w4 - 5 Flashcards
(42 cards)
current definition of temperament (4)
constitutionally based (inborn)
individual differences
relating to affect - activity and attention
visible from early childhood
how is temperament different from personality
- temperamental qualities form the BASIC COMPONENTS of personality (not a clear cut difference)
- personality is more abstract and complex than temperament
- temperament is more biological while personality is more socialized - controlled proccess
brief history of temperament before thomas and chess’s groundbreaking study
- greeks: thought to be determined by four humours (blood phlegm black and yellow bile)
- allport: biological component of personality
describe thomas and chess’s work on temperament (methods - findings - 3 - example dimensions)
- reaction to strong influence of envioment on development
- wanted to see if there were biological influences on a child’s individual differences
- conducted detailed interviews with parent to derive rating
- identified temperament categories based on common themes - 9 distinct dimensions
(activity level - adaptability - attention span ex.) - domains include:
DIFFICULT (rarest - negative mood, withdrawn, intense moods)
EASY (most common - positive mood - adaptable)
SLOW TO WARM UP (still rare but more common than difficult - low activity level become increasingly adaptable - initially withdrawn - between the two temperaments)
- these patterns stay stable throughout childhood
HOWEVER - large amount of participants did not fit into these categories
describe rothbart’s temperament model (3 main dimensions - benefits of this measure over thomas and chess (3) )
- composed of diff dimensions that have diff subcomponents (not just categorical - but more on a continuum)
- negative emotionality (fear sadness etc.) - surgency (behavioural - anticipation impulsivity) - effortful control (attention - focusing - perceptual control)
benefits:
- easier to measure (less subjective)
- can be applied to a certain degree to non-human animals
- derived from questionnaires (much easier to measure - cost effective)
describe other methods to measure temperament (5)
self-report questionnaires:
- pros: makes use of repeated observations (longitudinal) - measures multiple characteristics at once - inexpensive - large samples ]
- cons: more subjective -social desirability
naturalistic observations at home or at school
-pros: less bias, context
- cons: expensive - narrow view
structured observations and tasks
- pros: standardized stimuli - precise observations
- cons: unusual environment, carryover effects (after doing a task multiple times the behaviour will no longer be independent)
interview with parents and kids
mechanical measures (asses movement and activity)
describe the basis of behavioural inhibitions (6)
- characterized by INTIAL NEGATIVE EMOTIONAL AND MOTOR REACTIVITY TO NOVELTY DURING INFANCY - and a tendency in later childhood to display fearful or withdrawn behaviour when confronting unfamiliar events - people - objects
- BI conveys heightened risk for anxiety disorders
- high heart rate - elevated cortisol - pupil dilation - startle response
- greater ERN responses (brain-related activity that shows they are more self-conscious of errors)
-hyper-responsive amygdala
- candidate gene: 5-HTT serotonin transporter
developmental origin of temperament (3)
- appear early (in fetus’s !)
- will show differences in expression of negative emotions in early infancy
(2-3 mo frustration) (7-10 mo fear)
attentional control starts developing in first year of life - becomes developed in childhood
(2.5 yrs - children within a category present the same for effortful control - predicts ability later in life)
how temperament can effect development (4) - transactional model - differential susceptibility
direct linear effects:
- extreme temperament might lead to or create a vulnerability to particular outcome (anxiety disorders)
indirect effects:
- child’s temperament affects environment - which then impacts social adjustment (sullen child will get an unfriendly reception)
interactional effects
goodness of fit:
no good or bad temperament - these characteristics determine how well-suited a child is for it’s environment
transactional model:
development is outcome of a child’s intrinsic characteristics (temperament) interacting with the environment (constant interactions between child and the environment)
moderational effects:
influence of temperament is moderated by the environment (ex. more fearful children will be greater impacted by GENTLE DISCIPLINE - non-fearful kids will not be impacted)
differential susceptibility: children with more extreme temperamental characteristics are more susceptible to socialization experiences (positively and negatively)
describe mischel marshmellow task. what did the initial findings show ? how is this related to biological temperament ? describe the follow up study of kidd et al. What did they look to study ? describe their methods and findings
initial findings showed that kids who waited longer to eat the marshmallow had greater success in life - idea is that temperament factors (delaying gratification attentional control etc.) play a role in driving a child’s ability to WAIT (regulate themselves)
kidd et al revisited this with the questions - WHAT IF children are actually weighing short terms over long terms gains - giving the reliability of their environment - would be more rational to go for the short term gain if long term isn’t guaranteed - not JUST about self-control
method:
first kids are provided with crayons (use these now or wait and i will bring you better crayons and a sticker) one reliable one not reliable
reliable group waited MUCH LONGER than the group with the unreliable condition (in the classic marshmallow experiment)
this SHOWS that the information children receive about their environment (reliability) impacts their SELF-CONTROL - SO temperament is not completely biological after all
how does temperament highlight the role of nature and OR nurture in social development
nature - biological basis (physiological heart rate - cortisol etc.)
