Chapter 10: Emotional Development

Question 1

When is the first point in development when an infant shows emotional control? What action demonstrates this?

Answer 1

Infants will begin to sooth themselves through thumb-sucking at three months of age.

Question 2

Differentiate a social facultative from a general facultative adaptation. Provide an example or two of some discussed social facultative adaptations.

Answer 2

An adaptation designed to respond to specific cues in the social environment, allowing one to pursue the most advantageous social strategy. Ex 1. Dominance levels as a product of early-life height. Ex 2. Parenting strategy as a product of order and SES (tough child or smart child).

Question 3

When does an infants first social smile develop?

Answer 3

Six weeks.

Question 4

Describe how emotions differ between cultures. Hint: think in terms of primary and secondary emotions.

Answer 4

Primary emotions are consistent across cultures. Secondary emotions vary across cultures, with western societies being more emotionally expressive.

Question 5

How do attachment styles differ in collectivistic cultures (two key points)?

Answer 5

1. Collectivistic children will always explore less. 2. If a child is an insecure attachment style then they always be the resistant type.

Question 6

These emotions emerge around two months, although, they cannot typically be distinguished until four months.

Answer 6

Anger and sadness.

Question 7

What was the strongest predictor of outcome within children rescued from the Romanian orphanages?

Answer 7

The age at which a child was removed from the orphanage.

Question 8

When do infants become discriminant with who they smile at?

Answer 8

Seven months.

Question 9

There are three approaches to measuring emotion. What are these?

Answer 9

1. Approach in terms of physiological states. 2. Facial expression or body posture. 3. Look for specific stimuli in the environment.

Question 10

What is the advantage of experience-expectant learning?

Answer 10

Storing information in the environment, not just the genome, may be an efficient way to pass regularity on to the next generation, while saving genetic space. The human genome has only ~30,000 genes.

Question 11

Who discussed imprinting? What type of adaptation would this be considered?

Answer 11

Konrad Lorenz; facultative adaptation.

Question 12

Mary Ainsworth created a paradigm to measure infant attachment style. What is this paradigm called, and what age of infant would we use it on?

Answer 12

Strange Situation Task; 9 to 18 months.

Question 13

How do preschoolers describe themselves?

Answer 13

Using simple, concrete, and observable terms. Ex. I have blonde hair.

Question 14

Children begin to mask disappointment and fake gratefulness at this age.

Answer 14

Three years.

Question 15

Articulate the difference between a facultative and obligate adaptation.

Answer 15

Facultative: Adaptations designed to respond only when functional in the environment. These are species-dependent. Obligate: Adaptations designed to develop reliability as long as an individual is in a species-typical environment. These are experience-expectant.

Question 16

The fear of strangers tends to show up when in infants? How might we contrast this with the emergence of another preference at this time?

Answer 16

Six to seven months. This is also when children begin to be more selective with their smiles–only smiling at those they are familiar with.

Question 17

How many species do we see culture in? What is this often a product of?

Answer 17

Only humans have cumulative culture because only humans have the cognitive machinery to permit and support the evolution and transmission of culture. Also claims that humans are the only species capable of imitation.

Question 18

What factors most influence child temperament?

Answer 18

Parental consistency and support are the strongest predictors, followed by temperament profile in early life.

Question 19

In leu of culture what form of learning do we see?

Answer 19

Social Learning/Transmission

Question 20

How did Darwin view emotions? And how did this lead to the functionalist school of thought?

Answer 20

He posited that emotions showed a continuity of function across species, and believed that human emotions had evolved from the emotions of their animal ancestors. The function of emotions, generally, is to promote behaviour that facilitates a specific goal in a particular environmental context. This describes the evolved utility that Darwin discussed.

Question 21

Describe three key findings that Harlow uncovered in his series of rhesus monkey experiments.

Answer 21

1. Monkeys prefer spending time with terry-cloth mothers even when the wire mother provides food. 2. Monkeys require a comforting mother for them to develop an exploratory tendency. 3. Maternal skills are learned. Those without a mother were poor mothers themselves.

Question 22

An infant removes themselves from a distressing situation for the first time. How old are likely to be?

Answer 22

Between one and two years old.

Question 23

Infants tend to be wary before they are fearful. At which two points do these emotions develop?

Answer 23

Four months; seven months.

Question 24

What is the advantage of experience-dependent learning?

Answer 24

Allow an individual to optimize his or her compatibility with the current environment.

Question 25

What is the most common cause of sadness in a child? When would we expect this to typically start occurring?

Answer 25

Separation anxiety; most common form after six months.

Question 26

Briefly describe the work of John Bowlby.

Answer 26

Coined the term EEA. Developed an attachment theory in the wake of WW2. There are two functions of attachment that lay in balance: 1) To provide security. 2) To enable exploration.

Question 27

How do children aged 5 to 7 describe themselves? How do these serve in social assessments?

Answer 27

Using emotion and social affiliations. Ex. I am a hockey player. Will, importantly, make social comparisons.

Question 28

What is the function of our long adolescence?

Answer 28

During this period, individuals establish their social identity in relation to their peers. Here we also develop emotional independence.

Question 29

Explain the difference between temperament and personality.

Answer 29

Temperament: Stable profiles of emotion, behaviour, and attention that appear in infancy and remain largely stable through the lifespan. Personality: Reliable emotional and behavioural traits that develop during childhood that differ from one individual to another

Question 30

Separation anxiety develops cross-culturally at around the same age. This age is?

Answer 30

Eight months.

Question 31

How does emotional variability change in adolescence?

Answer 31

Adolescent individuals have a greater emotional range: higher highs and lower lows.

Question 32

What impact does social media have on the users health (think in terms of broad takeaways)?

Answer 32

Facebook time was positively correlated with an increase in social benefit when used to facilitate real-world connection.

Question 33

The Romanian infant situation was a tragedy that revealed several important developmental numbers (think critical periods). What were these?

Answer 33

Socialization (liberation) before two years is required for children to attach normally. Socialization (liberation) before six years is the cut-off for proper intellectual development–sans a few minor social incapabilities.

Question 34

What emotions occur in the first week of life?

Answer 34

Excitement and distress.

Question 35

There are two ages at which different aspects of self-esteem peak. We see self-esteem levels highest around ______, and most complex around ________.

Answer 35

Preschool (reflecting Piaget’s idea of egocentrism); adolescence.

Question 36

What influence did the Romanian deprivation have on infants sociability?

Answer 36

Some developed autism-like symptoms and other became hyper-social, showing indications of excessive friendliness that went unreciprocated. The outcomes were largely non-uniform.

Question 37

How do adolescence describe themselves? What is a new form of description that we see emerge here?

Answer 37

Using religion, political affiliations, personality, or attitude, each of which will knowing be described as varying between situation. Ex. “I am quiet when I’m with my parents, but I’m kind of crazy around my friends” Most interesting, adolescence begin using future-oriented descriptions. Ex. I want to be a doctor.

Question 38

When does the purpose of infants crying become distinct?

Answer 38

Three months.