10.2 child cognitive and social development Flashcards
habituation-dishabituation response
habituation- infants do not spend as much time looking at visual stimuli or events that they already know about
dishabitiuation- surprising and unfamiliar visual stimuli or events tend to capture an infants attention
renee baillargeon
a test of an earlier understanding of object permanence
- the short carrot passes across, and is fully obscured by the structure
- long carrot passes across, and impossibly it is also fully obscured by the structure
3. 5 month old infants spend more time looking at this event, suggesting that they found it surprising - infant looking time is likely a fairer test of what infants know
core knowledge hypothesis
the idea that infants are born with some knowledge about the world, such as a basic knowledge of numbers and how objects should behave
lev vygotsky
zone of proximal development
proposed child cognitive development proceeds most efficiently when (with adult scaffolding) children make an attempt at acquiring skills that are just beyond what they can accomplish on their own
scaffolding
adult mentors should properly match the support they provide to the child’s current skill level
-how much scaffolding a parent determines how soon children become independent and contributing member of the family
attachment
the emotional sense of closeness and security that a child develops (or fails to develop) with their caregiver or caregivers
harry harlow
studied baby rhesus monkeys
- they liked cloth
- even when the wire mother was the source of their food the monkeys still sought comfort from the cloth mother
- the monkeys need for comfort from a soft and cuddly mother challenged the behaviourist idea that children bond with their mothers bc they need them for food
mary ainsworth
how children react to presence of strangers when the caregiver is absent
-the strange situation
stranger anxiety
young children’s discomfort and emotional distress the presence of strangers
the strange situation
parent brings kid to the lab, a room with toys and a stranger
parent leaves and later returns
secure attachment pattern
- the child is mildly distressed when their caregiver leaves the alone with the stranger
- the child keeps a calm distance from the stranger
- when the caregiver returns, the child seeks comfort from the caregiver and they quickly behave happy and relaxed
insecure attachment patterns
anxious/resistant attachment
- the child clings tightly to the caregiver before they leave the room
- the child is very upset when they are alone with the stranger
- when the caregiver returns, the child rushes for comfort, but also seems to push the caregiver away
insecure attachment patterns
avoidant attachment pattern
- the child doesn’t seem very close to the caregiver when they enter the room
- the child is not at all concerned when the caregiver leaves them alone with the stranger
- the child ignores the caregiver when they return to the room
insecure attachment patterns
disorganizedd attachment pattern
children behave as though they can’t decide whether to seek comfort from their caregiver or avoid contact with their caregiver
they alternately act to seek or avoid contact with their caregiver or they become paralyzed with indecision about what to do
attachment style during infancy predicts…
success in forming adult attachments
forming a healthy and secure attachment bw child and caregiver is a …
matter of striking the right balance
self awareness
children gradually develop an appreciation of themselves, separate from other people
egocentrism
lacking the capacity to understand that other ppl have perspectives, thoughts and feelings that differ from ones own
piaget asked children to describe what the 3 mtns would look like from the dolls perspective….
but children under about age 7 respond by claiming their perspective as identical to the dolls
theory of mind
the capacity to understand that other ppl have their own minds wit thoughts, feelings, and perceptions that differ from ones own
false belief task
as in the smarties-box-full-of-pencils example, these tasks test whether children will understand that another person holds a false belief, bc that person has not been provided with the info that the child knows that would allow them to avoid the false belief
pro social behaviour
behaviour that is respectful of others needs and involves efforts to help them, while also ensuring that we are treated with respect and that we get out own needs met in ways that are fair and justified
- contagious cry is an early form of empathy
ex. at 5 months old, infants prefer helpful teddy bears over unhelpful ones. at 8 months old, infants show a preference for teddy bears who are kind to other, helpful teddy bears, and display a preference for teddy bears that are mean to another teddy bear that had earlier behaved in a selfish and unhelpful way
instrumental helping
by age 1, children will provide assistance with another efforts to complete a task
empathic helping
by age 2, children will act to help someone who is in distress feel better
two systems underlying prosocial behaviour
attachment behavioural system
caregiver behavioural system
attachment behavioural system
our system for achieving personal comfort and security from others
caregiver behavioural system
our system for helping others
the caregiver behavioural system can only be active if the….
attachment behavioural system is satisfied
conditional approach to parenting
relying on rewards and punishments to motivate children to engage in positive behaviours
conditional approach to parenting
extrinsic motivations block developing intrinsic motivation for prosocial behaviour
-this approach also tends to generate a more negative relationship between children and their parents and can lead to
development of introjection
introjection
occurs when ppl rely on others views of them as the basis for feeling good or bad about themselves
induction discipline approach to parenting
best approach to parenting
- the focus is on providing supportive explanations about when the child should or shouldn’t do and why, including explanations about how a child’s actions will affect the feelings of other people
- involves presenting the child with info about the outcome associated with whatever choice they face and when possible, letting them make their own decision
