1. Infancy and childhood
Social development

2. Stranger anxiety
Stranger anxiety: fear of strangers that infants commonly display, beginning by about 8 months of age
Schemas for familiar faces distress

3. The origins of attachment
Attachment: an emotional tie with another person; shown in young children by their seeking closeness to the caregiver and showing distress on separation
Originally understood to be based on the need for nourishment
Harlow’s monkeys
Body Contact- secure base
Rocking/warmth/feeding

4. familiarity
Attachments form during the critical period (optimal period early in the life of the organism when exposure to certain stimuli or experiences produces normal development)
Karl Lorenz
Imprinting (process by which certain animals form strong attachments during an early-life critical period
Ducklings!
Children do NOT imprint- but they do become attached during a less-defined sensitive period
Familiarity is good- safety signal-content

5. Mary Ainsworth
Strange Situation (1 year old infants in a lab playroom with mother/stranger)
Attachment styles!

7. temperament
Temperament- a person’s characteristic emotional reactivity and intensity
Heredity predisposes temperament differences
Temperament differences tend to be relatively stable and persistent
Physiological as well
Anxious, inhibited infants have high variable heart rates and a reactive nervous system
Thus- parenting must vary in response

8. Deprivation of attachment
Romanian orphanages
Resiliency
Abuse

9. Self-concept
All our thoughts and feelings about ourselves, in answer to the question: Who am I?
Self-esteem is how they feel about who they are
Self-awareness

10. Parenting styles
Authoritarian- parents impose rules and expect obedience
Permissive-submit to children’s desires, few demands, little punishment
Authoritative- both demanding and responsive, set rules and enforce them but also explain them; open to discussion/allow exceptions