Psych 125
Human Development
Christopher Gade
Office: 1031-G
Office hours: Tu 12-1:30 and by apt.
Email: gadecj@gmail.com
Class: T 1:30-4:20 Room 2210
Moving Onto the Last Section…
• In this class, we’re covering development in three
different sections
– Physical based
lifespan development
– Cognitive based
lifespan development
– Socioemotional
based lifespan
development
Socioemotional Processes
• Emotional
Development
• Personality and
Identity
Development
• Sexuality and
Gender Identity
Development
• Moral and Spiritual
Development
Today’s Topic: Emotions and Development
• Emotion – a psychophysiological state of mind
resulting from an interaction between an
individual and their internal/external environment
– Critical in social interaction and the formation and
severance of bonds
– Can be positive or negative in valence
– Manifests in a variety of forms (joy, fear, sadness, etc.)
– Exists in a variety of arousal levels (subtle  strong)
– Impacts and relates to physiological levels of arousal
– Often changes behavior but behaviors can also change
emotions
• Emotions seem to be
something that’s ingrained
within our biology
– Brain regions dedicated to
emotions
• Amygdala, frontal lobe, and
hippocampus
– Physiological systems that
directly react to various
emotions
• Vagus nerve
• Sympathetic and
parasympathetic nervous
system
The Nature and
Nurture of
Emotions
The Nature and
Nurture of
Emotions
• Emotions also appear
to be impacted by
the social world
– Findings with infant
behavior and adult
interaction
– Cultural studies on
displays of and
regulation of
emotions
– A side note on
cultural research on
emotions…
Goldberg’s Discrete Emotions Approach
In order to test the biological inevitability of emotions psychologists
argue that these emotions need to meet specific criteria
• Should emerge early in life, before one has had much experience
• Should be similar across cultures (i.e. universal)
• Should have its own biological signature, and perhaps facial expression
How Do We “Develop” Emotions
• Our range of emotional expression
• Our recognition of emotions
– Within ourselves
– Within others
• Our ability to control our emotions
• Our regulation of our emotion-related behaviors
• Our ability to recognize the impact of our
emotions and emotion-related behaviors
– Our own
– Others
• Infancy
– Primary emotions – the six basic
emotions appear to be in tact at
birth
• Joy, anger, sadness, fear, surprise,
and disgust
– Self-conscious emotions –
emotions that require selfawareness. These develop
between ages 1 and 2
• Empathy, jealousy, embarrassment,
pride, shame, guilt
– Emotional attachments also
begin to form
Emotional
Development
Across the
Lifespan
Expressing Emotions As An Infant
• Infant emotional output is dominated by two
discrete emotion behaviors
– Crying – an expression of sadness or discontent that
an infant naturally expresses at birth
• Basic cry – rhythmic pattern of crying that usually displays
basic needs (hunger, exhaustion, fatigue)
• Anger cry – basic cry with more air passed through the lungs
• Pain cry – loud cry mixed with holding of breath
– Smiling – an expression of happiness or content that
an infant naturally expresses at birth
• Reflexive smile – uncontrolled reflex that exists at birth
• Social smile – results from stimuli or social anticipation;
develops greater frequency and complexity with age
Emotional Abilities in Infancy
• Limited range of emotional
expression
• Minimal recognition of emotions
within themselves
• Little to no recognition of emotions in others
• Little to no ability to control emotions
• Little to no ability to regulate emotion-related
behaviors
• No ability to recognize the impact of emotions
and emotion-related behaviors on others
Emotional Development Across the Lifespan
• Childhood
– Greater complexity in emotions
(self-conscious emotions)
– Greater recognition of situations
that might incur emotions
– Better recognition of emotions in others
– Slightly better control of emotions and emotional
reactions
• Delay of Gratification Study
– Experience of stressors can be controlled, but
excessive stress at this stage can cause emotional
problems in adolescence and beyond
Emotional Development
Across the Lifespan
• Adolescence
– Increases in emotional range
– Increase in negative emotions
• Physiological cause
• Social factor causes
– Recognition of emotions within themselves
– Some ability to recognize emotions in others
– Limited ability to control emotions
– Little ability to regulate emotion-related behaviors
