Temperament & Personality in Infancy

• What is temperament and what role does it play in infancy? Temperament is one aspect of personality that refers to a persons characteristic emotional reactivity, moods and intensity.


• What are the basic temperaments of newborn babies? 'Easy' 'Slow to warm up' 'Difficult'


• What emotions does an infant display? Crying (Basic, Anger, Pain), Smiling (Social, Reflexive), Anger, Surprise, Sadness, Fear, Shame/Shyness, Contempt, Guilt


• What do temperament and personality mean? Big five: Extroversion, Agreeableness, Conscientiousness, Neuroticism, Openness

Assignment: Psych Challenge I - Diagnose a Fictional Character (Follow the link for details)

Attachment in Infancy

Consider:

• What is attachment? Social and emotional bond between infant and caregiver.


• How does attachment develop in infants? Breastfeeding/bottlefeeding, cuddling, looking, smiling, crying


• What are the stages in which attachment develops?Pre-attachment, Indiscriminate attachment, Discriminate attachment, Multiple attachment


• What are the types of attachment that infants develop with their caregivers? Secure attachment, Ambivalent attachment, Resistant attachment, Disoriented attachment


• What are the short and long term effects of social deprivation?

Stages of attachment:

1. Pre-attachment - (Birth to 3 months): Babies are attracted to other human beings rather than inanimate objects or environmental features. They engage in behaviours like nestling, cuddling, smiling, gurgling, cooing which are directed at others. (Social Smile)


2. Indiscriminate Attachment - (3 to seven months): Infants can distinguish between people familiar and unfamiliar to them. Social smile disappears yet infants will allow strangers to hold them and/or look at them as long as the care is adequate.


3. Discriminate Attachment - (7 to 9 months): Infants begin to develop specific attachments (usually the mother). They become stressed when separated (separation anxiety). They readily distinguish the mother from others, rely on object permanence and usually avoid strangers. They may respond to strangers by crying or trying to move away.


4. Multiple Attachment - (9 months onward): Infants become increasingly independent of the primary caregiver. They form strong additional bonds with other major caregivers.

Types of attachment:

• Secure: infants actively seek contact from the mother/primary caregiver and gain comfort when united.


• Ambivalent: infants don't cry when their mother leaves them alone. They are slow to greet her when she returns.


• Resistant: infant rejects mother and refuses to be comforted by her after she leaves them alone.


• Disoriented: infant displays contradictory reactions.

Links:

Strange situation test

Types of attachment

Opportunity: Newsletter!

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If so, you may be interested in helping out with the next Newsletter! Talk to Ms. Terleski if you want to do something to put on your resume and futher develop and showcase your skills.

Birth Order and You

Hey PSY 30 Students! Great contributions today when we were talking about birth order and how that influences our social and emotional development. It was interesting to see that our class is divided into thirds of oldest, middle and youngest children. What was more interesting to see was that the groups suggestions and contributions really matched the research.

Teacher observations:

The oldest children got to work faster than the other groups, asked, "Who has the neatest writing?", gave suggestions and agreed upon them, were calm and controlled workers with a procedure or process of doing things. The middle children were the loudest group, they were laughing, talking, they decorated their page, maybe trying to get noticed and get attention ;) The youngest children were a little argumentative with the other groups, challenging their opinions to prove that they were just as good as their 'elders'. Overall, great class today! We all learn more when we contribute and share ideas, thank you! L

For your interest:

• Famous first borns: Oprah Winfrey, Bill Cosby, George W. Bush


• More than 1/2 of the US presidents were first born children.


• 21 of the first 23 astronauts were first born children


• 2/3 entrepreneurs are first born children.


• Famous middle borns: Julia Roberts, Tim Allen, Rosie O'Donnell


• Famous 'babies': Jay Leno, Jim Carrey, Bill Gates, Danny Devito

More interesting info on birth order click here

Missing Assignments:

If your name is on this list, that means you have outstanding/incomplete work. If you get an opportunity to improve, take it!

March 30, 2011 - Childrearing in....

