Lecture 9b: Childhood Socio-emotional Development Flashcards
What are Display rules?
Children begin to learn display rules norms about when, where, and how to express emotions in early childhood.
They recognize, for example, that a person should smile even after receiving a disappointing gift
Do children struggle with self regulation?
Young children struggle with emotional self-regulation. When they are upset, they sometimes have difficulties calming themselves down.
What are Delay-of-gratification tasks?
Experiments that measure
children’s abilities to resist an
immediate temptation in order to
receive a larger reward later
What is the “marshmallow” test?
Founded by Walter Mischel
Examiners instruct children to not touch or eat a treat—Mischel used a marshmallow, while the researcher is in the other room. Then, researchers note the amount of time children are able to wait before touching or eating the treat.
Why do young children find it difficult to delay gratification?
Researchers attribute such difficulties to an imbalance between children’s motivationally salient “hot” system and primarily cognitive “cool” system in how children react to situations
Young children presumably fail the delay of gratification task because their hot system overrides their cool system. Older children and adults have a stronger cool system, and so exert more control over their impulses
Although, resisting the temptation to eat a chocolate cake is a challenge no matter your age.
What is the hot system?
The hot system is impulsive and emotional and triggered by the temptation to eat the marshmallow.
What is the cool system?
The cool system is rational and based on control and reasoning.
Children differ in their abilities to regulate their emotions, what are these differences?
- highly inhibited/shy children
- under-controlled children
- well-regulated children
What are highly inhibited/shy children
Highly inhibited or shy children exhibit a low tolerance for novelty and high levels of fearfulness, which create challenges for regulating emotions—especially fear.
What are under-controlled children?
Under-controlled children show difficulties controlling attention, behaviors, and emotions. They experience intense pleasure but have difficulties regulating frustration and anger.
Under- controlled children may be high in their negative reactions to situations.
What are well-regulated children?
Well-regulated children are skilled at controlling emotions, attention, and behaviors.
These children are well adjusted and socially competent compared to inhibited and under-controlled children.
What is Effortful control?
The ability to modulate attention and inhibit behaviour, including in stressful situations
How do parents powerfully shape children’s understanding and regulation of emotions.
Through Emotion Coaching;
– The positive socialization of children’s
emotions
– E.g., validating children’s feelings; offering coping strategies in stressful situations
What are Insensitive responses?
Being dismissive of
a child’s emotions; harsh punishment and criticism
What is the mental state talk?
A key way that parents socialize
children about emotions
example: “what did you think when he
did that?”
What is Preschool Attachment Classification System (PACS)?
The Preschool Attachment Classification System (PACS), developed by Cassidy and Marvin (1992), offers one approach to assessing attachment in 3- to 5-year-olds.
Children experience brief episodes of separation and reunion with
their caregivers and researchers rate children’s behaviors.
The PACS involves four episodes: separation from caregiver, reunion, second separation, and second reunion.
What is the Attachment Q-Sort?
The Attachment Q-Sort (AQS) offers an alternative, economical approach to measuring young children’s attachment
Caregivers or researchers sort cards describing child attachment-related behaviors, based on the degree to which the child matches the description
What are the 4 categories of attachment?
- Secure
- Insecure avoidant
- Insecure ambivalent/dependant
- Insecure disorganized
What is secure attachment
Children use their caregivers as a secure base to explore the room and toys and are generally positive during reunions.
What is insecure avoidant attachment
Children display physical and affective avoidance of their caregivers, are minimally responsive to their caregivers, and neutral in affect.
What is insecure ambivalent attachment?
Children display resistance, aggression, and/or excessive immaturity, such as following their caregiver around or asking to be held.
What is insecure disorganized?
Children display odd behaviours such as disordered movements, confusion, and apprehension.
