Social and Cognitive Development

1
Social and Cognitive Development

• Developmental Psychology

2
Emotional Response

• Gaze longer at mothers face
• Look angry when mother does
• Imitate parents expressions
• Infants at 3 months old can match happy, sad and
  angry voices with pictures of appropriate facial
  expressions

3
Temperament

• Thomas and Chess (1977)
• NY Longitudinal Study to determine causes and
  consequences of temperament.
• Definition of Temperament
• Identified three types of temperament
• Easy
• Slow to warm
• Difficult

4
Other Views of Temperament

• Behavioral-Genetic Buss and Plomin (1984)
• Reactivity RegulationRothbart and Derryberry

5
Attachment

• Early Work
• Eric Erikson (1902-1994)Stages of Psychosocial
  development
• Trust v. Mistrust
• Autonomy v. shame and doubt
• Initiative v. guilt
• Industry v. inferiority
• John Bowlby (1951, 1973)
• Harlow and Harlow (1962)

6
Attachment

• Ainsworth
• Definition of attachment
• Behaviors that define attachment
• Engaging in eye contact
• Pull/tug at people
• Ask to be picked up
• Strange Situation Method

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Ainsworths Stages

• Initial-pre-attachment phase
• Attachment-in-the-making Phase
• Clear-cut-Attachment phase
• Bowlby adds a stage between 2nd and 3rd in 1980
  Fear of strangers

8
Ainsworths Styles of Attachment

• Secure
• Insecure or avoidant
• Resistant or Ambivalent
• Disorganized or Disoriented

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Miscellaneous Info

• Every normal child becomes attached to someone by
  end of 1st year of life.
• Insecure attachments can be traced in part to
  temperament.
• Children who are insecurely attached at 12 months
  are more likely to become aggressive, impulsive,
  or overly dependent and clingy.

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Misc. Info

• Mothers of securely attached children are more
  likely to be affectionate and reliable
  caregivers.
• Securely attached children are happier, more
  sociable with unfamiliar adults, more cooperative
  with parents and get along better with their
  peers.

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Misc. Info

• Securely attached preschoolers have longer
  attention spans, are less impulsive and better at
  solving problems.
• At 5 or 6 securely attached children are liked
  better by their peers and teachers, are more
  competent and have fewer behavioral problems than
  insecurely attached peers.

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Misc. Info

• Securely attached babies grow into adults who had
  trusting attitudes toward others.
• Ambivalent babies were more dependent and in need
  of commitment in a relationship as adults.
• Avoidant babies were likely to mistrust others
  and feel uncomfortable in close relationships.

13
Fathers and Attachment

• Usually occurs later
• Spend only 20-30 as much time as mothers in 1 to
  1 interaction
• Tend to play, toss, juggle babies.
• Spend more time with sons than daughters

14
Goodness of Fit Concept

• Most important elements is fit between infants
  temperament and parents expectations/parenting
  style.
• Mother feels responsible of childs behavior v.
  mother looking for assertiveness

15
Ethnological View of Attachment

• Imprinting
• For many animals attachment is an inborn fixed
  action patter (FAP)
• Occurs during critical periods
• Definition of imprinting
• Lorenz study

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Dimensions of Child Rearing

• Warmth v. Coldness
• Restrictiveness v. Permissiveness