1. Socioemotional Development in Early Childhood
Chapter 9:
Socioemotional Development in Early Childhood
McGraw-Hill
© 2006 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc. All rights reserved.

2. Emotional and Personality Development

3. During early childhood, children must discover who they are and
They discover that conscience must govern exploration and self-observation, self-guidance, self-punishment
Disappointment turns to guilt that lowers self-esteem
Their parents can encourage motor play and fantasy
Guilt exists in later life if motor activity is considered bad, questions are seen only as nuisances, and play is stupid

4. As children age, there is increased
Self-understanding: substance and content of one’s self-conceptions, beginning with self-recognition
In early childhood, self-conception is usually in physical and material terms
As children age, there is increased
Use of emotional language
Learning about causes and consequences of feelings
Ability to reflect on emotions
Need to control and manage emotions to meet social standards

5. Self-conscious emotions are pride, guilt, shame, and embarrassment
Girls may show more shame, pride, anxiety, depression, and self-criticism
Moral development are feelings, thoughts, and behaviors about what should be done in interactions

6. Stages of Piaget’s moral development in children:
At ages 4-7, they see justice and rules as unchangeable
Between ages 7 and 10 years, there is transition
After 10 years of age: awareness that laws and rules are created by humans, judgment of behavior should be based on intentions and consequences
Views of moral theory
Reinforcement, punishment, and imitation used to explain moral behavior by children
Use of self-control overcomes prohibited impulses; patience and ability to delay gratification are learned

7. Sex is a biological classification
Psychoanalytic view:
Oedipus complex forces same-sex identity
Parents’ standards internalized
Self-punitive guilt and other emotions force child to conform to social standards
Sex is a biological classification
Gender identity is a sense of being male or female
Gender role: expectations of being masculine and feminine; how one acts, feels, or thinks

8. Biological influences on behavior
Chromosomes: XY are males, XX are females
Sex hormones influence physical development
Some research suggests genetics help determine play patterns, levels of aggression, career goals, and attitudes about gender roles
Evolutionary biologists: differing sex roles in reproduction and urge for reproduction lead to natural selection behaviors

9. Some Characteristics of Young Children’s Emotion Language and Understanding
2 to 3 years
Rapid increase in emotional vocabulary
Label simple emotions in self and others correctly; can talk about past, present, and future emotions
Talk about causes and consequences of some emotions; identify emotions associated with certain situations
Use emotion language in pretend play
4 to 5 years
Increased ability to reflect verbally on emotions and consider more complex relations between emotions and situations
Understand that same event may create different feelings in different people and that feelings may last long after the events that caused them
Show growing awareness and ability to control and manage emotions in accordance with social standards
Fig. 9.1

10. Three theories about origins of gender roles
Social role theory: gender differences due to culture
Psychoanalytic theory: child becomes masculine or feminine even in absence of same-sex parent
Cognitive theory: gender roles learned through observation, imitation, rewards, punishments
Ages 4 to 12 spend most free time exclusively in same-sex groups

11. A Comparison of the Psychoanalytic and Social Cognitive Views of Gender Development
Theory
Processes
Outcomes
Freud’s theory
Sexual attraction to opposite-sex parent at 3–5 years of age; anxiety about this leads to identification with same-sex parent at 5–6 years of age
Gender behavior like that of same-sex parent
Social cognitive theory
Rewards and punishment of desired/undesired gender behavior by adults and peers; observation and initiation of models’ behavior in children
Gender behavior
Fig. 9.2

12. In same-sex play groups:
Parents influence and encourage gender behaviors and roles affecting peer relations
After 5, boys tend to associate in large groups, girls prefer groups of two or three
In same-sex play groups:
Boys tend to play rough-and-tough and competitively, and show conflict, ego displays, risk taking, and dominance
Girls tend to be collaborative and engage in reciprocity behaviors

13. Same-sex group
Developmental Changes in Percentage of Time Spent in Same-Sex and Mixed-Group Settings
Mixed-sex group 75 50
Percentage of social playtime
A tendency to play in same-sex groups increases between 4 and 6 years of age 25
4.5 years old
6.5 years old
Fig. 9.3

14. Cognitive theories of gender development
Cognitive development theory: gender typing occurs after children achieve gender constancy (as Kohlberg developed this: gender development depends on cognition)
Gender schema theory: gender gradually develops as child perceives what is gender-appropriate or inappropriate in their culture

15. The Development of Gender Behavior According to the Cognitive Developmental and Gender Schema Theories of Gender Development
Theory
Processes
Outcome
Cognitive develop-mental theory
Development of gender constancy, especially around age 6 to 7, when conservation skills develop; after ability to consistently conceive of themselves as female or male, children often organize their world on the basis of gender.
Cognitive readiness facilitates gender identity
Gender schema theory
Sociocultural emphasis on gender-based standards and stereotypes; children’s attention and behavior are guided by an internal motivation to conform to these, allowing children to interpret the world through gender-organized thoughts.
Gender schemas reinforce gender behavior
Fig. 9.4

16. Children’s Judgments about the Competence of Men and Women in Gender-Stereotyped Occupations
Boy
Girl
“Masculine Occupations”
Percentage judging men more competent
Percentage judging women more competent 87 13 70 30
“Feminine Occupations” 35 64 8 92
Fig. 9.5

