years: ability to label + understand emotion improves
Broccoli and Cracker study (Repachloi & Gopnik, 1997)
Understanding emotion: recognising and using others’ emotions
(Test of emotional comprehension)
Pons & Harris 2000
3 developmental phases found:
- up to age 5: understanding public aspect of emotion; how situations trigger emotions and how they’re outwardly expressed
- by 7 years: understanding of mentalist nature of emotions
-age 9-11 years: understanding that one event can elicit serveral emotions- cognitive strategies can be used to regulate emotions
Emotional development: emotional regulation
- process used to monitor + modulate emotional experiences + expressions
- prevents emotional ‘overload’ + allows one to function in consisten manner
-learning to relate emotions takes time:
- Early on: reliance on caregivers to regulate externally
- 1-2 years: some self-regulation
- by preschool: more self-regulation, rely less on other
Not all children regulate equally well; those who dont have trouble with social interactions and demands
Better delay of gratification in childhood- related to social + cognitive competence, academic achievement, higher self-esteem
Marshmallow test (Mischel et al., 1989)
Attachment relationships : History
Until 1930s/1940s: believed children only need good physical care — little emphasis on emotional dimensions of caregiving
Prevalent view of develoment at the time= behaviourism
Primary drive= alleviate hunger
Secondary drive = for mother- she provides food, thus reduces primary drive
Research starting in 40s/50s suggested socio-economical bonds with caregivers= vital
Rene Spitz:
- filmed children in orphanages
- compared effects of good physical care to good psychical care AND regular contact with mothers
Harry Harlow: monkey experiments
- wire mother (food) vs cloth mother (comfort)
Attachment relationships: attachment theory (definition + characteristics)
John Bowbly:
- an enduring affe five bond with a specific person, often between primary caregiver and child
- universal
- long-lasting
- primary caregiver = secure base
- derived from evolutionary + ethological theories
- innate basis
- quality depends on nature of experience with caregiver
Attachment relationships: attachment theory (Development course)
- Pre attachment: indiscriminate social responsiveness (birth- 2 months)
- infant produces innate signals- Susan and elicit responces from parent
- learn to recognise caregivers be smell/ sound
- interactive system, first step to forming attachment - Attachment-in-making: discriminate social responsiveness (2-7 months)
- respond to primary caregiver
-more easily soothed by primary care giver
- begin to identify caregiver as perons they can depend on - Clear-cut attachment: focused attchment to regular caregivers (7months- 1.5 years)
- infants have signaled out attachment figure
- trust this person, who provides socioeconomic base
- separation anxiety - Reciprocal relationships: goal-corrected partnerships (from 2 years on)
- gradually less separation anxiety
- can negotiate with caregiver
- become true partners in attachment relationships
Child develops an internal working model: expectations about caregiver’s abilities and responsiveness
- guides child’s expectations about relationships throughout life
- if caregivers = accessible + responsive: expects secure relationships, precedes self as worthy of love
- if caregivers = unavailable + unresponsive: develops negative perceptions of self and relationships
Attachment relationships: measurement (strange situations)
Mark Ainsworth
- worked with John Bowbly
- conducted longitudinal study of mother-infant attachment in Uganda
Strange situation measures focuses on:
- extent to which infant uses primary caregiver as secure base to explore
- how infant reacts to brief separations + reunions with caregivers
- rations to stranger
OG coding scheme:
- proximity- seeking
- contact-maintenance
- resistance
- avoidance
Attachment relationships: measurement (attachment styles)
Secure attachment:
- use caregiver as secure base during exploration
- may be distressed when caregiver leaves
- reunion= happy to see caregiver, actively seeks contact, comforted by caregivers presence, recoveries quick from distress
- parenting style: consistent, sensitive, warm, responds appropriate to child’s needs
Insecure attachment:
- insecure avoidance:
-marked by indifference towards caregiver
- if distressed during separation, comforted as easily by starters as by caregiver
- reunion= in diferent/ avoidant when caregiver returns
- parenting style= unresponsive, rejecting - Insecure-resistant:
- clingy, stays close to caregiver rather than explore
- very upset during separation
- reunion= seeks comfort + resists caregivers comfort , not easily comforted
- parenting style= inconsistent available, inconsistent discipline - Disorganised:
- small % of kids don’t fit other category
- no consistent way of coping with stress
- behaviour = confused
- higher % amoung maltreated kids, maternal drug abuse, depressive caregivers
Attachment: cultural variation
Children’s behaviour in strange situations =similar across numerous cultures
Study across 9 countries (Canada, France, Columbia, Italy, Peru, US etc) :
- all kids use their mothers as secure base when exploring environment, but Holden in Columbia + Peru reminded less in close proximity to mothers
Attachment: and socio-emotional development
Children’s attachment status predicts ther later socio-emotional develoment
- securely attached infants experiencing better adjustment + more social skills than insecurely attached children
- supportive parenting = likely to learn its acceptable to express emotions in appropriate way
Securely attached infants:
- have closer, more harmonious relationships with peers in childhood
- higher in self-regulation
- less anxious, depressed
- display more helping, sharing, empathy
