chapter 12: socia development Flashcards
social development
the changing nature of our relationship with others over the course of life
Erik Erikson’s theory about stages of life
every stage of life is associated with a particular crisis or a problem to be resolved through interactions with other people
what is the primary problem in infancy according to erikson
developing a sense of trust, a secure sense that other people, or certain people can be relied upon for care and help
what did Bowlby focus on for the period of infancy
infant’s need for care and on the psychological consequences od the manner in which care is provided
what perspective did bowlby give on the issue of early child development
evolutionary perspective - the emotional bond between the infant and adult caregiver (especially the mother) is promoted by a set of instinctive tendencies in both parents (infant’s crying to signal discomfort and the adult’s distress + infant smiling and cooing when comforted and the adult’s pleasure)
evidence that infants aren’t passively dependent
by the time babies are born, they already prefer the voices of their own mothers + shortly after also prefer the smell and sight of mothers
by what age do newborns express emotions and respond to them in others
by 3 months
who and when began to use the term attachment to refer to emotional bonds
Bowlby in the 1950s
Harlow’s experiment
systematic program of research with rhesus monkeys - two surrogate mothers (wire and fur) - regardless of which had the nipple, all monkeys treated the cloth one as their mother
how did harlow conclude that the baby monkeys preferred the cloth mother
clung to it for much of the day, ran to it when frightened by a strange object, were braver in exploring an unfamiliar room when the cloth surrogate was present, pressed the lever repeatedly to look at it through a winoe in preference to other objects
bowlby’s experiment similar to harlow’s
attachment behaviors in infants from 8 months to 3 years - children showed distress when their mothers left them (especially in a new environment), showed pleasure when reunited, showed distress when approached by a stranger until reassured by mother, more likely to explore when the mother is there
evolutionary explanation of attachment
it’s a universal human phenomenon, infants are potentially in danger when out of sight of caregivers, especially in a new environment
when does the attachment strengthen and why
around 6-8 months when infants begin to move on their own - a crawling infant can get into more trouble than an immobile one
social referencing
looking to the caregiver for cues about danger or safety as they explore
who developed the strange situations test
mary ainsworth
which age is the strange situations test done with
infants 12-18 months of age
steps of the strange situations test
mother and infant enter a room, the child plays w the mother and is also allowed to play freely
series of 3 minute periods of activity: unfamiliar adult comes in talks to the mother and interacts with the infant, the mother goes out and leaves baby in the room, the mother returns
what behavior is the most important when evaluating the strange situations test
those behaviors that the baby exhibits when reunited w mother
what are the types of attachments
secure, insecure-resistant, insecure-avoidant, disorganized/disoriented
characteristics of the secure attachment
60% of people - infants explore while in the room with their mothers, become upset when she leaves, when she comes back the baby will go to her and greet her warmly, the mother is able to soothe the child sometimes it plays with the strwnger in the end
insecure-resistant attachment
10% - anxious even with their mothers, don’t explore a lot and wary of the stranger, very distressed when the mother leaves but ambivalent or angry when she returns, stay near the mother when she returns but seem to resent her departure and resist contact
insecure-avoidant attachment
15% - little distress when the mother leaves, avoid contact with her when she returns, usually no wariness of the stranger but might avoid them we much as mother
disorganized attachment
15% - no coherent strategy for dealing with stress of departure and reunion, seek to be close to their mothers in erratic ways (strong approach followed by strong avoidance), may look dazed upon reunion, freeze in tbe middle of movement, approach her backwards, wait an inordinate amount of time before approaching
what does the baby get securely attached + what is it called
when the mothers procide regular contact comfort, respind promptly and helpfully to the infant’s signals of distress, interact with the infant in an emotionally synchronous manner - sensitive care