Early Childhood Social And Emotional Development Flashcards
Social and emotional development from 2 - 5/6 years
Genes, parents, peers and culture interact to influence:
(8 common things kids learn in that age bracket)
Gender identity
Attachment
Coping with emotions/regulation
Aggression and pro social behaviour
Developmental conflicts
Peers play and development of social competence
Understanding of self and others
Family dynamics
Gender identity theories
Nature vs nurture
Behaviourist
Epigenetic
Male and female brain differences (3)
Nature vs nurture: gender differences are nested in biology, but biology isn’t destiny. Children are shaped by their experiences
Behaviourist: content, but not origins/process of development
Epigenetic: our traits and behaviour result from interactions between genes and early experiences. (Neurobiology research supports genetic based gender differences)
Male and female brain differences:
• differences in left hemisphere growth
• language development
• spatial location memory vs. navigation
Gender development:
SOCIOCULTURAL THEORY (2)
All cultures have values and attitudes regarding preferred behaviours for men and women - transmit these values to its young (socialisation)
Cultural factors can influence/enforce gender distinctions - adult activities, how people dress are defined and separated by gender
Self and gender
(Children learning about their gender) - 5
By 30 months, children readily identify people as big or girl
They exaggerate and conform to gender role stereotypes
They develop gender schemas as part of cognitive development
By age 5, they develop gender constancy
Gender is a particularly important dimension of self concept.
Cognitive theory of child development
Focuses on child’s understanding
How a child develops a mental model (schema) for a specific issue, value, behaviour etc.
Once children develop concepts about their experience, these guide interpretation/action
Developing gender schema/general beliefs
Understand/enact gender differences
Development of attachment (3)
Evolves in stages/steps
Develops for those who regularly interact with parents, siblings and peers
Mother child and father child interaction affected by societal values
Consequences of attachment
(Characteristics at each listed age)
- cognitive development (2 - age 2 and age 7)
- securely attached babies (2 - age 1/3.5 and age 11)
- insecurely attached babies (aged 5)
Cognitive development:
AGE 2: secure babies more enthusiastic, persistent, curious, exploratory, higher level symbolic play.
AGE 7: in task where mother encouraged them to read = securely attached children were less distractible, paid more attention to mother, required less discipline.
Securely attached babies:
AGE 1/3.5: more positive emotions, more empathy, less aggressive, more socially skilled, more friends.
AGE 11: more confident, socially competent, higher self esteem, better understanding of emotions/regulation, recall more positive emotional experiences, spent more time with peers, form friends with other secure children
Insecurely attached children:
AGE 5: more likely to interpret ambiguous events (eg. Bumping into another child) as a hostile event, recalls more negative emotional experiences.
Socio- emotional development - major theories:
Psychoanalytic/psychodynamic
Social learning view
Cognitive developmental
Psychoanalytic (Freud and Erikson) - emphasis on child’s feelings, drives and developmental conflicts.
- young children must learn to cope with powerful emotions in socially acceptable ways
- growth of autonomy and need to balance with children’s dependence on parents during this period
Social learning (Bandura) - emphasis on links between cognition, behaviour and environment.
- child’s behaviour shaped by external rewards and punishments as well as by role models
- rewards can be internal = children may behave in ways that augment self esteem, pride and accomplishment
Cognitive developmental - emphasis on children’s thoughts and concepts as organisers of their social behaviour
- young children develop complex concepts: learn what it means to be boy/girl/friend/leader
- children learn about culturally appropriate gender schemas and judge what behaviour is appropriate for boys/girls (choose to accept or reject these schemas)
Stages 1 - 3 of Eriksons 8 stages
Trust - Basic mistrust
Autonomy - shame + double
Initiative - guilt
(Ages plus characteristics of each stage)
Trust - basic mistrust = INFANCY = infant explores securely or feels insecure and unsafe
Autonomy - shame + guilt = 2/3 YEARS = toddler begins controlling things around them, toilet training, feeding etc.
Initiative - guilt = 3/7 YEARS = develop plans and goals inside and outside family. Torn between desire for independence and dependence on parents.
Developmental conflict: initiative vs guilt
- what model is this from
- meaning of both words (in this context)
- what parents do to contribute to guilt + outcomes
Erikson’s 3rd stage - initiative vs guilt - ages 3-7 - children begin new activities and feel guilty (blame themselves) if they fail.
Initiative: purposeful behaviour as they learn and explore their surroundings
Guilt: triggered by emerging conscience
Parents who discourage child’s curiosity/exploration or set unrealistic standards contribute to unhealthy sense of guilt.
^ increased risk of becoming passive, anxious or aggressive
Beginnings of specific emotions: guilt
- epigenetic theory
- cognitive theory
^ behind guilt emerging in children
+ age of true guilt
Epigenetic theory: sustain pro social behaviour (reciprocal altruism) - moralistic anger, gratitude, sympathy, guilt.
Cognitive theory: young children say they’re guilty by don’t differentiate actions and their responsibility.
