Infancy Emotional & Social Development

Emotional Development Basic emotions are universal, suggesting evolutionarily adaptive Emotions develop in a sequence: Happiness (6-10 wks) promotes bonding (social smiling) Anger (4-6 mo) allow infant to assert themselves Fear (6-8 mo) keeps infants safe (stranger anxiety) Social referencing (7-10 mo) fosters learning But, do some infants have specific patterns of emotion?

Temperament Stable individual differences in quality & intensity of emotional reactions, activity, & attention Thomas & Chess( 1956) Participants: 141 infants followed from early infancy to adulthood Method: parents rated child on 9 dimensions Type % 35% were not categorized! Easy 40% Difficult 10% Slow-to-warm up 15%

Is it genetic or influenced by environment? Is temperament stable? Low to moderate stability More stable after 2yrs Is it genetic or influenced by environment? Twin studies, cultural & gender differences provide strong support for genetics Environment matters too: Goodness-of-fit Model Parent’s Genes Infant’s Environment genes Infant’s Temperament

Erikson’s Psychosocial Lifespan Theory of Personality Personality is an interaction between psychological (inner) maturation & societal demand 8 psychosocial stages of personality development “Crisis” of opposing tendencies to be resolved If successful, acquire personality “strength” Epigenetic principle: sequence biologically fixed, but social context influences how crisis is resolved

Stages of Personality Development 0-18mo 18m-3y 3-6 6-12 12-21 21-30 30-65 65+ If trust & autonomy not acquired, developmental problems later

Attachment Why do infants become attached to caregivers? Early theories suggested feeding Harlow & Zimmerman (1959) rhesus monkey studies suggested something else…

Ethological theory of attachment J. Bowlby Promotes survival by keeping parent close “Clear-cut attachment” (6-8 months to 18mo-2yrs): infants develop separation anxiety Use caregiver as a secure base for exploration An internal-working-model develops & is the foundation for future relationships How do we measure attachment?

Strange Situation

Attachment Patterns Pattern Exploration/Alone/Return Secure attachment Secure base/may cry/comforted Avoidant Ambivalent/not distressed/avoid Resistant Cling/distressed/angry or resist Disorganized/disoriented Some exploration/cry/confused How common are these patterns?

Prevalence of attachment patterns