nurture - information from the environment (nurture)
temperament (continuity or discontinuity)
continuity (relatively stable and can predict future behaviour - effective control - doesn’t go through significant changes)
definition of attachment
affectionate tie that forms from one person to another - enduring feeling or bond with that person
describe harlow’s work on attachment
experiments driven by learning theory
idea of DRIVE REDUCTION THEORY - attachment because mother provides food (secondary drive)
monkeys - cloth or wire mother
greater attachment to cloth mother - (should be wire WITH FOOD - disproves drive reduction)
describe bowlby’s work on attachment (4 points)
- attachment as an instinctual response for the survival of the species
- mutual - complementary responses from mother to child - cries responds
- parents provide secure base - safety to explore world with a protector
- attachments as a feature of dyads
describe the four phases of attachment
pre-attachment - no fear of strangers or social response (till 6w)
attachment in the making - 6w to 8mo - recognizes familiar people - social signals toward particular person - recognizes parent but doesn’t protest when separated
clear-cut attachment - (8mo - 24 mo) - separation anxiety - wary of strangers
goal-corrected partnership (24mo) - reciprocity in relationships - understands caregivers schedule and needs - separation protest declines
what is the internal working model of attachment ? (4 po of the model - 4 po ab the model)
- attachment bonds lead to the development of an internal working model
LEADS TO:
- mental representation of self - others - relationship
- specific content in a well-organized structure
- processes influence what info one attends to - what they remember - how they interpret events in the world
-unconscious
-carries forward into adult relationships
- mechanism to which attachment behaviours transfer to relationship partners
- subject to change and continuity
describe ainsworth’s strange situation - what did she find ? (name the 4 types of attachment styles)
mother and child play in room with toys
stranger enters talks to mother and child - mother leaves
mother returns stranger leaves
mother leaves - child alone
stranger returns - interacts with child
mother returns and stranger leaves
FINDINGS:
SECURE ATTACHMENT:
- majority
- sought contact with parent after her departure
- quickly comforted
- explored environment when parent was absent
INSECURE AVOIDANT:
- 20%
- show little distress when parent leaves
- actively avoids her when she returns
- avoid after parent leaves
- linked to irritable, intrusive and parents who are not ‘present’
INSECURE AMBIVALENT:
-10%
- extremely upset when parent leaves
- ambivalent or resistant upon return
- anxious inconsistent parents
INSECURE DISORGANIZED :
- disorganized and disoriented upon reunification
-neglectful, abusive parents
- depressed parents
other approaches to measure attachment - code reunion (4 dimensions - 2 yields - pros) - AQS (method - relation to SSP)
CODE REUNION EPISODES ALONG 4 DIMENSIONS:
- proximity seeking
- contact
- avoidance
- resistance
YIELDS TWO DIMENSIONS:
- proximity seeking vs avoidance
- anger and resistance
pro - CONTINUOUS MEASURES - don’t assume that individuals differ categorically from each other (greater nuance)
AQS:
- home observation or sorting exercise in which the caregiver OR OBSERVER sort cards based on how descriptive they are of the child’s behaviour
- tell how mUCH child looks like a securely attached child
- highly related to SSP
describe what we see when measuring attachment using the SSP across cultures ? what is universal (4) ? issue with SSP across cultures ?
we see that SECURE ATTACHMENT IS THE MOST PREVALENT ACROSS CULTURES - difference in prevalence of insecure avoidant and insecure ambivalent - HIGH INSECURE AVOIDANT in western countries (usa - germany - sweden)
- SSP might vary across cultures:
validity concerns of this paradigm
can be ACTUALLY STRANGE SITUATION - in a collectivist culture (much more comfortable with strangers)
UNIVERSAL:
- greater variability within cultures than between cultures (ontario vs. quebec have greater variability than in canada and the usa)
- preferential attachment to one caregiver is common
- majority are securely attached
- secure attachment is related to maternal sensitivity
describe the contributions of caregiving to attachment (7)
hormonal changes during and after pregnancy promote parents bonding with baby (skin to skin contact - oxytocin)
physical contact - infants who don’t stay at home are less likely to be securely attached
parenting behaviours:
- sensitivity to baby
- response to baby
- acceptance to baby’s states
-availability to baby
-insightful good at reading beyond child’s behaviours
ALL TEND TO BE INTER-RELATED
impact of childcare on attachment ? - goal of the study (3) - methods - findings
GOALS:
- look at association between child care and attachment status
- impact of quality of care
- child and parent factors associated with impact of childcare on attachment status
- interviewed, questionnaires, observation with mother - observe at childcare - ssp
FOUND
- MOTHERS high IN SENSITIVITY AND RESPONSIVENESS and had greater psychological adjustment were likely to have more securely attached infants
- temperament and sex did not predict attachment classification
- no impact of quality amount frequency of care and age of entry
- when children had low quality care and had mothers low in sensitivity they were less likely to be securely attached
THEREFORE - no reason to be concerned about child care alone
attachment - nature and nurture
nature - hormones for bonding - synchrony - (disproved drive reduction theory)
nurture - physical contact with parents, mother’s response and sensitivity to the baby
attachment as continuous or discontinuous
- yes and no
- continuous to adult relationships but subject to change through experience
