Lecture 4 Flashcards
emotion regulation
cornerstone of emotional well-being & positive adjustment
begins early – infants
caregivers _____ the development of _____
scaffold
emotional regulation
synchrony
caregiver-newborn interactions that are repetitive & rhythmic in organization
sensitive adults adjust their emotion management behaviors to:
the infants needs & abilities as they grow
social referencing
basing emotional reactions on caregivers’ behaviors
older infants engage in this
emotion regulation underlies
behavioral control
________ difficulties are seen throughout the stages of development
adjustment
achievement of self control is a
long term process
caregivers assist with
early emotional regulation
behavioral regulation depends on:
- cognitive skills
- learning rules
- standards
when self-conscious emotions emerge there is often
shame & guilt
temperament
the inborn predisposition to consistently behave & react in a certain way
- an individual’s characteristic mood, activity level & emotional reactivity
attachment
the emotional bond between infant & caregiver
- longer & more enduring process than bonding
securely attached child – parents are typically
parents who are consistently warm, responsive & sensitive to the infant’s needs
insecurely attached child – parents are typically
parents are neglectful, inconsistent, or insensitive to infant’s needs
values development is influenced by
consistent supportive caregiver interactions
answer questions such as
“can i trust?”
“is it safe to take risks?”
thomas, chess, & birch
they identified 3 basic temperament styles – easy, slow to warm up, difficult, or mixed
these are established by 2-3 months & remain relatively stable
follow up studies of thomas, chess & birch
- easy babies: more likely to be social, popular, independent & successful
- difficult babies: more likely to break laws, less popular, less well liked
Kagan & Snidman
looked at inhibited vs uninhibited temperaments & found they remained stable with time, were genetically based & predicted anxiety later in life
difficult babies
intense emotions
highly reactive
fearful
irritable
easy babies
placid
adaptable
positive mood
regular habits
slow-to-warm-up babies
between the extremes more fearful wary less reactive & irritable slow to adapt withdraw from new situations
goodness of fit
parents can adjust to the infants temperament to improve this
temperament & caregiving effects interact
having a mutual influence over time
bonding
the tie an infant may form with a parent in the hours after birth
how does the earliest piece of attachment occur?
baby cries, eliciting care from parents
social smiling
4 to 6 wks old
- elicits joy & pleasure from parent
short absence of parent @ 6 months old
causes baby to display pleasure when parent returns
separation anxiety
- occurs at 9 months
- signal that attachment has formed
erikson & attachment
- consistent, sensitive care helps infants establish basic trust & feelings of worthiness
- early attitudes towards the self & others create hope that other relationships will be positive & therefore be worth pursuing
lorenz & attachment
- ethologist; how animals behave
- imprinting
bowlby & attachment
- evolutionary underpinnings & the attachment system
- 1st to study humans
“FATHER OF ATTACHMENT THEORY” - theorized that innate behaviors ensure the infants safety & survival by bonding the infant to a primary caregiver for proximity maintenance, providing a secure base & safe haven
- baby’s connection to caregiver emerges in stages - resulting in cognitive & emotional developments
- the quality of the infants first attachments effect his behavior/expectation in later relationships
ainsworth & attachment
created the strange situation test & systematically assessed attachment quality
found 3 types of attachment- secure, insecure-avoidant, insecure-ambivalent
later studies found a 4th type- disorganized/disoriented
imprinting
- formation of strong bond of attachment to the first moving thing seen after birth
- lorenz made himself the first thing seen by the goslings & they followed him around
(Lorenz & attachment)
Harlow’s monkeys & attachment
- baby monkeys separated from mommas right after birth
- some were put in a room with wire cylinder surrogate mother
- some were put in a room with a soft, terry cloth covered cylinder
- when scared monkeys would go to the soft mother
- shows that attachment is about who provides CONTACT COMFORT
implications of Harlow’s monkeys
- social isolation = leads to serious problems
- normal development requires affectionate contact
- lack of social contact, rather than lack of parent causes the problem
- lesser periods of isolation may be overcome, longer periods cause irreparable damage
strange situation
study quality of attachment in infants
- observed a 12-18 month old child’s reaction when a mother is present with the child in a strange room, when the mother leaves & when the mother returns
AINSWORTH
secure type attachment
use mothers as a secure based, look around occasionally, limited exploration in mother’s absence.
cried when momma left & happy upon their return
65-70%
AINSWORTH
insecure-avoidant type attachment
- paid little attention to momma when she was in room, separated easily from mother
- showed little distress when she left & ignored her upon return
20%
AINSWORTH
insecure-ambivalent type attachment
- clung to mother & were reluctant to explore environment
- high level of distress when mom left & still showed distress upon her return
10%
AINSWORTH
disorganized/disoriented attachment
infant appears confused & were unable to approach the mother directly for support even when distressed
AINSWORTH
- this attachment pattern was revealed in later studies
Mothers of securely attached babies provide
consistent & sensitive care
mothers of insecurely attached babies are
more likely to be insensitive
mothers of disorganized/disoriented babies may be
abusive
neglectful
early social bonding links
biology & behavior
infants securely attached to one parent are likely to be:
securely attached to both but not always
mothers and fathers tend to parent ______
similarly!
- both highly involved & responsive (or both NOT)
if caregiving changes, attachment _________
can change
