Wk 3 - Emotional Development

Question 1

Emotions are…

And are enabled by the evolution of…

Answer 1

Feeling, or affect, that occurs when people are in a state of interaction that’s important to them, especially one that influences their well-being
The limbic system

Question 2

The functionalist view of emotions… (x4)

Answer 2

Modern developmentalists view emotions as individual’s attempts to adapt to specific contexts
Child’s emotional responses can’t be separated from the situation in which they occur
Emotions are relational - not purely internal
By endo of first year, parents facial expressions will influence whether or not infants explore unfamiliar environment

Question 3

Functionalism and goals… (x2)

Answer 3

Emotions are linked with goals, e.g. overcoming obstacle brings happiness
Nature of goal affects experience of emotion - avoiding threat is linked with fear, avoiding scrutiny linked with shame, atonement relates to guilt

Question 4

Lewis defines 7 primary emotions that appear in first 6 months as…
Secondary emotions that require self-awareness are… (x6)

Answer 4

Surprise, interest, joy, sadness, anger, sadness, fear, disgust
Jealousy, empathy, embarrassment, pride, shame, guilt

Question 5

Hart and Carrington, 2002, tested early emotions in a study involving…
Which found that…
But this is controversial because…

Answer 5

6 mo watched as mother gave attention to book or doll
Infants more likely to sadness and anger when attention was on doll
Biologically impossible - structural immaturity of the brain make it unlikely

Question 6

Expressions of crying (x3) and smiling (x2) and social relationships

Answer 6

Different types of crying include basic anger and pain; most adults can tell the difference; parents can tell own baby’s from others’
Reflexive smile - emerges in first month, usually during sleep, isn’t response to stimuli
Social smile - response to stimuli, often at 4-6 wks in response to caregivers voice

Question 7

Daniel Messinger’s research into the development of smiling found that… (x3)

Answer 7

2-6 months - both self-initiated and responsive smiles increase considerably
6-12 months - smiles that couple the Duchenne marker (eye constriction) and mouth opening occur during enjoyable interactions and play with parents
>12 months - smiling in positive parental situations and increasingly in peer interactions

Question 8

Anticipatory smiles involve…

And is related to…. (x2)

Answer 8

Communication of pre-existing positive emotion by smiling at an object, then turning the smile to an adult
Anticipatory smiles at 6 mo correlates with same at 8 and 10 mo
And with parent-rated social expressivity scores at 30 months

Question 9

Stranger anxiety emerges at…

Answer 9

6 mo

Is moer intense by 9 mo, and escalates through 1st b’day

Question 10

Understanding emotions is important for a child because…

Answer 10

Emotions knowledge positively relates to 3-5 yo social competence and prosocial behaviour

Question 11

Emotion-coaching parents… (x4)

Answer 11

Monitor child’s emotions
View negative ones as opportunities for teaching
Assist them in labelling
Teach them how to effectively deal with them

Question 12

Emotion-dismissing parents… (x2)

Answer 12

See their role as to deny, ignore, change negative emotions

Which is linked to poor emotion regulation

Question 13

Peer relations and emotion regulation… (x3)

Answer 13

Emotions play strong role in success of peer relationships
Moody/negative children experience more peer rejection
Positive children are more popular

Question 14

Impacts of capacity for emotional regulation beyond early childhood… (x6)

Answer 14

Improved emotional understanding
Knowing more than one emotion can be felt in situation
Aware of events that lead to emotional reactions
Ability to suppress negative reactions
Self-initiate strategies for redirecting feelings
Capacity for genuine empathy

Question 15

Temperament… (x2)

Answer 15

Difference in behavioural styles, emotions and characteristic responses
How quickly emotions are shown, how strong they are, how long they last, how quickly they fade

Question 16

Chess and Thomas’ classified temperament of easy babies as… (x4)

Answer 16

Generally positive mood
Quick to establish routines
Adapt easily to new experiences
40% of infants

Question 17

Chess and Thomas’ classified temperament of difficult babies as… (x5)

Answer 17

React negatively
Cry frequently
Irregular routines
Slow to accept new experiences
10% of infants

Question 18

Chess and Thomas’ classified temperament of slow to warm up babies as… (x4)

Answer 18

Low activity level
Somewhat negative
Low intensity of mood
15% of infants

Question 19

Rothbart and Bates classification of temperament moved away from categories, to consider which three dimensions?

