Pre-reading: Child development etc. Flashcards
What is “1001 critical days”?
The period between conception and 2 years and is most important for building optimal security and healthy brain development.
What causes an increase in a baby’s brain weight? Between birth and 1 year
Myelination and synaptogenesis
What is emotional regulation?
Emotional regulation is the process by which the levels of positive and negative emotions are kept within bounds, so that they are registered but not overwhelming. The regulation of the baby’s emotions takes place within the co-constructed contingent interactions with the parents.
What is contingent responsivity?
Contingent responsivity is the provision by the parent/s of a response that corresponds to the baby’s specific emotions and needs, such that the baby has an experience of being recognised, effective and safe. The baby’s experience of control over his environment, through eliciting a contingent response, can serve to regulate emotional arousal. This is why responding contingently (sensitively) appears to sooth the baby.
What is attachment?
Attachment is a bio-behavioural mechanism that is activated by anxiety, and in which the primary goal is to reduce this stress and to restore feelings of security. At a basic level attachment develops as a mechanism to promote the infant’s safety and survival, but it also has a key role to play in what is known as the “dyadic regulation of effect”, which refers to the way in which the dyad (parent and baby/infant) jointly regulate the infant’s stress and emotions. Babies/infants need help from their parents to both down-regulate and up-regulate their emotional state.
Attachment is different to bonding. Attachment refers to the baby’s emotional bond with the caregiver, and is influenced by the parent-infant interaction, while bonding refers to the caregiver’s emotional relationship with the baby. Parents who bond well with their baby are more likely to engage in the type of interactions with their baby that promotes a secure attachment.
What are the four categories of attachment?
secure (group B); insecure- avoidant (group A); insecure- resistant/ambivalent (group C); disorganised. (group D)
Describe the attachment classification table
Look at table on page 7 of pre-reading
What can happen in prolonged and frequent episodes of unregulated stress?
When the baby’s brain is exposed to high levels of circulating cortisol it can have two affects. First, cortisol stops the development of new neural connections and pathways from taking place; second it affects the stress response system. When the baby is exposed to ‘toxic stress” fewer cortisol receptors are produced in the hippocampus, resulting in the child’s stress thermostat being permanently set on high (i.e. overactive).
High levels of cortisol can also in the long-term result in the stress response system becoming under-active (whereby children have a very flattened stress response). Gerhart (2004) describes these babies as “low reactors” to stress and considers these infants’ have grown up “in conditions of more or less continuous emotional unavailability” (P 67). This pattern of over activity or under-activity then becomes the pattern of response the infant will exhibit throughout their life course (Shonkoff et al 2009).
What are Piaget’s 4 stages of cognitive development?
1) Sensorimotor
A period of time between birth and age two during which an infant’s knowledge of the world is limited to his or her sensory perceptions and motor activities. Behaviors are limited to simple motor responses caused by sensory stimuli.
During the sensorimotor stage an important achievement is “object permanence” when an infant knows an object exists when it is hidden. This is an example of “mental representation” i.e. a schema of the object.
2) Preoperational
A period between ages 2 and 7 during which a child learns to use language. During this stage, children are able to think symbolically, but do not yet understand concrete logic, cannot mentally manipulate information and are unable to take the point of view of other people.
3) Concrete operational
A period between ages 7 and 11 during which children gain a better understanding of mental operations. Children begin thinking logically about concrete events, but have difficulty understanding abstract or hypothetical concepts.
Children begin to be able to “conserve” number, mass, and weight. Conservation is the understanding that something stays the same in quantity even though its appearance changes.
4) Formal operational
A period between age 12 to adulthood when people develop the ability to think about abstract concepts. Skills such as logical thought, deductive reasoning, and systematic planning also emerge during this stage.
What are Erickson’s stages in the model of psychosocial development?
1) Trust vs. mistrust
2) Autonomy vs. shame and doubt
3) Initiative vs. guilt
4) Industry vs. inferiority
5) Identity vs. confusion
6) Intimacy vs. isolation
7) Generatively vs stagnation
8) Integrity vs despair
What are Kohlberg’s Moral developmental stages?
(1) a preconvention level, where judgments are based on self-interest;
(2) a conventional level, where judgments are based on traditional family values and social expectations and
(3) a post conventional level, where judgments are based on more abstract and personal ethical principles.