• Harlon, Courtney, Haley, Cole, Nicholas, Kallie, Kotey, Mitch, Eric, Sara, Jordan, Aden

April 5, 2011 - Visual Cliff:

• Amber, Harlon, Caitlyn, Jinelle, Nicholas, Kallie, Kotey, Mitch, Jordan, Aden, Crystal

April 6, 2011 - Categorizing Infancy:

• Amber, Harlon, Nicholas, Kallie, Kotey, Mitch, Sara, Jordan, Aden, Brooke

April 8, 2011 - Piaget Meets Santa:

• Harlon, Courtney, Haley, Jinelle, Rhiannon, Mandee, Jordan, Aden

April 6, 2011 - Cognitive Development Vocabulary:

• Kaylee, Amber, Harlon, Courtney, Haley, Cole, Nicholas, Kotey, Mitch, Eric, Sara, Jordan, Aden, Brooke

Birth Order

Does birth order make a difference when infants develop social and emotional skills? Consider:

• Sibling Relationships (Role models, supporters, mentors, members of a coalition)


• Sibling Roles (Playmates & companions, teachers & learners, protectors & dependents, adversaries, role models)


• Sibling Rivalry

Alfred Alder outlined a theory of social and emotional development that focused on birth order. His focus looked at the individual as a whole, as a funtioning entity, reacting to the envionrnment as well as physcial makeup. For infants, the environment centers on the family and the experience within it. Alder noted the following: (Taken from Psychology 30, Distance Ed Curriculum)

• Only child - Likes being the centre of adult attention. Often has difficulty sharing with peers. Prefers adult language. Is self reliant and confident.


• Oldest - May become authoritarian or strict. Feels power is their right. Can become helpful if encouraged. May turn to father after the birth of the next child. Becomes an achiever.


• Second - Is more competitive, wants to overtake the older child. May become a rebel or try to outdo everyone. Competition can deteriorate into rivalry. May enjoy challenges.


• Middle - May be even tempered, "take it or leave it" attitutde. May have trouble finding a place or become a fighter of injustice. May feel free to pursue interests.


• Youngest - Wants to be bigger than the others. May have huge plans that never work out. Can stay the 'baby'. Frequently spoiled. Enjoys socializing.


• Twin - Can have identity problems. Stronger one may become the leader. Have a close bond with each other.

Social & Emotional Development in Infancy

Consider the following:

• What social skills and emotional expressions does the infant develop?


• What are the best ways to help the infant develop socially and emotionally?


• How do the influences on personality acquired in childhood affect adult development?

Most psychologists agree that while nature (genetic or biological factors) may play a role, it is life experience or environmental factors that play the most significant role in social and emotional development.

Help an infant develop socially and emotionally by:

• Developing a secure attachment with the infant.


• Ensuring the infant is nurtured by the caregivers.


• Selecting a competent daycare.


• Understanding and respecting the infant's temperament.


• Adapting to devleopmental changes in the infant.


• Being physically and mentally healthy.


• Doing your own research on infant development (reading, researching, consulting experts)

Topical Research Questions - Assignment

Instructions:

Part I: Select your topic related to infant development.

• Physical Development, motor development, development of the senses, perceptual development, cognitive development, intelligence, language development.

Part II: Brainstorm areas of interest related to your topic.

Part III: Construct questions related to what interests you about the topic. (Minimum 8 questions)

Part VI: Consult a variety of online and/or print based resources and real life sources that best answer your questions about this topic. Be sure that these are reliable and widely accepted research findings.

Part V: Include two real life findings about the topic. State the topic, the question and source along with the date(s) of acquisition. See the example on the sheet provided.

Submit to your teacher:

1. Your evidence with brainstorming. (Typed)


2. Your list of questions (Minimum 8, typed)


3. Your real life findings using the example provided in the handout.


4. A photocopy or print copy of the article(s) used to respond to your questions. Highlight the specific facts or information used to respond and include the name of the author, title of the work, and publication date on the article.

Once the information is gathered and organized you will share your findings with the class. Instead of requiring you to write a research paper we will focus on the process which will further develop your skills as a researcher.

Language Development Game Review

On Friday we played a game to demonstrate how infants acquire language. Consider the following questions:

• What was the game about?


• What did you learn?


• How did you feel when playing the game - frustrated, that it was difficult, confused?


• Did you find it difficult to communicate without using English?


• Think about the strategies you used with your group in order to communicate - which theory was most applicable to the way you developed your language - Nativism, Interactionism or Connectionism?


• Are you able to make connections to real life situations or experiences with language?

There are many theories about language development but they all seem to agree that it depends on both biological factors and learning withing the environment There is strong support for the role of biological processes in developing language skills. Equally important, however, is learning, conditioning (training), and social reinforcement (rewards) in acquiring language skills. Children raised in a stimulating environment where they interact with others are more likely to develop language skills. (Psychology 30, 192)