Week 5 Flashcards
Temperament
one’s characteristic mood, activity, level and mode of responding to the environment
Dominant Temperaments in Children
► Easy: happy, regular in sleep and eating habits, not easily upset, adptable to change (40%)
► Slow-to-warm-up: less cheery, less regular, less adaptable (15%)
► Difficult: glum, irritable, erratic, resistant to change (10%)
► Remaining 35% mixed
Early temperament can predict
► later personality ► cognitive performance ► friendship patterns ► conduct disorders in children ► substance use in adolescents
Attachment
an intense, enduring, social-emotional relationship between the child and its primary caregivers
Involves…
► desire for proximity to attachment figure
► sense of security derived from presence of attachment figure
► distress when attachment figure is absent
Dependence Theory
Infant motivation: satisfaction of basic physiological needs (i.e. feeding)
Psychodynamic Approach to Attachment
Psychodynamic approach
► Gratification of oral needs -> Attachment to people who satisfy those needs
Behavioural Approach to Attachment
Behavioural approach
► Food = primary (innate) reinforcer of attachment
► Mother = second reinforcer of attachment because of association with food
Lorenz’s Geese 1937
Imprinting Early following behaviour on first object that infants encounter Occurs before first feeling Evolutionarily adaptive Close proximity to parent: ► protection ► nourishment ► support for exploration ► skill learning/acquisition ► social bond?
Harlow’s Monkeys 1959
Method
Infant rhesus monkeys separated from mothers shortly after birth and raised in isolation
Reared by surrogate “mothers”
► wire “mother” with bottle vs. cloth “mother” without bottle
► wire “mother” without bottle vs. cloth “mother” with bottle
Results of Harlow’s Monkeys
Cloth “mother” > wire “mother”
Even when wire “mother” had bottle, infants only visited her to feed
Cloth “mother” provided contact comfort (safe haven & secure base)
Attachment is more than “dependency” & nourishment ► Contact comfort more important
Attachment Theory, John Bowlby
The infant and young child should experience a warm, intimate, and continuous relationship with his mother (or permanent mother substitute) in which both find satisfaction and enjoyment Infant motivation: safety + security Attachment figure ► “safe haven” for protection ► “secure base” for exploration
John Bowlby conclusions
Emotional bond develops over time
Strength and quality of bond depend on caregiver’s responsiveness to child + consistency of response
Attachment endures throughout lifespan but diminishes in intensity
Strange Situation Test, Ainsworth 1967
Studied quality of attachment between infants and mothers
Parent and infant visits unfamiliar laboratory
1. Infant becomes comfortable in room with parent
2. Stranger (experimenter) enters
3. Infant left alone with stranger
4. Parent returns
5. Parent & stranger leave
6. Parent returns again
Patterns of Attachment “B”
“B” = secure ► about 60% of infants in Western cultures ► infant uses mum as secure base -> explores room after warm up period -> distressed at separation -> seeks contact at reunion -> mum > stranger
Patterns on Attachment “A”
“A” = insecure-avoidant ►about 15-20% of infants in Western cultures ► infant tends to ignore mum -> explores freely -> no distress at separation -> no proximity seeking at reunion -> sometimes stranger > mum
Patterns of Attachment “C”
“C” = insecure-anxious
► about 15-20% of infants in Western cultures
► infant often “can’t cope” in strange situation
-> little exploration; tend to cling to mum
-> prone to hysteria at separation
-> aggressive on reunion
Consequences of Patterns on Attachments
Infants who are securely attached to primary caregiver make better developmental progress than those who are not
► More popular with peers
► More likely to “play well” with others
► More self-confident & outgoing
► Show superior academic achievements
While controversial, some people believe that early attachment influences quality of friendships and romantic relationships in adulthood
Parenting Styles
Mother’s Parenting Styles -> Attachment Mothers of “B” = secure children… ► Emotionally available ► Sensitive, supportive Mothers of “A” = insecure-avoidant children… ► Rejecting ► Slow to respond to distress Mothers of “C” = insecure-anxious children… ► Inconsistent responses
Maccoby & Martin’s Dimensions (1983) Outcomes
*look up picture
First 6 months: Building Blocks of Social Development
First 6 months: Building Blocks of Social Development New born preferences ► Face-like stimuli ► Human speech ► Maternal language sounds Sensitivity to emotional cues ► Emotion recognition ► Appropriate responding to others’ emotions
6-18 months: Increasing Social Engagement
Infants begin to actively seek information about the world through: ► Joint attention ► Social referencing Infants’ understanding about mental states scaffolded via conversations about: ► Mental states of “desire” ► Infants’ own mental state Emergence of prosocial behaviour ► Starts with “helping”
18-36 months: Sense of Self vs Others
18-36 months: Sense of Self vs Others
Emergence of sense of “self” at ~18 months:
► Talk about own mental state of desire, perception, thoughts
► Mirror self-recognition test
Preschool Years: Development of Theory of Mind
Theory of Mind: The ability to understand other people’s mental states and predict subsequent behaviour
Contrastives appear at 3+ years
► Reflection of self vs. other understanding (I love X, but he doesn’t)
Theory of Mind tests (typically failed at 3 years, passed at 4-5 years)
► Visual Perspective Taking
► False-Belief Tests (e.g., Unexpected Contents, Sally-Anne)
Identity Development in Adolescence
Increased ego-centrism (heightened self-consciousness)
Cognitive distortions – “centre of attention”
► Imaginary audience: believe all others are focused on them
► Personal fable: believe they are special and unique
Emergence and development of:
► Vocational goals (training, career employment)
► Ethics and moral value system
► Sexual interest and sexual identity
► Family relations (child -> adult)
James Marcia’s Identity Statuses
4 identity statuses, based on:
Crisis choosing among options
Commitment personal investment
*look up picture
Erikson’s Psychological Stages
Erik Erikson proposed eight stages of psychosocial development, each described in terms of:
A developmental task & psychosocial crisis
A widening social radius
A changing concept of the self
*look up picture
