Emotional Development: What are “emotions?” – Not just “feelings”

1. Emotional Development: What are “emotions?” – Not just “feelings”

2. Emotional Development: What are “emotions?” – Not just “feelings”

3. Emotional Development: What are “emotions?” – Not just “feelings”

4. Emotional Development: What are “emotions?” – Not just “feelings”

5. Theories on the nature and emergence of emotions

6. Theories on the nature and emergence of emotions

7. Theories on the nature and emergence of emotions

8. Emergence of positive emotions: smiling • Action of smiling apparent from birth • Primarily during REM sleep • Meaning unknown • 1-month olds smile to strokes on the face • Smiling to “causal events” shown by 2-month olds (“pulling” a string to hear music)

9. Emergence of positive emotions: smiling • “Social smiles” apparent by 3-months • Smiles to interesting objects also at 3-months (but less than to people) • 4-month olds smile to familiar events • 7-month olds’ most dominant smiles are to familiar people • 1-year olds smile to “discrepant events” • 18-month olds laugh (hysterically) when they do something that makes others’ laugh

10. Emergence of negative emotions: distress, wariness & fear • Newborns’ cry to hunger, discomfort, pain • 2-month olds’ show facial expression of anger/sadness • 4-month olds’ “social distress” to a “still face” • 6-to-7-months wariness to strangers Go to Disc 2

12. Emergence of negative emotions: distress, wariness & fear • 8-to-12-months “separation [from mother] anxiety” • Begins to decline after 15-months • Found in numerous cultures: • US • Israeli Kibbutzim • !Kung desert cultures • Found in blind toddlers (absence of mothers voice)

14. Emergence of negative emotions: distress, wariness & fear • 1-year olds’ show anger (frustration) & sadness (prolonged separation from parents) • “Terrible twos” (3’s/4’s?!) – before 2-years; non- universal

15. Regulation of Emotions Emotional self-regulation – “the process of initiating, inhibiting, or modulating internal feeling-states, emotion-related physiological processes, and emotion-related cognitions or behaviors in the service of accomplishing ones goals”

16. Videotape: “Confronting Tantrums”

17. Regulation of Emotions Emotional self-regulation – “the process of initiating, inhibiting, or modulating internal feeling-states, emotion-related physiological processes, and emotion-related cognitions or behaviors in the service of accomplishing ones goals”

18. Regulation of Emotions • Walter Mischel and the “marshmellow test” • Pre-schooler (4-years old) taken to a room where • they see favorite treats • Given 2 choices: • wait for a long time for 2 treats • ring bell to end the waiting for 1 treat

19. Regulation of Emotions • Correlates with the outcomes 10-years later & adulthood: • Social competence • Academic achievement • Verbal fluency • Rational thinking • Attentiveness • Planfulness • Ability to deal with frustration • Further ability to delay gratification • Performance on SAT’s • Self-esteem • Drug use

20. The emergence of emotional regulation: shift from caregiver to self-regulation (during the first 24-months) • Early infancy is all about caregiver • 6-month olds’ reduce distress by averting gaze or “self soothing” behavior (rocking, stroking) • By 1-year: increasing diversion of attention to non-distressing activities or people other than parents • Use of language: transition from tantrums to discussion & negotiation

21. The emergence of emotional regulation: shift from caregiver to self-regulation (during the first 24-months) • Response to parental expectations: complying with simple instructions (before 1-year of age) • Inhibition of movement & “self” problem-solving • Social Referencing: toddlers learn to use signals from their caregivers about what they can or cannot do • The emergence of “self-control” before the age of 2-years: • Example of 18-month Liam learning to keep his hands off of daddy’s stereo

23. The emergence of emotional regulation: shift from caregiver to self-regulation • The use of cognitive strategies (3-to-5-year olds) • Shift from self-distracting behavior to thinking • Ability to “see” (think about) positive outcomes • Making “emotional adjustments” to emotionally difficult situations (downplaying importance of peer teasing)

24. The emergence of emotional regulation: shift from caregiver to self-regulation • 5-years of age and older: The selection of appropriate (refined) regulatory strategies • More precise planning and problem-solving • Diversification of coping strategies • Differentiation between what can, and cannot, be controlled • Further adaptability to situations, rather than attempting to change (what is unchangeable)

25. The relation between emotional regulation & social competence “Social competence” – “the ability to achieve personal goals in social interactions while simultaneously maintaining positive relationships with others (Rubin, et al., 1998)”

26. Emotional development & parenting dimensions • Parent-strategy “goodness of fit” & temperament • “Security of attachment” (chapter 11) • Degree of positive v. negative emotions • Degree of social anxiety • Degree of understanding emotions

27. Emotional development & parenting dimensions • Parental expression (and modeling) of negative emotions • Angry parents result in angry children • No discussion of emotions results in children who think discussions of emotions is “bad”

28. Emotional development & parenting dimensions • Amy Halberstadt and modeling positive emotions in the house • Children express positive emotions more often • More socially skilled (i.e., with peers) • Understand the emotions of others’ • Low in aggression • Higher self-esteem

