HDF 313 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Mental Model, Mary Ainsworth, Margaret Mahler
23 May 2018
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STUDY GUIDE FOR EXAM III
Infant & Toddler Social-Emotional Development; Chapters 6 & 8
Concepts:
dyadic regulation infant can move toward the caregiver and purposefully signal to the
caregiver when distressed
recognitory assimilation- infants smile when they are able to assimilate an event into an
established scheme…smiles when his mobile turns, when presented with the same teddy
bear, when any face appears before him
stranger distress -babies may react negatively to strangers beginning around 7 to 10
months.,
social referencing-using a caregiver's facial expressions or tone of voice as a cue for how
to behave.
secondary self-conscious emotions (shame, embarrassment, pride/positive self-
evaluation), empathy- Distressed by negative emotional signals from others, an early sign
of this
-Shame - a sense of the self as vulnerable and bad.
-Embarassment- sense of self as silly or foolish
-Positive self-evaluation - forerunner of pride.
deviation anxiety- Distressed when they do something wrong
attachment- an enduring emotional tie between an infant and caregiver.
-Regular developmental course across diverse cultures
secure-base behavior- Infants explore more confidently when the caregiver is present, and
monitor the caregiver’s accessibility, checking back from a distance.
In childhood, parent & child form a goal-corrected partnership
affective sharing- share positive emotions exclusively with attatchment figures
separation distress- cry when caregivers temporarily leave them
hierarchical attachment pattern-primary caregiver on top of attatchment
Strange Situation- (Mary Ainsworth)- an infant is left alone briefly with a stranger, and
later by himself, and then is reunited with the caregiver.
-Reactions (especially to reunion with mother) are thought to reveal attachment quality
between infant & caregiver
reciprocity- social interactions involving mutual exchanges
attunement- caregivers’ adjustment of the stimulation they provide in response to signs
from the infant
sensitivity,
adult patterns of attachment
secure- Able to discuss childhood relationships coherently, openly, and
insightfully.
-May either present believable evidence of loving childhood experiences, or present
evidence of unloving experiences without idealizing or derogating parents.
-Value attachment relationships
dismissing- As children, protected themselves from feeling rejected by minimizing
attachment-relevant behaviors and emotions.
-Often insist on lack of memory for childhood experiences.
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-As adults, are likely to either idealize or derogate their parents.
-Dismissing of attachment relationships and their importance.
preoccupied As children, coped with inconsistent or overly anxious caregivers by
maximizing attachment-relevant behaviors and feelings.
-As adults, are likely to be either still caught up in anger with parents; or vague,
confused & inconsistent when discussing their childhood relationships.
-Maximize and focus on their own attachment needs more than the needs of their
attachment figures
unresolved-
-Become disoriented and confused when speaking about loss or trauma.
-Have not come to terms with the death of a loved one or with abuse they have
suffered.
-Become fearful & dissociative when thinking about attachment.
-When in the life span do you think loss of an attachment figure most difficult to cope
with? To recover from?
Temperament- an individual infant’s general style of behavior across contexts, believed to
be primarily genetic.
internal working model of attachment
-Different patterns of attachment reflect differences in childs’ internal working models -
expectations of the social world.
-General sense of others as caring, trustworthy and willing to serve as a secure base (or not)
-General sense of self as worthy of love and care; willing to actively seek care and support
(secure base) as needed.
Socialization- In all cultures, socialization begins in earnest at this time- setting limits,
toilet training, etc.
-Socialization occurs because parents and other adults impose rules and values on an
unwilling, impulsive child.
Erikson’s stages of trust vs. mistrust and autonomy vs. shame & doubt:
• Autonomy vs. shame & doubt: defining issue for stage of separation-
individuation, when a toddlers sense of self begins to emerge and child confronts
parental limits, there is potential either to develop positive sense of independence
and competence or to feel shamed by parents and have profound self doubt.
Separation-individuation: an important starting point for the development of individual
adaptations in toddlerhood, named by Margaret Mahler, refers to the child’s psychological
separation from the caregiver, coupled with a growing sense of being an individual
Executive competence: The child’s feeling that he or she is an autonomous force in the
world, with the ability to influence the outcomes of events
• Example: Maggie repeatedly throws objects down the stairs not just to repeat an
action but actively experiments with cause and effect. She’s learning its fun to
explore and manipulate objects…exploration is endless…motivation to discover is
fed by these experiences.
Appropriation: The process by which children naturally take on the rules and values of
their culture through participation in relationships with caregivers.
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• Ex: Malcom enjoys pleasing the adults in his family and participating in
partnerships with them…they have been reliable and responsive to him and it
makes sense that he wants to be responsive to them
• Ainsworth’s point is that a motivation toward cooperation and compliance is as
natural in toddlers as the thrust towards independence.
Types of child abuse (physical neglect, physical abuse, emotional unavailability,
verbal abuse, sexual abuse):
• Physical neglect: failure to meet the child’s basic needs which tends to produce
devastating health consequences, a lack of competence when dealing with the world
of objects, and major achievement problems in school.
• Physical abuse: deliberately causing physical injury. Promotes behavioral and
emotional problems, including avoidant or disorganized attachment relationships,
lack of social sensitivity, aggressiveness w/ peers, and blunted emotions.
• Emotional unavailability: often a result of depression in the parent, children who
experience a chronic lack of parental involvement and emotional responsiveness
show a marked decline in functioning, become apathetic, devoid of joy or pleasure,
and easily frustrated and upset.
• Verbal abuse: Pattern in which caretakers continually criticize their children, yell at
them, or subject them to demeaning comments. Consequences for child: problems
of self-esteem and school adjustment.
• Sexual abuse: Mistreating a child in a sexual way. More common & studied more
often with older children and adolescents. Strong predictor of later
psychopathology.
Sensitive period hypothesis –certain kinds of experiences are especially important at
particular points in development.
-All evidence suggests that humans are adversely affected by inadequate care in infancy.
Questions: How are Piaget’s stages of cognitive development related to the infants’
emotional and social developments?
-What developments occur in the infant’s ability to regulate their emotion and cope
with distress?
• Crying is a coping technique that releases tension.
• Caregivers respond to cries & can help infant regulate emotions.
• By 4 or 5 months, infants can actively turn away from over stimulation and self-
soothe (e.g., suck on thumb or fist)
• By 8-12 mo., infant can move toward the caregiver and purposefully signal to the
caregiver when distressed- Dyadic regulation
• by late in the first year infant emotional reactions are based on the specific meaning
of events, not their mere occurrence.
In the infant’s social smiling?
-In 1st month, babies smile is a physiological reaction to relaxation- not social yet.
-Parents often attribute higher order emotionality to these smiles.
Encourages interactions with the infant.
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Document Summary
Infant & toddler social-emotional development; chapters 6 & 8. Shame - a sense of the self as vulnerable and bad. Embarassment- sense of self as silly or foolish. Positive self-evaluation - forerunner of pride. deviation anxiety- distressed when they do something wrong attachment- an enduring emotional tie between an infant and caregiver. Regular developmental course across diverse cultures secure-base behavior- infants explore more confidently when the caregiver is present, and monitor the caregiver"s accessibility, checking back from a distance. In childhood, parent & child form a goal-corrected partnership affective sharing- share positive emotions exclusively with attatchment figures separation distress- cry when caregivers temporarily leave them hierarchical attachment pattern-primary caregiver on top of attatchment. Strange situation- (mary ainsworth)- an infant is left alone briefly with a stranger, and later by himself, and then is reunited with the caregiver. May either present believable evidence of loving childhood experiences, or present evidence of unloving experiences without idealizing or derogating parents.