- may say they’re guilty when they had no control over what happened
*** true guilt emerges around age 9 - children have sense of personal responsibility (cause effect relationships)
Origins of social emotions: joy, pride, sadness and shame
- differentiating between shame and pride is linked to…
- 3 year olds have concepts of ______ that influence….
- differentiating between pride and shame is linked to task performance and responses from others
- 3 year olds have concepts of easy and difficult - these influence emotional experience
Coping with feelings/emotions
4 dot points about children coping with their feelings/emotions
- fundamental tasks of young childhood = learning to regulate emotions
- learning to cope with fear and anxiety is especially important (fear and anxiety are normal and can be functional)
- children’s fears are also influenced by their culture
- children use defence mechanisms to disguise/reduce tensions
- see table 7.2 for more info on child defence mechanisms*
Emotional development
- learning to express emotion
- emotional regulation (+ positive/negative reaction restraining)
Why these are important/what children need to do.
- learning when and how to express emotions = major psychological accomplishment between 2-6 years old
- emotional regulation: ability to control how and when emotions are expressed = children need to learn to restrain their positive emotions and express them in socially acceptable ways
^ children who express negative emotions tend to be unpopular with peers
Anti social behaviour = meaning
Aggression = how children learn it and how they express it
Physical punishment = 3 negative outcomes of it
Anti social behaviour = feeling/acting in a way that are deliberately hurtful or destructive to others
Aggression = universal and natural. Children learn aggression via role models - physical aggression increases in early childhood then declines as children learn to resolve conflict
Physical punishment = increases aggression, causes frustration, punisher models physical aggression
Pro social behaviour: meaning + 3 factors of it
Antipathy and empathy meanings
+ how it is learned
Prosocial behaviour = feelings and acting in ways that are helpful and kind
- intended to benefit others without obvious benefit to self
- develops early: expression depends on cultural/societal norms
- role playing and rewards help promote pro social behaviour
ANTIPATHY: feelings of anger, distrust, dislike or hatred of a person
EMPATHY: ability to understand emotions of another person (especially when they differ from own)
^^^ both of these are learnt through observing models
Regulating emotions
- as children get older…
- children learn emotional display rules at ___ when they ….
- involves greater inhibitory control (meaning)
- as children get older = less frequent emotional problems, less intense, more conventionalised
- children learn emotional display rules beginning at 2 when they exaggerate or minimise emotional response to others
- involves progressively greater inhibitory control = effortful control and development of prefrontal cortex (maturation and learning)
Peers, play and developing social competence
- 3 types of play
- imaginary friends cause children to be more.. (2 things)
- what influences play
- play - major activity of childhood (cooperative, parallel and solitary play)
- many children create imaginary companions and those who do tend to be more creative and sociable
- cultural and social influences are embedded in play
Social play
What is it?
Type of play preschoolers engage in…
Most common types of play…
What skills play is associated with…
- pleasurable interaction involving children’s physical or communitive contact with other children
- preschoolers engage in: functional, creative/constructive and pretend play
^ constructive play most common
^ pretend play increases from age 4
^ associated with language skills and theory of mind.
Pretend play:
- what is it
- promotes _____ skills
- high fantasy children are more….
- frequency of pretend play predicts ….
- pretend play with siblings
- provision of safe, warm home enhances….
Form of symbolic representation - may appear before or with spoken language. Especially in pre school years.
Promotes conversation skills - recognition of others likes/dislikes
High fantasy children are more creative, verbally fluent, ingenious and flexible in spry creation, patient and sitting still.
Frequency of pretend play predicts emotional understanding and empathy - increases competence in social role taking
Pretend play with siblings is beneficial - older siblings show greater understanding of differences (good/bad/old/young) = role models
Provision of safe, warm home environment where fantasy is allowed enhances cognitive and social development
Daycare/preschool/mobility in the neighbourhood
- 3 benefits of having opportunity for play
- increased opportunity for interaction with others
- play provides opportunities for becoming a social bring and more imaginative
- provides context for learning to regulate emotions
Functions of peer relationships (3)
- social comparison - information about world outside of the family
- necessary for normal development - learn use of social network to solve problems
- positive and negative relationships - opportunities for developing social skills and learn norm of reciprocity in relationships
Friendship patterns
- socially skilled and unskilled: what it causes
- the “entry situation” - introduced into dyad of children
- friendships are important: some children more socially skilled and have more successful relationships (other children gradually become more isolated)
- identified in the “entry” situation = children are asked to join a days of children already at play.
Skilled children take on roles relevant to the dyad (eg. Oh you’re superman? I’ll be batman)
Unskilled children speak in unrelated terms (bring up a completely different subject - usually relevant to self)
Family dynamics
- what they affect
Sibling dynamics
- first born children (2 things)
- birth order
- only children…
• family dynamics affect social emotional development during early childhood. Including: sibling interaction, number and spacing of children, parenting styles, and discipline techniques.
Sibling dynamics:
- first born children = higher IQ/ increased attention from parents
- average differences in IQ based on birth order are small
- first borns more conservative
- only children tend to be high achievers