– Growing recognition of the impact of emotion-related
behaviors on others
Emotional • Adulthood
– A large range of emotional
Development
skills and complexity exist
Across the Lifespan across adults
• EQ
– As we age, most people tend
to pursue social
environments that produce
more stable and positive
emotional states
• Socioemotional selectivity
theory – as we age, we select
social networks that are more
positive and spend more time
with familiar individuals
Looking Closer at Individual Differences
• Temperament – an individual’s behavioral style
and way of responding with respect to
emotions
• Temperament in childhood (Chess and Thomas)
– Easy child – positive reactions, adapts routines, and
adapts to new experiences
– Difficult child – negative reactions, irregular
routines, slow to adapt to new experiences
– Slow-to-warm-up child – low activity, and minimal
(somewhat negative) reactions
– Undefined child – fits none of the qualifications
The Impact of Early Temperament
• Temperament in childhood and adulthood can be
measured in three dimensions (Rothbart and Bates)
– Extraversion/surgency – positive interaction, anticipation,
and sensation seeking
– Negative affectivity – proclivity for negative responses and
distress
– Self regulation – ability to recognize emotions and
soothing abilities to regulate emotions
• It can also be described as inhibited or uninhibited
– video
• Childhood temperament often carries over into
adulthood
– A continuation of Mischel’s delay of gratification work
Where Does Temperament Come From?
• Biology
– Studies with amygdala
activity and temperament
– Sibling studies (heritability)
• Environment
– Activity level studies (4
years21 years)
– Cultural studies on
temperament
– Parenting studies and
“goodness of fit”
Other Developments of
Emotion and Temperament
• Gaze following
• Theory of mind
• Social referencing – the ability to
detect the emotion of others and
other cues in order to determine
how to appropriately act in a
situation
• Attachment – the ability to form an
emotional bond between individuals
– Harry Harlow’s work in the importance
of physical comfort
(http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hs
A5Sec6dAI)
Attachment Differences in Infants
• Mary Ainsworth’s work with the “strange situation”
– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36GI_1PBQpM
– Securely attached – close attachment to primary caregiver,
stressed when caregiver leaves, and relieved when
caregiver returns (over 50%)
– Insecure avoidant attached – weak attachment to primary
caregiver, unbothered when caregiver leaves, and uncaring
when caregiver returns
– Insecure resistant attached – close but tumultuous
relationship with primary caregiver, upset when caregiver
leaves, and angry when caregiver returns
– Insecure disorganized – fearful in all conditions
• Linked to parenting styles
• Long-term implications?
Attachment in Later Years
• In adolescence, our attachment types and their
manifestations undergo a slight change
– Objects of attachment and attachment types with
extend beyond the parents/primary caregiver
– New classifications of attachment types emerge
• Secure-autonomous (securely attached)
• Dismissing-avoidant attachment (insecure-avoidant)
• Preoccupied-ambivalent attachment – attachment seeking
mixed with anger and conflict
• Unresolved-disorganized attachment – fear based
attachment seeking
– Attachment types predict a number of health related
behaviors (sexual activity, drug use, etc.)
Attachment in Adulthood
• Attachment styles in adulthood closely resemble
those that we see in infancy
– Secure
– Anxious
– Avoidant
• Securely attached individuals tend to describe
securely attached upbringings, but longitudinal
studies don’t show as much correlation
• Traumatic and difficult experiences in life are usually
much better predictors of adult attachment than
childhood attachment styles
• Attachment styles are fairly consistent once we reach
adulthood, but can occasionally change
Reviewing Emotions and Attachment
• Our emotions, our temperament, and our
attachment styles are constantly evolving over
time
• As we grow, we become more complex in this
area
• As we age, we also become more set in our
emotional, temperamental, and attachment
styles/abilities
• Two good predictors of these three at adulthood
are the three at a younger age and
stressful/traumatic experiences
Onto the Next Class…
• In the next class
we’ll look at
personality and
identity
development
(chapter 11)
• Try to read the
chapter before we
meet at that time