Answer 19

Extraversion/surgency:

Negative affectivity: Effortful control/self-regulation:

Question 20

The dimension of extraversion/surgency involves… (x4)

And is part of which classification of temperament?

Answer 20

Positive anticipation
Impulsivity
Activity level
Sensation seeking
Rothbart and Bates, 2006

Question 21

The dimension of negative affectivity involves… (x5)

And is part of which classification of temperament?

Answer 21

Fear
Frustration
Sadness
Discomfort 
Easily distressed, fret/cry oftenRothbart and Bates, 2006

Question 22

The dimension of effortful control/self-regulation involves… (x5)
And is part of which classification of temperament?

Answer 22

Attentional focussing/shifting
Inhibitory control
Perceptual sensitivity
Low-intensity pleasure 
High register show ability to keep arousal from peaking, can self-soothRothbart and Bates, 2006

Question 23

Patterns of temperamental change during early development… (x3)

Answer 23

Birth - 2mo: smiling and laughter emerging as part of positive affectivity dimension
By 2 mo: infants show anger/frustration if actions don’t produce interesting outcome
4-12 mo: fear/irritability differentiate, inhibition linked with new/unpredictable experiences

Question 24

An inhibited temperament is associated with which physiological characteristics? (x4)

Answer 24

High and stable heart rate
High cortisol
High activity in right frontal lobe
Maybe tied to excitability of the amygdala

Question 25

Long term developmental impacts of temperament… (x3)

Answer 25

Highly active 4 yo likely to be outgoing 23 yo
Easy temperament at 3-5 yo more likely to be well-adjusted young adults, difficult temperament not
Boys with difficult temperament less likely to continue with formal education, girls more likely to experience marital conflict

Question 26

Impacts of inhibited temperament on later behaviours… (x4)

Answer 26

Not assertive/socially supported adults
Delay entering stable job
Highly reactive infants avoid unfamiliar, become subdued adolescents - cautious, wary of new situations.
Low-reactive infants approach the unfamiliar, emotionally spontaneous/sociable in adolescence

Question 27

Attachment is…(x2)

Answer 27

An infant’s attachment to the primary caregiver

Or to an object that provides satisfaction

Question 28

Harlow’s monkeys…

Demonstrating that attachment is…

Answer 28

Preferred cloth food-free monkeys over steel ones with food

About comfort, not just food

Question 29

Bowlby’s view of attachment… (x5)

Answer 29

Is a lasting psychological connection
Psychoanalytic - lasting influence on development/behaviour
Early style established in childhood through infant/caregiver relationship
New biologically equipped to elicit attachment behaviour
Attachment develops through series of stages

Question 30

Bowlby defined four main characteristics of attachment…

Answer 30

Proximity maintenance - desire to be near attachment figure
Safe haven - return to target for com for in face of fear/threat
Secure base - from which child can explore
Separation distress - anxiety if target is absent

Question 31

Type A infants are… (x5)

Answer 31

Insecure Avoidant
Little interaction with caregiver
Not distressed by her departure
Don't re-establish contact, and
Lean away from caregivers attempts to do so

Question 32

Type B infants are… (x4)

Answer 32

Secure
Caregiver as base for exploration
Displeasure at departure, active searching
Happy reunion, then
Resumption of play

Question 33

Type C infants are… (x5)

Answer 33

Insecure Resistant
Cling anxiously, don't explore
Distressed by her departure, but
No joy on return, and 
May push away attempts to comfort