1. Infancy and Childhood Social Development
Module 8
Infancy and Childhood
Social Development
For specific periods of life – we will talk about physical, cogntive and social development (changes).

2. Infancy and Childhood: Social Development
The ways in which individuals’ social interactions and interpersonal behaviors change across the life span
Social development may also have common characteristics across cultures
Example: Stranger anxiety (8 months)
Schemas for familiar faces
Object permanance
The brain, the mind, emotions, and behavior develop together
Included are the first bonds establised with early caregivers.
Around the time when children develop object permanance – understand that objects continue to exist even when they are out of sight – they develop a fear for strangers.
This marks the fact that they actually have established bonds with certain individuals, and not with others- can discriminate between people, prefer their accompany etc.
As their brain develop- so do their cognitive capabilities and social – emotional behavior.

3. Infancy and Childhood: Social Development
Attachment
an emotional tie with another person
shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation
developed around 8 months – object permanence
Attachment is adaptive
Infant attachment behaviors motivate adult attention (a sort of communication)
Infants exhibiting attachment behaviors have a higher chance of survival
Animals also form attachment-like bonds -- Imprinting
At around 12 months – children develop a strong bond with the primary care giver- the source of food and security.
Happens to be moms most generally.
It is actually a survival impulse.
They always go back to their primary cartakers when scares, distressed.

4. Imprinting: Konrad Lorenz & ducks

5. Attachment through touch
Harlow’s Surrogate Mother Experiments
Contact comfort: monkeys preferred contact with the comfortable cloth mother, even while feeding from the nourishing wire mother
Harlow was studying monkeys’ learning mechanism.
From birth on he separated monkeys from their mothers and put them in cages – to ensure that they were raised in similar environments.
In the cages there were little baby clothes (blankets) and harlow observed that babies became attached to them. When blankets were taken away, they were distressed. This contradicted the assumption that attachment occures only for those who provided nourishment.
Followed on with a controlled experiment.
In a cage – he put two surrogent mothers- artificial mothers.
One was only providing food – through a bottle attahced on the body.
The other provided no food but comfort through a soft blanket covered on the mom.
It was oberved that when put in the cage babies preferred the moms who provided warmth. Whenever they become anxious, they would cling on these moms.
Similarly human infants also become attached to parents who provide warmth in additon to food. It is like a safe heaven which gives security to the infant.

6. Attachment Critical Period Infants become attached to those who:
Provide physical comfort
Are familiar
Are responsive
Also important:
Temperament – irritable vs. easygoing
Critical Period
an optimal period shortly after birth when an organism’s exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces proper development
Infants become attached to those who:
Provide physical comfort–
For a healthy development, body contact is very important for babies.
For many years it was believed that babies became attached to those who provided food only.
But then – following a famous study by Harlow on monkeys preferences for- it became obvious that not only being a food source is enough. Body contact is also very important.
--- go to harlow’s study.
Children become attached to people whom they KNOW– MERE EXPOSURE:
Familarity is a sign of safety signal and signals comfort.
Attachment is influenced by parenting and by child temperament
Are familiar
Are responsive

7. Human Attachment Styles
Attachment can be measured
Strange Situation Test: A parent-infant “separation and reunion” procedure that is staged in a laboratory to test the security of a child’s attachment
Securely attached
Insecurely attached
Responsive mothers tend to have securely attached children
Infants with difficult temperaments are less likely to be securely attached

8. Anxious-Ambivalent Attachment
Secure Attachment
About 60% of children in normal conditions
Secure base for exploration
Safe haven when distressed
Avoidant Attachment
About 25% of children
Don’t use parent as secure base
Don’t use parent as safe haven
Anxious-Ambivalent Attachment
About 15% of children
Ineffective secure base (clinging, nervous)
Ineffective safe haven (emotional acting out, suspicious)
Anxious avoidant
Low need for caregiver when present
Rejecting when returns
Anxious resistant
High needs when present
Demanding upon return
Secure: Selves as friendly, good-natured, likable;
Others as well-intentioned, reliable & trustworthy
Avoidant: Selves as suspicious, aloof & skeptical;
Others as unreliable, over-eager to commit
Anxious: Selves as misunderstood, unconfident, underappreciated;
Others as Unreliable, unwilling/ unable to commit to permanent relationship

9. Conclusions about social development in infancy
All humans need to form an attachment to a caring and responsive caregiver early in life (first 8 months of life)
Attachment styles have consequences for subsequent development and adulthood interpersonal relationships
Infants who are securely attached have basic trust – the world is predictable, can explore the environment
Total deprivation from attachment has strong negative consequences: physiological problems, later emotional development, later interpersonal relationships etc.
More trusting in relationships
Longer relationships
Higher self-esteem and regard for others
Seek social support when under stress
Appropriate self-disclosure style
Positive, optimistic, constructive interactions
Unfortunately, those who are unloved in the early years become unloving!

10. The role of responsive parenting and temperament
Sensitive, responsive mothers and fathers have infants who usually become securely attached.
Insensitive, unresponsive parents have infants who often become insecurely attached.
From the first weeks of life, some babies are more disposed than others to forming a secure attachment (so there are individual differences)

11. Parenting Styles
Parenting style: Variations in parents’ attempts to control and socialize their children (Baumrind, 1991).
The main difference between parenting styles is the nature of parental control.
Parental control in order to
(a) shape child’s goal-oriented activity
(b) modify his expression of dependent, aggressive, and playful behavior
(c) promote internalization of parental standards.
(d) guide and discipline the child

12. Parenting Styles Parents’ Responsiveness Parents’ Demandingness
Neglecting, ignoring, indifferent, uninvolved
Permissive: few demands, following child’s desires
Undemanding low in control attempts
Authoritarian
Power assertive, not inductive, not flexible
Authoritative: High in bidirectional communication, high in explanation
Demanding
Controlling
Rejecting
Unresponsive
Parent-centered
Accepting
Responsive
Child-centered
Parents’ Demandingness
What parents can do to bring about secure attachment in their children.
Important.
Studied by parenting practices.
A classificaiton o fparenting styles.
Basic 2 dimensions: parents’ demandingness, --- willingness to act as social agents.
parents’ responsiveness----- parents’ recognition of the child’s individuality.
Authoritaitve: make appropriate demands on the children but also reinforce autonomy.
Authoriterian: harsch discipline with no attention to autonomy.
İndulgent: very responsive but no structure about social norms/rules.
Neglecting: neither apply discipline, nor are repsonsive to the child’s individuality. 12

13. Different Parenting Styles
Authoritarian (too hard)
parents impose rules and expect obedience
“Don’t interrupt.” “Why? Because I said so.”
Permissive (too soft)
submit to children’s desires, make few demands, use little punishment
Authoritative (just right)
both demanding and responsive
set rules, but explain reasons and encourage open discussion

14. The Influence of Parenting Styles on Social Development
Harsh and inconsistent parenting impedes the social development of children.
Power assertive parenting practices serve as models and encourage the similar behaviors of the children.
The inability to set limits perpetuates the child’s ongoing behavioral problems (e.g. noncompliance, aggression).
Children with highest self-esteem, self-reliance, and social competence usually have warm, concerned and authoritative parents.

15. The Influence of Parenting Styles on Social Development
Authoritative parenting
High self esteem, high social competence
Unquestioning obedience, low levels of autonomy, low in empathy
Authoritarian parenting
These associations are correlational!

16. Role of Child-Rearing Practices in Social Development: Can we claim CAUSALITY?