Child Development Flashcards
2 important processes of developmental psychology
- Maturation
- Learning
What is plasticity?
Capacity for change in response to negative or positive life experiences
4 basic learning processes in infancy
- Habituation
- Classical conditioning
- Operant conditioning
- Observational learning
Which emotions are present from birth?
- Contentment
- Disgust
- Distress
- Interest
Which emotions are present from 2-7 months?
- Anger
- Fear
- Joy
- Sadness
- Surprise
Which emotions are present from 12-24 months?
- Embarrassment
- Envy
- Guilt
- Pride
- Shame
What is temperament?
Individual difference in emotional, motor and attentional reactivity and self-regulation
Types of influences on temperament
- Hereditary
- Home environmental
- Cultural
Schaffer and Emerson’s 4 phases of attachment
- Pre-attachment phase
- Indiscriminate attachment
- Discriminate attachment
- Multiple attachment phase
At what age is the pre-attachment phase of attachment, and what is it?
- Until 3 months of age
- Preference for contact with human beings, manifesting as nestling, gurgling and smiling
At what age is the indiscriminate attachment phase of attachment, and what is it?
- Up to 7 months of age
- Allows strangers to look at them without noticeable distress, provided stranger gives adequate care
- Starts to discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar people
At what age is the discriminate attachment phase of attachment, and what is it?
- From 7-8 months of age
- Actively tries to stay close to certain people and becomes distressed when separated from them
- Requires infant to be able to discriminate between main caregiver and others
At what age is the multiple attachment phase of attachment, and what is it?
- 9 months onwards
- Strong additional ties are formed
- Fear of stranger weakens but strongest attachment remains
What is synchrony?
Action between main caregiver and infant production produces an attachment (useless after 36 months)
Ainsworth’s types of attachment
- Anxious avoidant type
- Secure attachment
- Anxious resistant
- Disorganised/disorientated
What is the anxious avoidant type of attachment?
- Infant indifferent to main caregiver
- Play is little affected by whether main caregiver present
- Actively ignores/avoids main caregiver upon return
- Distress caused by being alone
- As easily comforted by main caregiver as stranger
What is the secure attachment type of attachment?
- Infant plays happily with main caregiver present, whether stranger present or not
- Main caregiver largely ignored because they can be trusted
- Clearly distressed when main caregiver leaves (play reduced)
- Seeks immediate contact when main caregiver returns (quickly calmed + play resumed)
- Distress caused by main caregivers absence, not being alone
- Main caregiver treated differently from stranger
What is the anxious resistant type of attachment?
- Infant is fussy and wary when caregiver present
- Cries lots more than other types
- Difficulty using main caregiver as secure base
- Very distressed when main caregiver leaves and seeks contact on return, but simultaneously shows anger and resists contact
- Actively resists strangers efforts to make contact
What is the disorganised/disorientated type of attachment?
- Combination of resistant and avoidant patterns
- Reflect confusion about whether to approach or avoid caregiver
- When reunited with caregiver they may be dazed or freeze or move closer then quickly move away
Factors that influence attachment security
- Sensitive response caregiving (secure attachment)
- Inconsistent, neglectful, over-intrusive and abuse caregiving (insecure attachment)
- Environmental factors (eg. poverty, stormy relationship between caregivers)
3 moral components in moral development
- Affective
- Cognitive
- Behavioural
4 patterns of parenting
- Authoritarian
- Authoritative
- Permissive
- Uninvolved
GMC definition of “abuse or neglect”
Physical, emotional or sexual abuse, including fabricated or induced illness, and emotional or physical neglect, which has led, or may lead, to significant harm to a child or young person
Possible signs of physical and emotional abuse
- Unexplained or repeated injuries (eg. bruising)
- Injuries in the shape of an object
- Injuries not likely to happen given the age or ability of the child
- Disagreement between child’s and parent’s explanation of injury
- Obvious neglect of child (eg. dirty)
- Fearful behaviour
- Aggressive or withdrawn behaviour
- Afraid to go home
Possible signs of sexual abuse
- Difficulty walking or sitting
- Stained or bloody underwear
- Genital or rectal pain, itching, swelling, redness or discharge
- Bruises or other injuries in the genital or rectal area
- Soiling or wetting pants or bed after being potty trained
- Withdrawing from activities and others
- Talking about or acting out sexual acts beyond normal sex play for age
How can children be prepared for hospital before admission?
- Children books about hospitals
- Hospital visit
- Videos
How can children be prepared for hospital on admission?
- Show children instruments
- Distraction strategies (no time to think)
What might upset a child in hospital?
- Pain
- Eating new, unfamiliar food
- New smells
- Strange sounds
- Different routines
- Lots of new, strange people
- Illness itself
How can children react to a hospital stay?
- Nightmares
- Anxious
- Cry a lot
- Throw tantrums
- Refuse to eat/speak
- Become withdrawn - lost confidence and frightened
- Afraid to be on own
- Return to earlier stages of development (eg. bed wetting, thumb sucking)
