Development Flashcards
Temperament?
Baby personality
Behavioural & dispositional tendencies to certain styles of social interaction/ mingling w/ others.
Observable/ present from birth
DETERMINE/ GROW INTO ADULT PERSONALITY
Shows personality is genetic (P. has been found to be 40% genetic).
Temperament Theory?
Buss and Plumen
Seeds of traits that become adult personality
3 EASy temperaments
Temperament Theory
- Emotionality
Tendency to become upset easily & intensely.
Emotion and soothability are negatively correlated.
Distress, Fearfulness, Anger
Temperament Theory
- Activity
Total energy output.
2 Components - STRENGTH of behaviour (plays hard) & TEMPO (speed).
Highly active kids become active adults - always on the go, stay busy/ active, don’t want to sit still
Temperament Theory
- Sociability
Baby extraversion - preferring to be with others rather than alone.
Seek/ are pleased by rewards (attention from others), that come from social interaction.
Extraversion is most consistent P. from birth to adulthood.
Evidence for Temperament Theory and the EASy model?
Very strong empirical evidence.
Temperament can be reliably assessed from birth.
Temperament is stable and has influence on adult personality.
Emotionality = adult neuroticism
Sociability = adult extraversion
Personality is 40% genetic.
Monkey personalities?
2 kinds of P. in baby monkeys - Bold/ Daring, Shy/ Timid.
Different baby personalities coincide with mother’s personality.
Bold baby play away from mom and check back in once in a while. Babies leave mom but she is always available/ provides security when they need her.
Clinging babies have nervous mom, stay with her.
Shy/ timid babies have reactive behaviour.
Can monkey/ human personality change?
Reactive baby monkeys adapted by calm mom became bold baby/ young monkey.
But under extreme stress they revert to highly reactive state.
What do we learn from monkeys about personality?
Personality is genetic and can be changed.
Parental behaviour around/ toward baby has real affect on child’s attitude toward life.
Ideal parents are always there when you need them.
What is the Dunedin study?
Ongoing study of >1000 people since the 1970’s
Tested every couple years.
95% of original participants.
What has the Dunedin Study revealed?
Evidence for kid personality.
More stability for adult personality over 30 y/o
Group of 3 y/o rated under controlled (angry, emotionally reactive, moody)
Found that 20 years later as adults, they were still under controlled w/ high emotionality.
Tense, easily upset, 2x more likely to become problem gamblers, considered others to be mean/ were mean to others.
Didn’t get along with other kids and still don’t get along w/ others well.
What are Attachment Styles/ How do they Affect us?
The nature of close emotional bonds developed/ your attachment to your primary caregiver has Significant Effects on how you relate to people Later in Life/ the kinds of relationships you form.
What is Attachment?
A general term referring to how infants seek closeness to their primary caregiver.
Whether or not they feel secure in their presence.
When initially separated from primary caregiver, most babies become distressed, but they calm down/ are soothed when caregiver returns.
Bowlby’s take on Attachment Styles?
Bowlby developed the theory.
Looked at kids in youth home who wouldn’t allow any close friendships/ relationships.
Theorized that kid’s previously unhealthy environments might explain why they didn’t create new relationships.
THEY DIDN’t WANT TO BE HURT AGAIN.
Freud’s take on early relationships?
1st major relationship is w/ mom - baby is totally dependent on her for food, warmth, care.
Mother is 1st love object
Good love objects - protect, fulfill needs = baby is trusting/ secure.
Bad love objects - unresponsive/ inconsistent care = baby is untrusting, insecure, anxious in this relationship.
Proto-relationship (first) is VERY IMPORTANT – determines expectations about later relationships.
Ainsworth and his work with Attachment Styles?
Ainsworth began the first systematic research on AS’s.
Developed the first method for assessing AS’s.
He developed the STRANGE SITUATION TEST - moms and babies 12-18 months.
Revealed 3 attachment styles (SARA).
Strange Situation Test Attachment Styles? (S)
SECURE
- baby is slightly distresses when mom leaves but gets over it quickly.
- Isn’t bothered by strangers while mom is gone.
- Very happy when mom returns (Openness), returns to play.
- Secure base of mom has returned
- 60% of babies.
Strange Situation Test Attachment Styles? (AR)
ANXIOUS RESISTANT
- Become distressed when mom leaves and they don’t calm down, they get more and more upset.
- Very hard to soothe even when mom returns.
- They want to be with mom/ be held/ accept hugs but they won’t calm down.
- Maybe want to make her feel bad for leaving
- 20% of babies
Strange Situation Test Attachment Styles? (A)
AVOIDANT
- When mom leaves, baby is not super upset.
- When mom returns, baby avoids her
- Turn all attention to toys
- 20% of babies
What is the evidence behind the Strange Situation Test?
Ainsworth observed mom and baby at home prior to test
- Parental Behaviour Predicted Later Results/ Attachment style
-