Psychosocial Development The first two years

Ethological Perspective n Infants come into the world equipped with basic social predispositions (temperament) and skills which interact with their environmental surroundings and contribute to their development

The beginnings n Social smile: in response to another human’s voice or face (6 weeks) n Stranger wariness: A fear of unfamiliar people (6 months) n Separation anxiety: A fear of being left by caregiver (8-18 months) n Social referencing: looking to trusted adults for cues on how to interpret new events (6 months)

Self Awareness n A person’s sense of self as distinct from others –stems out of an awareness of other people from 9-15 months –awareness of self emerges between months –fosters self-conscious emotions –enables other-directed emotins

Temperament n A set of innate tendencies that underlie and affect each person’s interactions with people,situations, and events.

Dimensions of Temperament n Activity level n Rythmicity n Approach- withdrawal n Adaptability n Intensity of reaction n Threshold of responsiveness n Quality of mood n Distractibility n Attention span

Goodness of Fit n The degree to which a child’s temperament matches the demands of his or her environment

Big 5 Personality Traits n Extroversion n Agreeableness n Conscientiousness n Neuroticism n Openness

Synchrony n Coordinated interaction between infant and parent (where one responds to the other) n Evident is a high quality of connectedness between their actions and reactions

Attachment n An enduring emotional connection between people that produces a desire for continual contact as well as feelings of distress during separation n Infants and toddlers exhibit proximity- seeking behaviors and contact maintaining behaviors to ensure constant contact with caregiver.

Attachment n Parents exhibit attachment behaviors such as keeping a close eye on the infant, responding affectionately and sensitively. They can also be observed partaking in proximity-seeking behaviors and contact-maintaining behaviors.

Ainsworth’s Attachment Patterns n Secure attachment: the caregiver- infant relationship provides comfort and confidence, evidenced by the infant’s attempts to be close to caregiver and readiness to explore n Insecure attachment: characterized by anxious clinging, resistance or indifference to caregiver