PSYC 2314Lifespan Development

Chapter 7

The First Two Years:

Psychosocial Development

Early Emotions

• First Half Year– Distress– Sadness– Interest– Pleasures– Social smiles– Laughter

Early Emotions

• The Older Infant– Stranger wariness– Separation anxiety

Early Emotions

• Social Referencing– Look to trusted adult for emotional cues in

uncertain situation

• Self-awareness– A person’s realization that (s)he is a distinct

individual whose body, mind, and actions are separate from those of other people.

Origins of Personality

• Personality: the multitude of emotions, behaviors, and attitudes that characterize each person, distinguishing one from another.

• Learning theory: traditional vs. later theorists

Psychoanalytic Theory

• Oral Stage– The mouth is the infant’s prime source of gratification

and the mother’s attitudes regarding feeding and weaning are a critical factor in the infant’s psychological development.

• Anal Stage– Sensual pleasure is derived from stimulation of the

bowels, and toilet training becomes the focal point.

Infant Day Care

• Preschoolers experience early and extended amounts of high quality day care, they show more positive outcomes than children without such experience.

Infant Day Care

• Four factors essential to high quality day care:– Adequate attention to each child– Encouragement of sensorimotor exploration

and language development– Attention to health and safety– Well-trained and professional caregivers

Infant Day Care

• Infants were likely to become insecurely attached if:– Their mothers were insensitive– The day-care quality was poor– They were in day care more than 20 hours per

week

Erikson’s Psychosocial Stages of Infant Development

• Trust vs. Mistrust

• Autonomy vs. Shame and Doubt

Temperament

• A relatively consistent inborn dispositions that underlie and affect a person’s response to people, situations, and events.

• It is epigenetic.

Temperament

• Nine Characteristics– Activity Level– Rhythmicity– Approach-withdrawal– Adaptability– Intensity of Reaction– Threshold of Responsiveness– Quality of Mood– Distractibility– Attention Span

Temperament

• 3 types of temperament:– Easy– Slow-to-warm-up– Difficult

• Goodness of fit– Environment affects temperament. It is best for

parents to adjust their child-rearing expectations to their child’s temperamental style.

Big Five Dimensions of Personality

• Extroversion

• Agreeableness

• Conscientiousness

• Neuroticism

• Openness

Interaction

• Synchrony: coordinated interaction between infant and caregiver in which each individual responds to and influences the other.

Attachments

• An enduring emotional connection between people that produces a desire for continual contact as well feelings of distress during separation.– Secure attachment– Insecure attachment

Attachments

• Attachment may also be influenced by the broader context in which the infant and mother live. The father’s contribution to child care, the nature of the marital relationship, financial and living conditions, and the cultural context in which the infant is nurtured are important influences

• Secure attachment aids both cognitive and social development: securely attached infants are more curious, outgoing and self directed.

• Child’s temperament has a greater impact on attachment than the parent’s caregiving patterns.

Adult Attachments

• One important contribution to the development of a secure attachment in infants is the mother’s view of her own early attachment experiences– Autonomous– Dismissing– Preoccupied– Unresolved