Life Span Growth & Development Ch. 7 The First Two Years: Psychosocial Development

Front 1

Social Smile

Back 1

A smile evoked by a human face, normally evident in infants about 6 weeks after birth.

Front 2

Stranger Wariness

Back 2

An infant's expression of concern - a quiet stare, clinging to a familiar person, or sadness - when a stranger appears.

Front 3

Separation Anxiety

Back 3

An infant's distress when a familiar caregiver leaves; most obvious between 9 and 14 months.

Front 4

Self-awareness

Back 4

A person's realization that he or she is a distinct individual, with body, mind, and actions that are separate from those of other people.

Front 5

Trust versus Mistrust

Back 5

Erikson's first psychosocial crisis. Infants learn basic trust if the world is a secure place where their basic needs (for food, comfort, attention, etc.) are met.

Front 6

Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt

Back 6

Erikson's second crisis of psychosocial development. Toddlers either succeed or fail in gaining a sense of self-rule over their own actions and bodies.

Front 7

Social Learning

Back 7

Learning by observing others.

Front 8

Working Model

Back 8

In cognitive theory, a set of assumptions that the individual uses to organize perceptions and experiences. For example, a person might assume that other people are trustworthy, and be surprised when this model of human behavior seems in error.

Front 9

Temperament

Back 9

Inborn differences between one person and another in emotions, activity, and self-control. Temperament is epigenetic, originating in genes but affected by child rearing practices.

Front 10

Goodness of Fit

Back 10

A similarity of temperament and values that produces a smooth interaction between an individual and his or her social context, including family, school, and community.

Front 11

Ethnotheory

Back 11

A theory that underlies the values and practices of a culture that becomes apparent through analysis and comparison of those practices, although it is not usually apparent to the people within the culture.

Front 12

Proximal Parenting

Back 12

Parenting practices that involve close physical contact with the child's entire body, such as cradling and swinging.

Front 13

Distal Parenting

Back 13

Parenting practices that focus on the intellect more than the body, such as talking with the baby and playing with an object.

Front 14

Synchrony

Back 14

A coordinated, rapid, and smooth exchange of responses between a caregiver and an infant.

Front 15

Still-face Technique

Back 15

An experimental practice in which an adult keeps his or her face unmoving and expressionless in face-to-face interaction with an infant.

Front 16

Attachment

Back 16

According to Ainsworth, "an affectional tie" that an infant forms with the caregiver - a tie that binds them together in space and endures over time.

Front 17

Secure Attachment

Back 17

A relationship in which an infant obtains both comfort and confidence from the presence of his or her caregiver.

Front 18

Insecure-avoidant Attachment

Back 18

A pattern of attachment in which an infant avoids connection with the caregiver, as when the infant seems not to care about the caregiver's presence, departure, or return.

Front 19

Insecure-resistant/ambivalent Attachment

Back 19

A pattern of attachment in which anxiety and uncertainty are evident, as when an infant is very upset at separation from the caregiver and both resists and seeks contact or reunion.

Front 20

Disorganized Attachment

Back 20

A type of attachment that is marked by an infant's inconsistent reactions to the caregiver's departure and return.

Front 21

Strange Situation

Back 21

A laboratory procedure for measuring attachment by evoking infants' reactions to stress.

Front 22

Social Referencing

Back 22

Seeking information about how to react to an unfamiliar or ambiguous object or event by observing someone else's expressions and reactions. That other person becomes a social reference.

Front 23

Family Day Care

Back 23

Child care that occurs in another caregiver's home. Usually the caregiver is paid at a lower rate than in center care, and usually one person cares for several children of various ages.

Front 24

Center Day Care

Back 24

Child care in a place especially designed for the purpose, where several paid providers care for many children. Usually the children are grouped by age, the day-care center is licensed, and providers are trained and certified in child development.

Front 25

Describe Freud's psychosocial stages of infant development in the first two years.

Back 25

The first year of life is in the oral stage while the second year of life is in the anal stage. If an infant is frustrated in meeting his/her oral or anal needs during those years, he/she will develop oral or anal issues as an adult (i.e. eat, drink, chew, or talk excessively or have an anal personality).

Front 26

Describe Erickson's psychosocial stages of infant development in the first two years.

Back 26

Erickson's describes the first crisis of life as trust vs mistrust and the second crisis is autonomy vs shame and doubt. Erickson believed problems arising in early infancy can last a lifetime, creating an adult that is suspicious and pessimistic (mistrustful) or who is easily shamed (insufficient autonomy).

Front 27

Describe the behaviorism theory of infant development in the first two years.

Back 27

Behaviorism believes emotions and personality are molded as parents reinforce or punish the child's spontaneous behaviors.

Front 28

Describe cognitive theory of infant development in the first two years.

Back 28

Cognitive theory holds that thoughts and values determine a person's perspective. Early experiences are important because beliefs, perceptions, and memories make them so, not because they are buried in the uncounscious (psychoanalytic theory) or burned into the brain's patterns (behaviorism). According to cognitive theory, a child's interpretation of early experiences is crucial, not necessarily the experiences themselves.

Front 29

Describe sociocultural theory of infant development in the first two years.

Back 29

Sociocultural scientists see an interaction between nature and nuture but emphasize that diversity of nuture explains much of the diversity of emotions. They believe child-rearing practices arise from ethnotheories, unexpressed and implicit, but nonetheless very powerful.

Front 30

Describe the basic emotions expressed by infants during the first days and months.

Back 30

Birth - crying, contentment
6 weeks - social smile
3 months - laughter, curiosity
4 months - full, responsive smiles
4-8 months - anger
9-14 months - fear of social events (strangers, seperation from caregiver)
12 months - fear of unexpected sights and sounds
18 months - self-awareness, pride, shame, embarrassment

Front 31

Describe the main developments in the emotional life of the child between 6 months and 2 years.

Back 31

Newborns express pleasure or pain. At 6 months infants are able to express anger which leads way to the development of fear (stranger weariness and separation anxiety). At about 1 self-awareness begins which leads to feelings of pride, shame, and embarrassment.

Front 32

Describe the development of social bonds in terms of synchrony, attachment, and social referencing.

Back 32

All infants seek social bonds, which they develop with one or several people. Synchrony begins in the early months of life. Synchrony evolves into attachment, an emotional bond with adult caregivers. Secure attachment allows learning to progress; insecure infants are less confident and may develop emotional impairments. As infants become more curious and as they encounter new toys, people, and events, they use social referencing to learn whether such new things are to be afraid of or enjoyed.

Front 33

How does infant day care affect psychosocial development?

Back 33

Infants form emotional connections such as synchrony, attachment, and social reference with mother, father, other relatives, and other caregivers. Scientists now believe that nonmaternal care sometimes actually enhances infants' psychosocial development. The quality and continuity of child care matters more than who provides the care.

Front 34

State several conclusions that can be drawn from research on early psychosocial development.

Back 34

1) According to all five major theories, caregiver behavior is especially influential in the first two years.
2) Fathers are wonderful playmate for infants, who frequently consult them, as well as mothers for social references.
3) Day care for infants seems, on a whole, to be a positive experience, especially for cognitive development.
4) Psychosocial characteristics, including secure attachment, are influenced more by the mother's warmth than by the number of hours spent in nonmaternal care.
5) Quality of care is crucial, no matter who provides that care.
6) All infants need caregivers who are committed to them and are dedicated to encouraging each aspect of early development.