9 - Emotions Flashcards
What is an emotion?
Feeling or affect
What triggers emotions and why are they triggered
Situations that are important to you. Communicative (tell others it’s important)
What is the main system and main structure that control emotion?
Limbic system, amygdala
Maturation of what 2 structures are crucial for emotion
Cerebral cortex, PFC
What are the 7 basic emotions?
Happy, anger, surprise, disgust, sadness fear, interest
What is the significance of basic emotions being experienced universally
Show emotion is an evolutionary adaptation
What emotional response would you expect to see in a 1 month old
Reflex smile
At what age do babies develop social smiling?
2-3 months
What age do babies develop anger reactions?
4-6 months
When do babies develop fear responses?
6 months
Which of the 7 basic emotions is least understood (developmentally)
disgust
What are the 7 complex emotions?
pride, shame, guilt, embarrassment, empathy, despair, jealousy
Why do complex emotions develop later?
Requires development of self and understanding of others
According to Tompkins et al., how does parents discussing mental states with young children impact a child’s understanding of emotions?
Improves understanding
What needs to develop in order to understand self-conscious emotions
Words to describe abstract reactions in others
When does regret/relief develop
Around 9 years old
Why would a young child experience shame/guilt
External punishment
Why would an older child experience shame/guilt?
Internal inconsistency with values/expectations (for self or others)
How do cultures differ when it comes to emotion?
Extent to which expression is encouraged
Would you expect an American baby or a Chinese baby to cry/smile more?
American. Asian cultures favour restraint
When would a baby be able to differentiate happy faces from sad faces?
≈6 months
What is social referencing?
Unfamiliar situations, infants look to caregivers to interpret if situation is good or bad
According to social referencing, why would a 12 month old be less likely to play with a toy?
Caregiver appears afraid of it
According to social referencing, why would a 18 month old be less likely to play with a toy?
Some adult clowned on this kid’s toy and called it dumb
2 way communication system
- Infant signals distress
- Caregiver soothes
- Distress reduced
- parent has modelled how to soothe unpleasant emotions
How does diverting attention help with emotional regulation
Divert to less emotional thoughts/feelings
Greater cognitive skills have what effect on emotional regulation?
= greater emotional regulation
What is temperament?
Infant’e emotional reactivity and regulation
Easy child
Usually happy, adjusts well to new situations, good with regular routines for eating/sleeping/toileting
Difficult child
Usually unhappy, irregular routine, responds poorly to unfamiliar situations
Slow-to-warm-up child
Low activity level, low mood intensity
According to Thomas & Chess (temperament), which is the most common (easy/difficult/slow to warm up child)
Easy
According to Thomas & Chess (temperament), did the results have any lasting implications?
Characterizations usually predictor of life outcomes
What are Rothbart’s 3 dimensions?
Extraversion/surgency, negative affect, effortful control
Extraversion/surgency traits (Rothbart 2011)
happy, active. seek interesting information
effortful control traits (Rothbart 2011)
focus attention, not easily distracted, can inhibit responses
negative affect traits (Rothbart 2011)
angry, fearful, frustrated, shy, hard to soothe
Support for Rothbart (2011) - Dimensions (2)
- Cross cultural supports biologically based differences
- parenting application (shy vs active babies need different things)
Do dimensions seem to have a genetic link? Which dimension shows the most hereditary influence?
Yes, MZ twins more similar in temperament than DZ twins. Neg affect most influenced
True or false, distress-prone infants must be due to poor parenting strategies
False, may be genetic predisposition
How does the DRD4 gene impact temperament
Implicated in traits involved with temperament. Variation of gene can make individuals more susceptible to environmental effects
How does the DRD4 gene interact with culture in Kitayama et al (2014)? (Drawing social circles)
- Individualists value independence and self -> drew themselves bigger
- Collectivists value self-sacrifice for group/interdependence -> drew themselves smaller
How does temperament interact with environmental influences
- May make some children more sensitive to them
- evocative gene effects
What is attachment?
Socioemotional relationship between baby and caregiver. Evolutionary response.
Which sense is the foundation for social-emotional development?
Touch
True or false, lack of attachment has only short term detrimental effects
False
Bowlby - Pre-attachment
Recognize mother’s smell, smile and cry to caregiver (0-2 months)
Bowlby - attachment in the making
Behave differently to familiar vs unfamiliar adults (2-7 months)
Bowlby - True attachment
Specific attachment with regular caregivers (7-24 months)
Bowlby - Reciprocal relationships
Growing cog/language skills allow for social relationships (18+ months)
How does quality of attachment with caregiver impact later social relationships?
Shapes latter responses to others, emotional understanding, conscience development, self-concept
Is attachment a reflex?
No, complex dynamic process depending on social-cognitive abilities of caregiver AND infant
Strange situation study (explain what the study was not results)
Observe infant/caregiver relationships in free play, introduction of stranger, caregiver leaves infant with stranger, caregiver returns. View results to determine attachment style
In the Strange Situation study, how did secure attachment babies react?
Cry when mom leaves but relieved when she returns
In the Strange Situation study, how did avoidant attachment babies react?
Not upset when mom leaves, may ignore her when she returns
In the Strange Situation study, how did resistant attachment babies react?
upset when mom leaves but not relieved when she returned (anger, crying etc)
In the Strange Situation study, how did disorganized attachment babies react?
seemed confused when mom left and when she returned
What is the most common attachment style worldwide?
Secure
Can prevalence of insecure attachment styles differ by culture?
Yes.
Germans value independence -> avoidant common
Japanese value interdependence and don’t leave baby with strangers -> resistant common
How will secure infants’ interpersonal skills be later in life
Good (better relationships, high SE, pos emotional health)
What difficulties will an insecurely attached baby have when they grow up?
Behavioural
What difficulties will an disorganizedly attached baby have when they grow up?
Aggression (externalizing problems)
What 3 neural mechanisms are likely involved with attachment styles
Oxytocin, dopamine, stress-related areas of brain
Does global attachment differ between mothers and fathers?
No
What role does trust play in secure attachment?
Infants must trust that when they are distressed, caregiver will respond and help them
What happens when an infant doesn’t trust their caregiver to respond to their needs?
Assume people to be unreliable in future relationships
How do secure adults describe their childhood?
Objectively, value impact of their caregiver-child relationships
How do dismissive adults describe their childhood?
Deny value of/cannot remember childhood experiences yet often idealize caregivers
How do preoccupied adults describe their childhood
Emotionally, often express anger/confusion regarding caregiver-child relationships
In the study involving smartphone use and attachment theory, what were the 4 main theories to describe relations?
- Proximity maintenance
- Safe haven
- Secure base for exploration
- Separation anxiety
How to combat smartphone addiction in children with avoidant attachment types?
Play (learn skills, low-stakes mistakes)