17. Families

18. Parenting styles really affect development
Interactions include punishment, child abuse, co-parenting, time and effort, and nurturing
Four parenting styles
Authoritarian: highly controlling, little discussion (“My way, or else”)
Authoritative: limits placed, but also warm, nurturing, encouraging independence within those limits (“Let’s talk about it”)
Neglectful: uninvolved in child’s life
Indulgent: involved, but with few demands or restraints

19. Classification of Parenting Styles
Accepting of and responsive to the child
Rejecting of and unresponsive to the child
Authoritative
Authoritarian
Indulgent
Neglectful
Demanding, controlling of child
Undemanding, uncontrolling of child
Fig. 9.6

20. Authoritative parenting
May be most effective type for variety of reasons
It appears to transcend boundaries of ethnicity, SES, and family structure
Asian parents tend to “train” child
Latino parents tend to encourage family identity and self-development
African American parents tend to use physical punishment more than whites
Corporal punishment was considered necessary for disciplining children – legal in all states

21. Some research shows use of corporal punishment is
Associated with higher levels of immediate compliance and aggression in children
Should be avoided in its intense forms
1979 Swedish law forbids any type of physical punishment by parents
Cross-culturally, U.S. and Canada among those most favoring corporal punishment
Alternatives include use of time-outs, reasoning with child, positive reinforcement, loss of privileges

22. Percentage remembering corporal punishment as a child
Corporal Punishment in Different Countries
100 5
Percentage remembering 90 89
Attitude 83 80 80 4 73 71 70 69 65 63 62 60 3 56
Percentage remembering corporal punishment as a child
3.00
3.13
3.14
Attitude toward use of corporal punishment 50
2.90
2.68 40 2
2.34
2.26 35
2.18
2.05 30
1.96 20 1
1.35 10
South Korea
U.S.
Spain
Canada
Greece
Britain
Finland
Malaysia
Argentina
Sweden
Germany
Fig. 9.7

23. Child abuse or maltreatment refers to abuse and neglect
Four main types of child maltreatment (can overlap):
Physical abuse: physical injury
Child neglect: physical/emotional/educational neglect or abandonment
Sexual abuse: fondling, rape, incest, intercourse, sodomy, exploitation
Emotional abuse: psychological abuse, verbal abuse, mental injury

24. Culture affects incidence of child abuse
Examine family interactions to understand abuse
Developmental consequences of abuse:
Poor emotional regulation
Attachment problems
Difficulty in school and peer relations
Other psychological problems
Child victims show increased violence in adult relationships

25. In co-parenting, parental cooperation and warmth are linked to prosocial behaviors in children
Good parenting is key factor
Sibling relationships have a strong effect
Birth order
Parents have higher expectations for firstborn
Only child: often achievement-oriented, displays desirable personality traits
By itself, is not a good predictor of behavior

26. Children’s families more diverse today
Consider age spacing and sex between children, heredity, temperament, and parenting styles for predicting behavior
Children’s families more diverse today
More mothers work outside home, more children in child care
More children under 17 grow up in single-parent homes
Both parents work outside home
Divorced families
Some research finds negative effects if mother works during child’s 1st year

27. Percentage of those families with children under 18
Single-Parent Families in Different Countries 5 15 20 25 30 10
Japan
USA
Sweden
Canada
Germany UK
Australia
France 17 14 13 11 6 23
Percentage of those families with children under 18
Fig. 9.8

28. Child from divorced family tends to show poorer adjustment, with greatest risk occurring in multiple divorces
Deciding divorce: weighing emotional stress on children versus loss of resources
The relationship between parents after divorce appears more negative for girls
Custodial- and noncustodial-father families may have greater impact on the sons’ lives
Joint custody may be better for all

29. Divorce and Children’s Emotional Problems
Type of family 20
Divorced
Intact, never divorced 10 30
Of children from divorced families, 25% show serious emotional problems (75% did not), compared with only 10% of children from intact, never-divorced families
Percentage of children showing serious emotional problems
Fig. 9.9

30. Peer Relations, Play, and Television

31. Good peer relations necessary for social development
Peers assist a child by
Filling unique role in the culture
Providing information
Giving feedback and evaluation
Good peer relations necessary for social development
Extensive peer interaction during childhood in play
Piaget: play advances cognitive development
Vygotsky: play is excellent for cognitive development

32. Parten identifies 6 types of play:
solitary, unoccupied, onlooker, parallel, associative, and cooperative play
Other types of play:
Sensorimotor play (early infancy)
Practice play (primarily in infancy)
Pretense/symbolic play (9–30 months)
Social play (peer interactions)
Constructive play increases in preschool years
Games reinforce rules and competition; effects of TV can be very harmful

33. United States
Spain
Canada
Percentage of 9-Year-Old Children Who Report Watching More Than 5 Hours of TV per Weekday
Netherlands
Ireland
Italy
Finland
Denmark
France
Sweden
Germany
Norway
Switzerland 5 10 15 20 25
Percentage
Fig. 9.10

34. Educational TV Viewing and High School Grade Point Average for Boys
2.9
Amount and patterns of preschool TV viewing have an impact later on boys’ high school GPAs
2.82
2.8
2.7
2.6
2.53
2.48
2.5
2.37
2.4
2.3
Mean high school overall GPA
2.2
2.1
2.0
Quartiles of child informative viewing at age 5
Fig. 9.11

35. The End