emotional development and attachment lecture 4 Flashcards by Lara Torkar Festenstein

WHAT IS THE 1ST STAGE in emotional development in infancy?

HAPPINESS
social smiles appears at 6-10 weeks
laughter 3-4months
early on, smiling as a reaction to stimuli
2nd year smiling becomes deliberate

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WHAT IS THE 2nd STAGE in emotional development in infancy?

ANGER
newborns show distress to hunger & pain
angry expressions increase 4-6 months
2 years onwards more complex reaction to wider situations

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WHAT IS THE 3RD STAGE in emotional development in infancy?

FEAR
increases from 6 months
main fear from stranger anxiety
depends on temperament/context
Motivation to keep close to caregiver
Adapts with experience & coping strategies

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WHAT IS THE 4th STAGE in emotional development in infancy?

SOCIAL REFERENCING
From 1 year, actively seek emotional information from others (look to environment for how to feel emotionally)

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WHAT IS THE 5TH STAGE in emotional development in infancy?

self conscious emotions (higher order sense of feelings)

linked to sense of self
a clear sense of self develops from 18 months (shame, embarrassment)
3 years pride, guilt, envy

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how do children self regulate their emotions at 4 months, 1 year and 2 years?

4 months- shift attention away from stressful situation
1 year- toddlers can crawl or walk away from stimuli
2 years- lang allows expression of feelings

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middle childhood- how does emotion develop?

we integrate social expectations into emotions
cognitive understanding that we experience 2 emotions at once and that facial expression may not match the emotions felt

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what is perspective taking?

Same event can be interpreted with different emotions
Imagining how someone else feels
(difficult for autistic people)

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what is temperament? why is it important?

Individual differences in emotional reaction, activity level, attention, and emotional self-regulation.
linked to risk of behavioural problems

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what did Thomas & Chess (1977) do?

studied infants
discovered 9 dimensions of behaviour that tended to cluster together
Clusters form 3 general types of temperament

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type of temperament: 40% of children - easy

Cheerful, adaptive (not resistant to change), quick to establish routines

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type of temperament: 10% difficult

Negative, slow learner, irregular reactions to routines
High risk for anxiety and aggression in later childhood

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type of temperament: 15% slow to warm up

Negative, adjusts slowly, mild reactions to stimuli
Tend to be slow and fearful in later childhood

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type of temperament: 35% unclassified

unique combinations of the nine characteristics

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what are the 3 clusters of temperament according to Thomas and Chess?

easy (40%), difficult (10%), slow to warm up (15%)

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What are the outcomes of these temperaments?

behavioural problems, cognitive performance and social behaviour

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how do the temperaments affect behaviour?

difficult temperament. 70% developed problems in later childhood (only 17% of easy) –>thomas and chess

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how do the temperaments affect cognitive performance?

persistent and distractable 1st year correlates with poor school performance

remember- correlation does not equal causation

how do temperaments affect social behaviour?

Highly active preschoolers are sociable but tend to be involved in conflict

what is the attachment theory

Relationship between child and
caregiver that promotes feelings of
security and modulates stress

History of the attachment theory- what are the different approaches?

Psychoanalytical approach – feeding
* Behaviourist approach – feeding
* Harlow & Zimmerman (1959) – comfort
* Study with monkeys – comfort preferred
over food

What is Bowlbys Ethological theory?

attachment and the ability to develop secure relationships forms the framework for how you go on to form relationships in adulthood.
Inner representation of attachment figure forms an
internal working model for future relationships

Bowlbys ethological theory - what are the 4 stages of attachment?

Preattachment, Attachment in the making, Clear cut’ attachment, Reciprocal relationship

4 stages of attachment: preattachment

(birth to 6 weeks) * built in signals promote closeness no particular separation anxiety -> happy for strangers to hold them

Attachment in the making

6 weeks - 6 months respond differently to strangers but no proper separation anxiety

clear cut attachment

6-8 months to 18-24 months separation anxiety develops

reciprocal attachment

18-24 months onwards anxiety reduces, understand factors influencing parents’ presence (e.g. work) & can influence this (e.g., language)

What is Ainsworth's strange situation?

Observation: looking at reaction to separation and reunion with caregiver

What attachment patterns did Ainsworth introduce?

secure, avoidant, resistant, disorganised

What is a secure attachment?

65% – parent as base, upset when separated, seek contact on reunion

Avoidant attachment?

20%– unresponsive to parent, not upset when separated, avoid parent on reunion

Resistant attachment?

10/15% – clingy, upset on separation, difficult to comfort on reunion

Disorganised attachment?

5/10% – confused contradictory behaviours on reunion

What factors affect attachment?

* Culture (research done on western culture) * Attachment opportunity * Infant characteristics * Parents’ Internal Working Model * Adult Attachment Interview

Cultural variation

Different cultures value different things (e.g. some children would be brought up as more independence). Infants of certain cultures show almost no avoidant attachment

Attachment Opportunity

Observations of institutionalized infants: Spitz 1945/6 - * One nurse looking after 7 babies * Babies became depressed – emotional difficulties * Attachment prevented – no bond formed Tizard & Rees (1975) * More caregivers per child * But high staff turnover so attachment prevented * Children adopted after 4 years of age * Secure attachment possible even at 4-6 years * But, emotional/social problems more likely

Infant characteristics: Do ‘difficult’ babies develop insecure attachments?

Some evidence suggests a link, but appropriate and sensitive care-giving can override impact. Parental difficulties are more likely to cause problems than temperament of infant

Parents’ Internal Working Model

George, Kaplan & Main, 85 conducted an Adult Attachment Interview (found out about parents’ memories of own childhood - not experience per se, but how one perceives it and reasons about it).

Adult Attachment Interview (George, Kaplan & Main, 85) What were the RESULTS?

SLIDE 23 LECTURE 4 and saved on this laptop as 'adult attachment interview results'

What are the Long Term Consequences of secure attachment ?

Tends to be associated with better social skills, closer friendships

What are the Long Term Consequences of avoidant attachment ?

Tends to be associated with higher risk of isolation and disconnected behaviour

What are the Long Term Consequences of resistant attachment ?

Tends to be associated with higher risk of disruptive and difficult behaviour

What are the Long Term Consequences of disorganised attachment ?

Associated with higher risk of several adverse long term outcomes