Emotional Development and Temperament (L 8/9)

Question 1

Motivational construct characterized by feelings, psychological responses, cognitions, and goals

Answer 1

Emotions - four characteristics

Question 2

Functionalist Approach - Emotions influence behavior, and emerge with age, Discrete Emotions Theory: evolutionary, biologically programmed, adaptive

Answer 2

Two theories of emotional development

Question 3

Discrete Emotions Theory - more evidence: Universal emotions, come emotions are the same across cultures: smiling=happy, scrunched eyebrows=mad

Answer 3

Functionalist vs Discrete Emotions Theory: which has more evidence?

Question 4

Primary: basic emotions 2-7months - anger, sadness, joy, surprise, fear, deep biological roots. Secondary: self-conscious or self-evaluative emotions, complex, emerge in year 2 or 3. Require cognitive capabilities -Embarrassment, guilt, shame, pride

Answer 4

Difference between Primary and Secondary Emotions, when do they emerge, and examples

Question 5

Young children become wary/fretful of strangers. Until first emotional attachment, infants do not fear strangers, but this concept begins soon after. Much prefer to be in the arms of the caregiver

Answer 5

Stranger anxiety

Question 6

Wary or fretful of being separated from caregiver. Starts at 6-8 months, peaks at 14-18 months

Answer 6

Separation Anxiety

Question 7

Due to evolutionary theory - natural clues to danger. Stranger is predetory, separation means mom can’t help me. Cognitive Development - stable schemes for frailer people, can’t explain new people

Answer 7

Explanations for why we experience stranger/separation anxiety

Question 8

Guilt - failed to live up to the obligations of others, approach others to make reparations. Shame - self-focused, failed to live up to the standards you set for yourself. Response: avoid others to deal with the experience of shame

Answer 8

Difference between shame and guilt

Question 9

How parent’s react to their child’s failures can influence the ___ emotions, __ and __. Belittling a child increases ___, criticizing behavior increases ____.

Answer 9

Self evaluative emotions; shame and guilt

Question 10

Use of others’ emotional expressions to gain info or infer the meaning of an ambiguous situation. Mom cowers in fear of a rat, child looks to mom, reacts in the same way. Monitor parents’ emotional reaction as a guide

Answer 10

Social Referencing

Question 11

Parents who discuss emotions with their children have more socially competent children, more likely to talk about how people feel negative emotions. This increases children’s understanding of neg emotions, understand peer’s emotions

Answer 11

Parent influence on Emotional Understanding - tested through picture stories, ability to recognize happy/sad/ events then anger/fear/surprise/disgust

Question 12

Process of adjusting one’s emotions to appropriate levels of intensity to accomplish one’s goals. Developed in caregiver’s regulation, prevention of overstimulation, 6mo can reduce negative stimuli by running away, end of 1st year: strategies for reducing neg arousal - sucking thumbs, rocking themselves, nook/pacifier

Answer 12

Emotional Regulation

Question 13

Culturally defined rules for specifying emotions should or should not be expressed under which circumstances. Surpress one’s emotions, display another - show happiness when receiving a gift. Must be taught

Answer 13

Display Rules

Question 14

At birth, no distinction between males and females, but begin to display more emotions when interacting with girls babies, talk more with daughters about emotions, encourage anger in males

Answer 14

Family influences on gender differences in emotions

Question 15

Ability to achieve personal goals in social interactions while maintaining positive relationships with others

Answer 15

Social Competence

Question 16

Ability to display predominantly positive emotions, to correctly identify others’ emotions and respond appropriately and adjust one’s emotions

Answer 16

Emotional Competence

Question 17

SEA - Sociability, Emotionality, Activity Level

Answer 17

Three Components of Temperament

Question 18

SEA - Sociability: how interested/involved the child is interacting with others, Emotionality: how much the child responds with extreme emotions, Activity Level: how active the baby is

Answer 18

Three Components of Temperament

Question 19

Easy: Even-tempered, positive mood, adaptable to new experiences, predictable. High in S, low in E, moderate in A. Difficult: active, irritable, irregular, react to new situations vigorously, slow to adapt. Low in S, high in E, high in A. Slow to warm up: inactive, moody, slow to adapt, respond to new things mildly, irregular, slow to adapt, Low in S, mod/high in E, low in A

Answer 19

Temperamental profiles

Question 20

Development is optimized when parents’ child rearing practices are sensitively adapted to the child’s temperamental characteristics. Parent’s reaction to the child’s temperamental profile is important. If you are sensitive to the child’s needs they can better engage in their environment.

Answer 20

Goodness-of-Fit Hypothesis (how does it apply to temperament?)