Social Development Infancy

Question 1

How do baby’s recognise their mother?

Answer 1

• mothers voice can be heard inside the womb
• infants prefer mothers voice to other females (Mehler, 1978)
• From 7 hours old babies would rather look at photos of their than a stranger with the same features (Walton & Bower, 1991)

Question 2

Do babies use imitation to communicate?

Answer 2

Meltzoff & Moore, 1977
- babies imitate facial expressions from birth
Nagy et al, 2019, when imitating, babies don’t imitate mouth opening but they do imitate tongue out

Question 3

Developing interactions with mothers and fathers.

Answer 3

• at 6 weeks new borns can smile to mothers face and voice
• at 3 months babies smile is synchronised with their mum
• at 2 months babies can coo and laugh

Question 4

What is Joint Attention

Answer 4

• Between 6 an 12 months of age infants have joint attention
• Example; follow someone’s gaze (someone looks away and you look where they look)

Question 5

Flom et al (2004) Joint attention study

Answer 5

• infants follow larger turns over smaller turns, this is especially the case when outside of the visual field

Question 6

Joint attention, children’s pointing (Schaffer, 1984)

Answer 6

• at 1 years old pointing becomes a communicative purpose
• at 2 years old infants will point at a object then look at their parents then go back to looking at the object

Question 7

What is social referencing

Answer 7

• children look to their caregivers for cues on how to respond

Question 8

Can infants recognise different emotional expressions

Answer 8

7 moth olds can distinguish between happy and sad expressions (Caron et al, 1982)

Question 9

Visual Cliff Study (Sorce et al, 1985)

Answer 9

• children are weary of the cliff
• when parents laugh and smile

Question 10

Importance of attachment (Brennan and Shaver, 1998)

Answer 10

• attachment during infancy has implications later on with resilience and problem solving

Question 11

Freudian Psychoanalytic Theory

Answer 11

• oral satisfaction leads to attachment with caregiver

Question 12

Learning theory

Answer 12

• attachment as a result of caregivers being a secondary reinforcer i.e stickers and food

Question 13

Cognitive development theory

Answer 13

• a type of attachment that happens when they have object permanence

Question 14

Ethological Theory

Answer 14

• happens as a result of an instinct which ensures protection and survival

Question 15

John Bowlby’s Theory

Answer 15

• explains the earliest attachment between infants and mothers using ethological principles
• mother provides a secure base for the child

Question 16

John Bowlby’s Theory Attachment and Loss

Answer 16

• social relationship as well as physical care
• early attachments have impacts in later life
• attachment as a model of close relationships

Question 17

Harlows Research

Answer 17

Maternal Deprivation In Monkeys:
- baby monkeys prefer ‘cloth mothers’ over ‘wire mothers’
- show affection to mothers
- more affection than feeding on milk (nursing)

Question 18

Attachment Patterns

Answer 18

• secure attachment means healthy psychological development
• insecure attachment means abnormal behaviour later in life

Question 19

Development of Bowlby’s view: nature of attachment

Answer 19

Attachment is usually only to one person
- fathers help the mother to be more relaxed and the best they can be which then provides a better attachment between the baby and mother

Question 20

Schaffer & Emerson (1964)

Answer 20

• Attachment is usually to more than one person
• Weak attachment to one person could be caused by a strong attachment to another

Question 21

Ainsworth (1969) , The Strange Situation
Secure attachment
Insecure Avoidant
Insecure Resistant
Insecure Disorganised

Answer 21

Secure:
- Cries when mother leaves the room
- Baby is comforted when mother returns to the room
- Plays happily but keeps an eye on mother
Insecure - Avoidant:
- Does not cry when mother leaves the room
- Strangers can provide comfort for baby
- When mother returns baby may look away
Insecure Resistant:
- stays close to mum and does not play
- cries when mum leaves the room and not comforted when she’s back
Insecure Disorganised:
- Confused when mum returns, cry when mum returns
- Not organised enough to deal with stress

Question 22

Maintaining Attachment style

Answer 22

• Defining features can change for attachment
• Attachments form through infancy to childhood
• Importance shifts from availability to proximity of attachment figure

Question 23

Influences on attachment quality

Answer 23

Caregiver factors:
- Depression
- Previous Experience
- Day care arrangements
Child Factors:
- Child temperament

Question 24

Attachment and Postnatal Depression

Answer 24

McMahon et al (2006)
- Mothers with post natal depression are more likely to have children with a insecure attachment
- They were also more likely to have a insecure attachment style with themselves

Question 25

Practical influences of Bowlby’s work

Answer 25

• Facilities in hospitals for parents to stay with young children
• not one model works for all children so can’t always apply the theory directly

Question 26

Practical implications Full Time Childcare & Attachment

Answer 26

• Mothers who work differ in many ways from those who don’t
• for children in day care a lot, strange situation task is not as stressful

Question 27

Differential Susceptibility Hypothesis (Belsky, 1997)

Answer 27

• children have different temperaments not just rearing experience i.e. daycare
• DeSchipper does not support, relationships didn’t differ on irritability

Question 28

Problems with measuring attachment: Infancy

Answer 28

The Strange Situation:
- Doesn’t take cultural practise into account
- Doesn’t identify all children with abnormal relationships (Autism)

Question 29

Questions to consider

Answer 29

Assess the current status of Bowlby’s theory of attachment.