Infancy & Childhood Module 48: Social Development

Attachment An emotional tie with another person resulting in seeking closeness & showing distress when separated Body contact, familiarity, and responsiveness all contribute to attachment. Children develop strong attachments to their parents and caregivers. Stranger Anxiety – Develops around 8 months when children have schemas for familiar faces & can’t assimilate new faces to these remembered schemas.

Stranger Anxiety Play “Stranger Anxiety” Video –#16 from Worth’s Digital Media Archive DVD Click Here if you to watch this in a separate window

Attachment: Harry Harlow’s Monkey Experiments

Harlow’s Monkeys The monkeys spent most of their time by the cloth mother.

Harry Harlow’s Study of Attachment Many thought that attachment was the result of baby associating food with parents –Harlow noticed monkey’s raised alone became upset when their blankets where taken away for washing. Experiment: Infant rhesus monkeys were placed with two surrogate mothers: 1.Wire “Mother” with milk-producing bottle 2.Soft cloth “Mother” – No bottle Attachment was based on “contact comfort” rather than feeding Monkey’s routinely returned to Cloth Mother and used her as a secure base when exploring.

Harlow’s Studies Play “Harlow’s Studies on Dependency in Monkeys” –Video #12a from Worth’s Digital Media Archive DVD Click Here if you to watch this in a separate window

Harlow’s Studies Play “Harlow’s Studies on Dependency in Monkeys” –Video #12b from Worth’s Digital Media Archive DVD Click Here if you to watch this in a separate window

Harlow’s Studies Play “Harlow’s Studies on Dependency in Monkeys” –Video #12c from Worth’s Digital Media Archive DVD Click Here if you to watch this in a separate window

How Important was Body Contact?

Familiarity & Imprinting in Animals

Imprinting and Critical Period A process by which certain animals, early in life, form attachments Imprinting develops within a critical period - an optimal period when certain events must happen for that animal to develop properly. Konrad Lorenz studied imprinting.

Konrad Lorenz and Imprinting Goslings are imprinted to follow the first large moving object they see. (see an example HERE)HERE Human children have a sensitive period where they become fond of familiar people/things (exposure effect)

Familiarity Sense of contentment with that which is already known Infants are familiar with their parents and caregivers. Mere Exposure Effect – being around an object long enough will cause one to develop an affection for the object

Infant Attachment Intense emotional bond between infant and caregiver (mother) An infant’s ability to thrive physically and psychologically depends in part on the quality of attachment. Infants can form multiple attachments.

Ainsworth’s Strange Situation Mother-child interactions observed in a playroom under four conditions: –initial mother-child interaction –mother leaves infant alone in playroom –friendly stranger enters playroom –mother returns and greets child Study done with infants between 1 and 2 years old

Forms of Attachment Securely attached - explores the room when mother is present, becomes upset and explores less when mother is not present, shows pleasure when mother returns Created when caregivers are consistently responsive to the child’s needs

Forms of Attachment Insecure Attachment - become extremely distressed when the mother leaves the room and, when reunited, are hard to soothe 2 Types of Insecure Attachment: 1.Avoidantly attached - a form of insecure attachment in which child avoids mother and acts coldly to her 2.Anxious resistant attachment - a form of insecure attachment where the child remains close to mother and remains distressed despite her attempts to comfort

Ainsworth’s Types of Attachment

Strange-Situation Test Watch “Morelli’s Strange-Situation Test” –Video #17 from Worth’s Digital Media Archive DVD Click Here if you to watch this in a separate window

Effects of Attachment Secure Attachment creates a sense of basic trust – the world is predictable & reliable –Secure attachment predicts social competence, less fear of failure, greater drive to achieve Insecure attachment – tend to be anxious & looking out for potential threats –Deprivation of attachment is linked to negative outcome. –A responsive environment helps most infants recover from attachment disruption.

Attachment & Day Care

Deprivation of Attachment Responsive parents are aware of what their children are doing. Unresponsive parents ignore their children - helping only when they want to. Children without healthy attachment: –had lower IQ –more anxiety –tend to be more abusive parents themselves

Temperament & Parenting

Baumrind’s Parenting Styles Authoritarian – impose rules & expect obedience Authoritative - both demanding & responsive, enforces rules but explains reasons for them –Give & Take more with kids Permissive – submit to child’s desires, few demands & punishments Neglectful - completely uninvolved

Parenting Styles

Effects on Children Authoritarian correlates with children who are: –unhappy, fearful, withdrawn, unspontaneous, and irritable –this style promotes resentment and rebellion. Permissive correlates with children who are: –immature, impulsive, and aggressive –struggle with self-control Authoritative correlates with children who are: –cheerful, socially competent, energetic, and friendly. –show high levels of self-esteem, self-reliance, and self-control 2 Possible Reasons for Correlation –Children’s traits may influence parenting –Shared genes for social competence between parents and their children

Suggestions for Being an Authoritative Parent 1. Let your children know that you love them. 2. Listen to your children. 3. Use induction to teach as you discipline. 4. Work with your child’s temperamental qualities. 5. Understand your child’s age-related cognitive abilities and limitations. 6. Don’t expect perfection, and learn to go with the flow.

Culture & Child Rearing Western Individualist Cultures stress INDEPENDENCE: Be True to Yourself! Be all YOU can be! Asian & African Collectivist Cultures stress FAMILY SELF: What you do either shames or honors the family Children can thrive under either cultural system

Temperament A person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity A child might be: “easy” “slow to warm” “difficult” baby Temperament shown in infancy appears to carry through a person’s life. Temperament has a genetic and biological basis, but that environmental experiences can modify a child’s basic temperament.

Temperament Easy—adaptable, positive mood, regular habits Slow to Warm Up—low activity, somewhat slow to adapt, generally withdraw from new situations Difficult—intense emotions, irritable, cry frequently Average—unable to classify –(1/3 of all children)

Temperament Play “Bringing Up Monkeys” (9:40)Bringing Up Monkeys –Segment #23 from Scientific American Frontiers DVD Consider these questions as you watch: –Is monkey personality genetic or learned from their parents? –Can we change your personality by changing parenting styles? –In extreme situations what wins out? Genes or Parenting Style?

Development of Self-Concept After attachment in infancy, Children form a self-concept – an understanding of who they are Self-Awareness – The Mirror Test See Website for links to see how this works! Website