29. Emotional development & parenting dimensions • Parental reactions to children’s emotions: being dismissive of emotions • Children are less sympathetic to others • Less skill in coping with stress • More prone to negative emotions & aggression

30. Emotional development & parenting dimensions • Accepting & supportive parental responses to child’s emotions: acknowledging and validating emotions • Opposite of the above • More competent with peers • Children perform better academics

31. Parental discussion of emotions: engendering children’s understandings of emotional regulation • Family conversations are a key component of children’s emotional socialization • Parents who discuss emotions teach their meaning • Association between parent-child discussions of emotions and children’s ability to understand the emotions of others

32. Parental discussion of emotions: engendering children’s understandings of emotional regulation • Discussions in the “heat of the moment” • Supportive actions and comments help children’s understanding • Hostile actions and comments hinder understanding • Too much conversation (in the heat of the moment) doesn’t get heard

33. Parental discussion of emotions: engendering children’s understandings of emotional regulation • Discussions during “every day” situations help children’s understanding (called “incidental learning”) • Discussions when children are calm and engaged are more likely to be heard • Incidental discussions linked to real events taking place is the best time to talk and explain • Feelings are best understood when linked to real-time events (problems with sharing, teasing, play with peers, etc.)

34. Individual differences in emotions & regulation: Temperament LARGE individual differences in emotional expression & regulation (“mellow” v. “emotional”; Timid v. outgoing) “Temperament” – constitutionally [biologically] based individual differences in emotional, motor, and attentional reactivity and self-regulation that demonstrate consistency across situations, as well as relative stability over time (Rothbart & Bates, 1998).”

36. Individual differences in emotions & regulation: Temperament • Chess & Thomas (1977) temperament dimensions • First comprehensive longitudinal study of temperament • Defined several measures (i.e., “activity level”) • Found continuity from 2-months, 2-years & 10-years

37. Individual differences in emotions & regulation: Temperament Rothbart & Bates (1998) temperament dimensions: Fearful distress – distress and withdrawal in new situations and how long it takes a child to adjust Irritable distress – fussiness, anger, and frustration, especially if the child is not allowed to do what he or she wants Attention span and persistence – duration of orienting toward objects or events of interest Activity level – amount of movement (e.g., kicking, crawling) Positive affect – smiling and laughter, approach to people, degree of cooperativeness and manageability Rhythmicity – the regularity and predictability of the child’s bodily functions such as eating and sleeping

38. Individual differences in emotions & regulation: Temperament Thomas, Chess & Birch (1968) temperament dimensions: Intensity of reaction – The energy level or reaction of the child’s response Threshold of responsiveness – The intensity of stimulation needed to elicit a response

39. Individual differences in emotions & regulation: Temperament • Stability of Temperament over time • Walter Mischel and the “marshmellow test” • Chess & Thomas dimensions correlate from 2-month to 10-years • Various other researchers • Negative emotions from 3-years to 8-years • Level of attention from preschool to 12-years • Fetal movement at 20-weeks to 6-months of age

40. The physiology of temperament: Jerome Kagan and “behavioral inhibition”

41. The physiology of temperament: Jerome Kagan and “behavioral inhibition”

42. The physiology of temperament: Jerome Kagan and “behaviorally uninhibited”

43. The physiology of temperament: Jerome Kagan and “behaviorally uninhibited”

44. The physiology of temperament: Jerome Kagan and “behavioral inhibition” • 2-years and 4 ½-years • Response to novelty (objects & situations) • Compared most “inhibited” (shy) to most “uninhibited” • Behavioral measures (Rothbart scale) correlated • Heart rate variability correlates • Cortisol levels (hormones in saliva) correlated

45. The physiology of temperament: Nathan Fox and EEG correlates • Increased activity in the right frontal lobe correlated with: • Withdrawal • Negative affect • Fear • Anxiety

46. The physiology of temperament: Nathan Fox and EEG correlates • Increased activity in the left frontal lobe correlates with: • Approach behavior • Positive affect • Exploration • Sociability

47. Emergence of “self-conscious” emotions • Involves “self-awareness” (demonstrated after 12-months) and awareness of others’ reactions to us • Embarrassment, pride, guilt, shame • Michael Lewis (1998) emergence only after 2nd birthday • Some examples of pride & embarrassment at 15-months • Some evidence of guilt & shame after 2nd birthday

49. Emergence of “self-conscious” emotions • Broken doll experiment • Some toddlers showed “shame” behavior – hiding doll, avoiding adult • Some toddlers showed “guilt” behavior – attempt to repair doll, told/showed experimenter broken doll, little avoidance of adult • By 3-years pride tied to achievement/performance (i.e., more demonstration of pride to difficult tasks than to easy tasks) • The elicitation & expressions of these emotions are non- universal

50. Parental correlates to “guilt” v. “shame” • Emphasis on “badness” of behavior v. child • Degree to which parents attempt to help child’s understanding • Emphasis on the need to repair the harm/damage • Degree of public v. private feedback • public humiliation very shameful • Extent of humor, respect & love in the process • Degree of adult approval (as is the case with pride & embarrassment)