ICL 2.1: Child Development Flashcards
what is attachment?
attachment behavior is any behavior that has a predictable outcome of increasing the proximity of the child to an attachment figure
is the strong affectionate tie we have with special people in our lives
what are the signs of attachment?
- looking, smiling, vocalizing, greeting
- crying, clinging
- approaching, following
- social referencing
- separation anxiety
- stranger anxiety
what is social referencing?
involves looking to caregiver to determine how to respond in new or ambiguous situations
6 months+
it’s a sign of attachment!
what is separation anxiety?
refers to severe stress that occurs when a child is separated from their caregiver
it’s a sign of attachment!
what is stranger anxiety?
when infants become anxious and fearful in the presence of a stranger especially when caregiver is not close or when caregiver does not respond positively to stranger
depends on temperament of infant, past experiences with strangers, and current situation
once it occurs, infants use caregivers as a secure base in that they will explore environment around them and will frequently check in with caregiver
what was the Ainsworth Strange Situation?
it’s the best known measurement of attachment on 12-24 mo. old infants/toddlers
researchers took infants through 8 brief separations and reunions with the parent then observed the infants’ responses to the situations to classify their attachment patterns:
- secure attachment
- insecure/ambivalent attachment
- insecure/avoidant attachment
- disorganized/disoriented attachment
what is secure attachment?
a securely attached infant is mildly upset at mother’s absence and actively seeks contact with her upon her return
these mothers consistently meet the needs of their kids and are warm and approachable
65% of kids
what is insecure/ambivalent attachment?
this infant becomes very upset at mother’s absence but is ambivalent when mother returns and may become angry and resist attempts at physical contact
these mothers tend to be moody
10-15% of kids
what is insecure/avoidant attachment?
this infant shows very little upset upon mother’s absence and avoids or ignores her when she returns
these mothers tend to be impatient, unresponsive and at the other extreme provide their infants with too much stimulation by being overly intrusive and can’t read when their kids are upset
20% of kids
what is disorganized/disoriented attachment?
these infants shows fear of their caregivers, confused facial expressions, and a variety of other disorganized attachment behaviors
i.e., greeting mother upon return but then turning away from her
this is the worst kind of attachment! 80% of these kids have been mistreated in some way either by abuse or neglect…
5-10% of kids
what is the trend seen with insecure attachments as the kids get older?
insecure attachments are frequently associated with later behavior problems
what is the trend seen with disorganized/disoriented attachments as the kids get older?
patterns also remains highly stable and is predictive of externalizing behaviors, especially aggressive behaviors
what is temperament?
refers to a person’s basic disposition, which influences how they respond to a certain situation –> plays a role in a child’s attachment to their parent
appears to be affected by heredity and may be apparent at birth
predictive of later personality and adjustment!
- the easy child
- the difficult child
- the slow to warm up child
what is the easy child?
- positive moods
- regular sleeping and eating patterns
- adapts easily to change
- positive approach to novelty
more likely to have secure attachments due to positive mood and adaptability which helps facilitate the bond with parent because the parent wants to be around the kid which may impact attachment
40% of kids
what is the difficult child?
- negative moods
- unpredictable sleeping and eating
- resists change
- intense emotional reactions
more likely to actively resist comfort from caregiver, which may impact attachment –-> parents may be discouraged from establishing a nurturing relationship which may impact attachment
10% of kids
what is the slow to warm up child?
- more inactive
- low-key reactions to environmental stimuli
- somewhat negative moods
- takes time to adjust to change and new people
infants may be less responsive to parental behaviors directed toward them, which may reduce attachment behaviors from caregiver towards infants – may lead away from secure attachments
15% of kids
what is the goodness-of-fit model?
the degree of match between parents’ behaviors and child’s temperament that contributes to outcome of a child’s behavior
due to imperfect correlation, attachment is most likely impacted by goodness of fit model between the infant’s temperament and environment
so this involves creating child-rearing environments that recognize each child’s temperament while encouraging more adaptive functioning –> this is what parent-teaching programs are for! you can teach parents to interact with their children better; if you have a super moody child you can work with the parent to teach them to be patient, calm and sensitive to help reduce the difficult temperament of the kid
what leads to better outcomes with daycare?
- high quality environment
- high staff to low child ratio
- small group size
- less hours spent in daycare
- reduced staff turnover and/or fewer caregivers
- knowledgeable and sensitive caregivers
these all help to promote a secure attachment with parents
what is Baumrind’s theory of parenting style?
Baumrind developed theory on the impact of parenting style on child development and adult personality too
he said there were 4 different styles and they were predictive of specific personality and behavioral outcomes for children and adolescents
the 4 styles were based on 2 dimensions of parenting = responsivity (warmth) and demandingness (control)
- authoritarian
- authoritative
- passive
- neglectful
