1. PSYC 206
Lifespan Development
Bilge Yagmurlu

2. Chapter Overview The Infant-Caregiver Emotional Relationship
The Nature of Infant Emotions and Emotional Expressions
The Changing Nature of Communications
A Sense of Self
Developing Trust and Autonomy

3. The Infant-Caregiver Emotional Relationship
Signs of attachment:
seeking to be near the caretaker
showing distress when separated
being happy when reunited
orienting (listening to or watching) the caretaker even when engaged in something else 3

4. Internal working model:
A mental model that children construct as a result of their experiences and that they use to guide their interaction with caregivers and others.
“cognitive representations of self, others and relationships”

5. The Strange Situation Observe how babies Types of Attachment
Use mother as a secure base
Respond to separation from mother
Respond to a stranger
Types of Attachment
Secure
Avoidant
Resistant
Disorganized

6. Attachment Major questions:
What factors produce different attachment patterns?
What significance do these patterns have for the child’s development? 6

7. Causes of Variations Family Context Institutional Contexts
Parental sensitivity
Ainsworth believed that attachment security depends on how sensitive the caregiver is to the infant’s signals

8. Pederson et al. study: securely attached babies were likely to have mothers who were more accepting, expressive of affection, and who adjusted their behavior to that of their babies. Examples:
mothers feeding babies at a comfortable pace and recognizing when they are done and ready for more
mothers recognizing their taste and texture preferences
mothers less likely to ignore crying, quicker to respond, and more effective in comforting the child
mothers who synchronize better in face to face interactions
Meta-analytic studies showed moderate link

9. Family Context Parental sensitivity Secure vs. insecure attachment
Maternal depression
Abusive caregiving
Stressors

10. Institutional Context
Cross-Cultural evidence
Orphanages
Severity of deprivation
Age on leaving the institution: 4 months
Impede the ability to form stable and appropriate loving relationships
Tend to be more insecurely attached and also indiscriminately friendly

11. Reactive Attachment Disorder (RAD)
Psychological disorder of extremely inappropriate social relating
Indiscriminate and excessive efforts to receive comfort and affection from any adult, even strangers
Extreme reluctance to seek or accept comfort and affection, even from familiar adults, especially when distressed
Onset: before 5 years of age

12. Causes of Variations Disruptive or stressful family experiences
Temperament
Findings of Kochanska (1998)
Quality of caregiving predicted secure vs. insecure attachments
Temperament predicted type of insecurity
Fearful children: resistant
Fearless children: avoidant

13. Cultural Context
Attachment is universal and what nourishes attachment is similar across cultures
Cultures define a) what constitutes sensitive caregiving and b) secure relationships

14. Cultural Context Example: Japan
Japanese mothers do not simply react to baby’s cries but strived to anticipate baby’s needs.
Amae: a state of total dependence on the mother and a presumption of mother love and indulgence.
Interdependence is healthy and amae is hallmark of communal orientation
Outcome at separation and reunion 14

15. Later Development Continuity
Internal working model is related to beliefs, interpretations, expectations and behavior patterns.
Negative Life Expectations
Extreme neglect, abuse, deprivation in family and institutional contexts
Attribution of negative meaning

16. Adult Relationships
Secure relationship style: few problems developing satisfying friendships and relationships. Trusts others and forms bonds with them
Longer relationships
Seek social support when under stress
Appropriate self-disclosure style
Positive, optimistic, constructive interactions Higher self-esteem and regard for others 16

17. Adult Relationships
Avoidant relationship style: Difficulty learning to trust others. Suspicious of others’ motives and afraid of making commitments.
Reactive / ambivalent relationship style: Overly dependent and demanding on their partners and friends. Need constant reassurance and attention. 17

18. Is Attachment History Destiny?
Later Development
Is Attachment History Destiny?
Longitudinal research: 72% continuity
Protective versus risk factor: Sroufe showed that secure early attachments have adaptive significance.
Internal working models are dynamic processes that can change (for better or worse)
For revision, cumulative experience that disconfirms expectations is necessary

19. Emotions are Universal
Emotion: a feeling state that involves physiological reactions, cognitive evaluations and an action component
Basic Emotions:
Joy
Fear
Anger
Surprise
Sadness
Disgust

20. Infant Emotions and Social Life
Emotion Regulation:
Ways of acting to modulate and control emotions
Primary Intersubjectivity:
Organized, reciprocal face-to-face interaction between an infant and caregiver with the interaction itself as the focus.
Mother and baby share emotional state of each other. Emerges at about 3 months

21. Intersubjectivity and the Brain
How does the brain contribute?
Mirror Neurons:
Special brain cells that fire when an individual sees or hears another perform an action, just as they would fire if the individual were performing the same action.
Imitating facial expressions

22. The Changing Nature of Communication
Secondary Intersubjectivity:
A form of interaction between infant and caregiver, with communication and emotional sharing, focused not just on the interaction but on the world beyond.
Emerges at about 9-12 months

23. Forms of Communication
Social Referencing
In which infants look to their caregiver for an indication of how to feel and act on encountering an unfamiliar object or event.

24. A Sense of Self
Interacting with objects and people increases as a results of locomotion and emerging use of language
Self-Recognition
Ability to recognize oneself in a mirror

25. Self-Conscious Emotions
Requires thinking about and evaluating oneself in relation to other people and their standards
embarrassment
pride
shame
guilt
envy

26. Erik Erikson’s Stages Stage 1: Basic trust vs. mistrust
Infants learn to trust others to care for their basic needs, or to mistrust them.
Stage 2: Autonomy vs. shame and doubt
Children learn to exercise their will and to control themselves, or they become uncertain and doubt that they can do it by themselves.

27. Trust:
See the world as safe for exploration and people as reliable and loving
Mistrust:
See the world as dangerous and people as insensitive and hurtful
Autonomy
A sense of ability to accomplish tasks and tackle challenges
Shame and doubt:
May come to doubt their ability and feel shame