Psychosocial Development
During the First Three Years
Chapter 8
First Appearance
of Basic Emotions
– from birth
Happiness Social smile – 6 to 10 weeks
Laugh – 3–4 months
General distress – from birth
Anger
Anger – 4–6 months
Smile
Sadness
Distress
fears – 6–12 months
Stranger Anxiety – 8–12 months
First
Fear
to “still face” – 2–7 mos.
Understanding
Emotions of Others

Emotional Contagion


Recognize Other’s Facial
Expressions


Early infancy
7–10 months
Social Referencing Understanding an ambiguous
situation by seeking out another
person’s perception of it

Babies look at their caregivers upon
encountering a new person or toy
Self-Conscious Emotions
Shame
 Embarrassment
 Guilt
 Envy
 Pride
Emerge middle of second year
Need adult instruction about when to feel
them



The foundation of personality…
TEMPERAMENT
Structure of Temperament

Kagan – Infant’s
temperament video




Easy – 40%
Difficult – 10%
Slow-to-warm-up –
15%
Unclassified – 35%
Genetics and Environment
in Temperament
Genetic
Influences
Environmental
Influences
Goodness
Of Fit
Responsible for about half of
individual differences
Ethnicity, gender
Cultural caregiving styles
Boys & girls treated differently
Parents emphasize sibling differences
Combines genetics and environment
Goal is to create environments that
recognize temp & encourage more
active functioning
Developmental Issues in Infancy

Developing Attachments – video (Bowlby &
Ainsworth)



Secure attachment: baby cries or protests when the
primary caregiver leaves and greets the caregiver
happily upon his or her return
Avoidant attachment: baby rarely cries when
separated from the primary caregiver and avoids
contact upon his or her return
Ambivalent (resistant) attachment: baby becomes
anxious before the primary caregiver leaves, is
upset during his or her absence, and both seeks
and resists contact on his or her return
Factors that Affect
Attachment Security


Opportunity for attachment
Quality of caregiving




Interactional synchrony
Infant characteristics
Family circumstances
Parents’ internal working
models
Multiple Attachments




Fathers
Siblings
Grandparents
Professional
caregivers
Factors that Affect Attachment of
Children in Child Care



Initial Attachment
Quality
Family
Circumstances
Quality of Child Care


Developmentally
Appropriate Practice
Extent of Child Care
Attachment and
Later Development

Secure attachment related to
positive outcomes in:



Preschool
Middle childhood
Continuity of caregiving may
link infant attachment and
later development.
Contact With Other Children

Siblings


Rivalry is often present, as is affection
The more securely attached siblings are to their parents,
the better they get along with each other
Contact With Other Children

Sociability With Nonsiblings

Some children are more sociable than others, due to such
temperamental traits as mood, readiness to accept new
people, and ability to adapt to change
Children of Working Parents

The Impact Of Early
Child Care

Most important element
in the quality of care is
the caregiver; stimulating
interactions with
responsive adults are
crucial to early cognitive,
linguistic, and
psychosocial
development