Lecture 10 PSYCH 250 1st EditionOutline of Last Lecture I. Piaget’s Theory of Preoperational ThinkingA. Importance of Make – believe playII. Vygotsky’s Sociocultural TheoryIII. Theory of MindIV. LanguageOutline of Current Lecture V. Emotional DevelopmentVI. Importance of PlayA. Benefits of PlayVII. Parenting StylesVIII. Cultural and Ethnic Variations in ParentingIX. Developing Gender RolesCurrent LectureEmotional DevelopmentBetween the ages of 2 and 6, children face the developmental milestone of learning how and when to express their emotions. The ability of a child to learn and practice self-control is vital for peer relationships and success in school. Emotional Regulation: emotional regulation truly affects everything the child’s life, and is the ability to control how and when certain emotions are expressed.Erikson’s Theory Stage 3: Initiative vs. GuiltThe conflict of initiative vs. guilt is distinguished by a new found sense of purpose. This sense occurs as the child learns and takes on new tasks and responsibilities. Parents should strive for as much initiative in their children as possible. A little bit of guilt is okay and does not harm the emotional development process, but a child may feel too much guilt if they are criticized or excessively punished.Between the ages of 3 and 5, children have positive self – concepts and very high self – esteem. They love showing others that “they can do it.”Intrinsic Motivation vs. Extrinsic MotivationIntrinsic Motivation: this is motivation that comes from inside the individual and is simply the happiness and joy of a personal accomplishment.Extrinsic Motivation: this motivation comes from outside sources, and is most often used as a reward. Extrinsic motivators could be anything from food, to money, to certain privileges.It is important for adults and parents to encourage intrinsic motivation by not rewarding tasks that are already enjoyed by the child (giving child candy for drawing a pretty picture). Instead, adults should praise children for a job well done. In 1973, Lepper conducted an experiment to test the different types of motivation. A group of preschoolers was divided into 3 groups and given markers and paper.- Group 1: Received no award for their drawings- Group 2: Before they had even started drawing, they were told that they would be given an award no matter what they drew.- Group 3: Received an unexpected award after they had finished drawingLepper found that extrinsic motivation did not encourage children to do better on their drawings.Development of Emotional Competence and RegulationA child’s understanding of emotions and self-regulation largely improves during the play years. Children begin to experience more self – conscious emotions between the ages of 2 and 6. These emotions include: guilt, embarrassment, shame, and empathy (ability to feel with others). Most 3 and 4 year olds have learned how to cope with, and channel, their emotions in certain situations.Emotional regulation develops as the brain matures and under the influence of experiences. Environment truly matters in this stage because most often parents teach children how to behave and react. It’s the role of the child to push against the limits that are set by the parents. Emotional regulation is influenced by a variety of factors including: Genes Early Experiences Culture Ongoing care Maturation of the Brain Gender AttachmentDelay of Gratification - The Marshmallow Test: Children were left in a room that had very little distractions and given one marshmallow. They were told that they could either eat the marshmallow at that moment, or wait 15 minutes until the researcher came back into the room, and then they would get two marshmallows. The children who could hold off on eating the marshmallow (delay of gratification) tended to better in school and life.Importance of PlayChildren learn through the act of playing. While there are many types of play, playing with peers is best. A typical 5 year – old should be able to enter into group play as well as make and keep friends.Play is:- Universal (all children from all cultures like and need to play)- Changes and becomes more social and complex between the ages of 2 and 6- Allows children to practice self – control, empathy, and social conceptsTypes of PlaySolitary Play Child plays alone and is unaware of other children who are playing nearbyOnlooker Play Child watches other children playParallelTwo children are next to each, and play with similar toys, but don’t play together (2 year –olds) Associative Children interact and share but the play is not yet considered mutual (playing outside)CooperativePlayChildren play together with shared goals, and may take turns. Cooperative play does not replace solitary play)Active PlayRough and Tumble, is play that often mimics aggression, but the children have no intent to harm each other. This is most commonly seen in boys, and is usually dependent upon social experiences and the actual space to play (wrestling, chasing)Sociodramatic Play is pretend play where children act out themes and characters that they have created themselves (playing house or doctor). This type of play increases in complexity between 2 & 6.Playing pretend offers many benefits to the development of children. Drama and pretending allow children to:- Explore and act out social roles- Learn to cooperate with others and negotiate under conflict- Regulate their emotions through imaginary characters (pretending to a courageous knight)- Develop their own self – concepts in a safe environmentWhile play is universal, the type of play largely varies from culture to culture.Child – Rearing StylesDiana Baumrind conducted a study to examine different parenting styles. She observed the families of 100 preschoolers from white, middle-class families. She found that parents differed on four dimensions: expressions of warmth, discipline strategies, communication, and maturity expectations. Her work was later criticized as having too small a sample and too homogenous of a group, but Baumrind categorized parenting techniques into four different styles.AuthoritativeStyle- High level of warmth and acceptance- High communication from both sides- Moderate maturity expectations- Firm yet fair discipline strategies involving input from both sides.AuthoritarianStyle- Low level of warmth and acceptance- One-sided