Chapter 6 Flashcards
Temperament
Innate characteristics of
the infant, including
mood, activity level, and
emotional reactivity,
noticeable soon after
birth.
Measures to Assess Temperament
- Activity level
- Rhythmicity (regularity of biological functions)
- Approach/withdrawal (how children deal with
new things) - Adaptability to situations
- Intensity of reactions
- Threshold of responsiveness (how intense a
stimulus has to be for the child to react) - Quality of mood (tendency of a child to react
to situations in a predominantly positive or
negative manner) - Distractibility
- Attention span
Easy Temperament:
These children are generally calm, adaptable, and positive. They have regular sleeping and eating habits, and they tend to adjust easily to new situations or changes in routine.
Behavior: They are generally cheerful, easy to soothe when upset, and able to establish a predictable routine.
Difficult Temperament:
Children with this temperament may be more intense, irregular in their daily routines (e.g., sleep and feeding), and have strong emotional reactions.
Behavior: They may be more prone to frustration, often have difficulty adapting to new situations, and may react strongly to changes or stress. These children can be challenging for caregivers but are also highly sensitive to their environment.
Slow-to-Warm-Up Temperament
These children tend to be more shy or cautious, especially in new situations. They may need more time to adjust to unfamiliar people, places, or experiences.
Behavior: While they may initially react negatively to change or new experiences, with time they often warm up and become more comfortable. They are not as easily upset as children with a “difficult” temperament but may take longer to adapt.
Goodness-of-fit
refers to the compatibility between a child’s temperament and their environment, particularly the way caregivers or parents respond to the child’s needs and behaviors. When there is a “goodness-of-fit,” the child’s temperament and the caregiving style align in a way that promotes healthy emotional and social development.
self-regulation
it is to Control behavior and manage thoughts in a way that helps achieve goals, maintain focus, and respond to situations appropriately. It involves controlling impulses, managing stress, and adjusting actions or reactions based on feedback or changing circumstances.
temperament change
Additionally, while temperament itself may
not change drastically, individuals can learn
to adapt, work around, and effectively
manage their innate temperamental traits
Personality
Defined as an individual’s
consistent pattern of feeling,
thinking, and behaving, is the
result of the continuous interplay
between biological disposition
and experience.
self-concept
refers to an individual’s overall perception and understanding of themselves. It’s the mental image or idea that a person has about who they are
Newborns exhibit two basic emotional responses
Attraction to pleasant stimuli (comfort, stimulation, pleasure).
o Withdrawal from unpleasant stimuli (bitter tastes, discomfort).
Emotional Responses By 2 months
Social smiling emerges, becoming more stable as infants use it to engage caregivers.
Emotional Responses By 3-5 months
Pleasure is expressed as laughter.
Emotional Responses By 6-8 months
Emotions become more specific:
o Anger arises when goals are blocked (e.g., toy removal).
o Sadness appears when separated from a caregiver.
o Fear develops in response to strangers (stranger wariness) and caregiver departures (separation
anxiety).
o Some signs of jealousy may be present as early as 6 months.
Emotional Responses Between 6-15 months
Stranger wariness and separation anxiety become evident after acquiring object
permanence.
Basic Emotions (Primary Emotions)
are universal, innate emotional responses that occur in reaction to certain stimuli. These emotions are considered fundamental because they are experienced by all humans across cultures, typically from an early age, and have evolutionary significance for survival. Innate emotions such as interest, happiness, anger, fear, surprise, sadness, and
disgust.
self-awareness
refers to the ability to recognize and understand one’s own thoughts, feelings, behaviors, and how they affect others. It is a crucial aspect of emotional intelligence and personal development, allowing individuals to reflect on their inner experiences and make more informed, intentional decisions.
Self-Conscious Emotions
are more complex emotional responses that develop later in childhood, usually around age 2 or 3. Develop with self-awareness and social learning. Include envy, pride, shame, guilt, doubt, and embarrassment.
* Require cultural guidance on when and how to feel these emotions.
