socio-emotional development in infancy ©2008 mcgraw-hill ryerson ltd
TRANSCRIPT
Socio-emotional Development in Infancy
©2008 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.
©2008 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.
Attachment
What Is
Attachment?
Individual
Differences
Caregiving Styles
and Attachment
Classification
Attachment,
Temperament, and the
Wider Social World
Attachment
• A strong emotional bond to another person
Theories of Attachment
• Trust versus mistrust: Erikson’s first stage of development
– Infants experience world as either secure and comfortable or insecure and uncomfortable
– Continuity not guaranteed
How Do Emotions and Personality Develop in Infancy?
Theories of Attachment
• Freud: Infants become attached to person or object giving oral satisfaction
• Disproved by Harlow’s research: regardless of which mother fed monkeys, both preferred cloth mother contact
How Does Attachment Develop in Infancy?
What Is Attachment?• Harlow & Zimmerman
(1959) discovered that contact comfort, rather than food, is critical to the attachment process.
• Erikson (1968) believed that the first year is the key time frame for the development of attachment.
• Bowlby (1969) believed that the newborn is biologically equipped to elicit attachment behaviour from the primary caregiver.
©2008 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.
Attachment
Harlow’s Results: Contact time with
wire and cloth surrogate mothers
24
0
6
12
18
21-251-56-10
11-1016-20
Age (days)
. . . ..
. . . ..
.
.
.
.
.
.....
Fed by wire motherFed by cloth mother
Hours per day spent with wire mother
Hours per day spent with cloth mother
Mea
n ho
urs
per
day
Fig. 8.5
Bowlby: The Development of Attachment
• Phase 1: Birth to 2 months – infants instinctively direct their attention to human figures.
• Phase 2: 2–7 months – attachment becomes focused on one figure, usually a primary caregiver.
• Phase 3: 7–24 months – specific attachments develop.
• Phase 4: 24 months on – a goal-directed partnership is formed in which children become aware of others’ feelings, goals, & plans.
©2008 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.
Attachment
Measuring Attachment
• Ainsworth’s strange situation: measures infant’s attachment to caregiver
– Requires infant to move through a series of introductions, separations, and reunions
• Securely attached
• Insecure avoidant
How Does Attachment Develop in Infancy?
• Insecure resistant
• Insecure disorganized
The Significance of Attachment
• Some developmentalists believe secure attachment in first year provides important foundation for psychological development
How Does Attachment Develop in Infancy?
• Others believe too much emphasis is placed on attachment bond in infancy– Ignores diversity of
socializing agents and contexts
Caregiving Styles and Attachment Classification
How Does Attachment Develop in Infancy?
Baby attachment Caregiver behaviors
Securely attached Sensitive to signals, consistently available
Avoidant Unavailable, rejecting
Resistant Inconsistent responses
Disorganized Neglect, physical abuse
Caregiving Style and Attachment Classification
• Caregivers of securely attached babies are sensitive to their signals & are consistently available to respond to their infants’ needs.
• Caregivers of avoidant babies tend to be unavailable or rejecting, tending not to respond to their babies’ signals & having little physical contact with them.
• Caregivers of resistant babies sometimes respond to their babies’ needs & sometimes do not.
• Caregivers of disorganized babies often neglect or physically abuse their babies, & sometimes these caregivers suffer from depression.
©2008 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.
Attachment
Attachment, Temperament, and Wider Social World
• Researchers recognize the importance of competent, nurturant caregivers in an infant’s development, but it is debated whether or not secure attachment is critical.
• Not all research reveals the power of infant attachment to predict subsequent development.
• Some researchers stress that genetic & temperament characteristics play more important roles in a child’s social competence.
• Cultural variations in attachment have been found.
©2008 McGraw-Hill Ryerson Ltd.
Attachment
Fig. 8.6
30
0
10
40
50
60
70
20
JapanU.S. Germany
Per
cent
age
of in
fant
s
ResistantSecureAvoidant
Cross-Cultural Comparison of Attachment:
Ainsworth’s strange situation applied to infants in three countries
in 1988