Infant Psychosocial DevelopmentAnnouncements and RemindersOutline • Emotional and personality development • Social development and attachment • Contexts of caregivingWhat Are Emotions? • Emotion -- feeling, or affect • In infancy - communication is central part of emotion • Classifying Emotions • Positive • NegativeEmotions: Biological and Environmental Influences • Biological Influences • Universal • Environmental Influences • Display rules (Shiraev & Levy, 2010)Early Emotions: Crying • Babies have at least three types of cries: • Basic cry • Anger cry • Pain cryDevelopment Psyc in Real Life: Should Parents Respond to an Infant’s Cries? • Many developmentalists recommend that parents soothe a crying infant, especially in the first year • This reaction should help infants develop a sense of trust and secure attachment to the caregiverEarly Emotions • In the first six months, • 6 basic emotions • surprise, interest, joy, anger, sadness, fear, and disgust • By the second year • self-conscious or other-conscious emotions • jealousy, empathy, embarrassment, pride, shame, and guiltEarly Emotions: Smiling • Reflexive smile • Social smileEarly Emotions: Fear • Appears at 6 mos • Peaks at 18 mos. • Types of fear: • Stranger anxiety: peaks at 6-9 mos. • Separation protest peaks around 13-15 mos.Social Referencing • Social referencing -- reading emotional cues in others to help determine how to act in a particular situationEmotional Regulation • Influences on emotional regulation • Soothing infant  develop a sense of trust and secure attachment to the caregiverTemperament • Definition : • Individual differences in emotional, motor, and attentional reactivity and self-regulation • Three broad categories (Chess & Thomas, 1977) • Easy children • Difficult children • Slow-to-warm-up childrenTemperament • Kagan: Concept of Behavioral Inhibition • Effortful Control (Self-Regulation) - Rothbart and Bates’ classification • Extraversion/surgency • Negative affectivity • Effortful controlTemperament • Goodness-of-fit • Fit between infant temperament and parent behavior toward and with the infant • Sensitive responsiveness: • Parents’ ability to react to the specific temperament needs of their childrenPersonality Development • Personality -- the enduring personal characteristics of individuals • Erikson – • First year = trust versus mistrust • Importance of Sensitive, responsive, and consistent carePersonality Development • Development of self-recognition • 5-8 months: Does not recognize self in mirror • 9-12 months: Recognizes other people/items in mirror • 15-18 months: Recognizes self in mirror • Sense of self – lipstick on nose testPersonality Development: gaining a sense of self • Self-concept: the image of ourselves • Personal agency • Self-efficacyPersonality Development: gaining a sense of self • Erikson • Second year: Autonomy vs. Shame and doubt • Parents who are controlling & over-protectiveAttachment • Definition: a close emotional bond between two people • Early behavioral theory: Infants were attached to their mothers because the mothers fed them • VIDEOS: Classic Harlow Monkey ExperimentsTheories of Attachment • Bowlby -- internal working model of attachment • An internal model of the caregiver, • Mary Ainsworth (1979) created the Strange Situation • Empirical assessment of the quality of attachmentAttachment: Secure Base Behavior Attachment figure = base of safety for exploration • Balancing two motivational systems • Exploratory system • Attachment system • Goal is to coordinate the two systemsStrange Situation (Ainsworth) • Observe child’s use of attachment system • Separation/reunion • Stranger anxiety stress • Key Question: Does child cope with stress by using mother for security?Qualities of Attachment • Secure: Use the caregiver as a secure base from which to explore the environment • Insecure avoidant: Avoiding the caregiver • Insecure resistant: Cling to the caregiver, then resist the caregiver by fighting against the closeness • Insecure disorganized: Being disorganized and disorientedHow do we study Attachment? Ainsworth’s Strange SituationCaregiving Styles and Attachment • Maternal sensitivity linked to secure attachment • Caregivers of insecurely attached infants tend to be: • Rejecting • Inconsistent • AbusiveLong-Term Effects of Attachment • Development of independence • Child’s expectations about social relationships • Level of curiosity and self-confidence • Preparation for adult intimacyReciprocal Socialization • Socialization that is bidirectional • Scaffolding – infant experiences turn-taking with the parents • parental behavior supports children’s efforts • positive, reciprocal framework for interactionContexts of Caregiving: Parents • Mothers spend more time in caregiving than do fathers • Mothers - managerial role • Fathers - play-centered • Fathers can act sensitively and responsively • Father’s presence in a child’s life is beneficialContexts of Caregiving • Research on Day Care • Infants are not harmed by, and are sometimes helped by, good day-care programs.Contexts of Caregiving • The four essential characteristics of high-quality day care • 1. Adequate attention to each infant • 2. Encouragement of sensorimotor exploration and language development • 3. Attention to health and safety • 4. Well-trained and professional