Social referencing
is the process where infants seek emotional cues from others to guide their actions. (like Facial Expressions)
By 14 months
infants were more likely to touch toys after seeing joyful expressions and less likely after seeing
disgust.
Emotional Self-Regulation in Early development (Infants)
Limited ability to regulate emotions; rely on caregivers for comfort and distraction.
Caregivers help by redirecting attention and soothing distress.
Emotional Self-Regulation By 4-6 months
Babies start shifting their own attention away from distressing stimuli.
Emotional Self-Regulation Older infants & toddlers
Improved communication allows them to signal needs more effectively.
Mobility (crawling/walking) enables them to approach or avoid situation
Role of temperament
It refers to the innate traits or qualities that determine how a person reacts to different situations, particularly in terms of emotions, mood, and social interactions.
Individual differences affect how infants regulate emotions.
Some infants naturally have better self-regulation than others
Sense of Self
refers to an individual’s awareness and understanding of their own identity, including their emotions, thoughts, behaviors, and how they relate to others and the world around them. It is a crucial part of self-development and helps a person to understand who they are as distinct from others.
Around the second year of life, children begin to recognize themselves as separate from their primary caregiver.
Lewis and Brooks (1978) “Rouge Test” Experiment
it was a test for Sense of Self
Children (9–24 months) were placed in front of a mirror after a spot of rouge was applied to their nose.
Self-recognition indicator:
If the child touched their own nose instead of the mirror reflection, it suggested self-awareness
Self-awareness develops between
15-24 months in most infants
Significance of Self-Awareness
Marks the realization that the child is separate from others. Enables the development of social emotions such as:
Guilt, shame, embarrassment, sympathy, empathy
Social Emotional Milestones from 2-4 months
Social Smiling-Babies begin to smile in response to familiar faces and social stimuli, which indicates the beginning of social engagement.
Recognition of Caregivers
Social Emotional Milestones from 4-6 months
Babies begin to respond to the emotions of others, such as smiling when others smile or showing concern when others are upset.
They may mimic facial expressions and sounds.
Social Emotional Milestones from 6-12 months
Stranger Anxiety
Social Referencing; Infants look to their caregivers for cues on how to respond in unfamiliar situations
Attachment to Primary Caregiver
Social Emotional Milestones from 12-16 months
Imitation of Actions
Expressing Emotion
Recognition of Self in Mirror
Social Emotional Milestones from 18-24 months
increased Independence
Emotional Expression and Regulation
play alongside other children
Developing Empathy
Understanding and Following Simple Rules
Freud’s Psychoanalytic Theory
Infants form attachments based on oral pleasure (sucking, feeding).
Attachment to the mother occurs because she satisfies these needs.
Relaxed, generous feeding practices enhance attachment.
Harlow’s Research (1958) on Rhesus Monkeys
Infant monkeys preferred the soft, cloth-covered surrogate mother over the wire mother that provided food, showing that emotional comfort was more important than nourishment.
Introduced the concept of contact comfort
Bowlby’s Attachment Theory
highlights the importance of the bond between caregivers and children in early life, influencing emotional development, security, and social interactions throughout life.
Secure base; allowing the child to explore the world while knowing they have a safe and reliable figure to return to
Two key requirements for healthy attachment
1.Responsiveness to the child’s physical, social, and emotional needs.
2.Mutually enjoyable interactions between caregiver and child.
Secure (65%)
Infant explores freely, is distressed when caregiver leaves, but happy upon return.
Ambivalent/Resistant (10-15%)
Clings to caregiver, distressed when they leave, but resists
comfort.
Avoidant (20%)
shows little distress upon caregiver’s departure or return; avoids closeness
Disorganized/Disoriented (5-10%)
Displays inconsistent behavior (e.g., crying but avoiding
caregiver).
Erikson’s Trust vs. Mistrust Stage
The first stage of psychosocial development (0-18 months) focuses on developing trust.
Failure to establish trust may lead to difficulties in relationships and emotional development.
