Social Development Behavioral Science

1. Social DevelopmentBehavioral Science

2. Social Development • Major Theories of Social Development • Psychoanalytic Theories • Freud • Erikson • Stage Theories- • each stage major conflict, developmental task • Social Learning Theory • Emphasis on learning from observation, imitation

4. Freud’s contribution • One of the first life span theories of development • Introduced important concepts • Psychodynamic perspective • Behavior motivated by combination of: • inner forces • memories • conflicts • Unconscious processes

5. Erickson’s Stages • Trust vs Mistrust • Infancy (0 to 1 year) • Trust stems from: • Feeling of physical comfort • Minimal amount of fear about future • Needs being met by responsive, sensitive caregiver

6. Erickson’s Stages • Autonomy vs Shame & Doubt • Late infancy, Toddlerhood (1 to 3 years) • Autonomy • Discovery of own will • Assertion of autonomy, independence • Shame & Doubt • Due to: • Too much parental restraint (over-control) • Punishment

7. Erickson’s Stages • Initiative vs Guilt • Early Childhood (3 to 5 years) • Widening social world, greater challenges • Initiative • Needs to develop purposeful behavior • Needs to assume greater responsibility • Guilt • Due to: • Irresponsible behavior (and parental response to it)

8. Erickson’s Stages • Industry vs Inferiority • Middle to Late Childhood (6 years to puberty) • Industry stems from: • Mastery of knowledge & intellectual skills • Inferiority stems from • Feelings of incompetence • Feelings of being unproductive

9. Erickson’s Stages • Identity vs Identity Diffusion • Adolescence (10 to 20 years) • Identity stems from: • Finding out who you are • Requires exploration of alternative paths, roles, careers • Diffusion stems from • Failure to find out who one is • Failure to explore options

10. Erickson’s Stages • Intimacy vs Isolation • Early Adulthood (20 to 30 years) • Intimacy stems from: • Successfully forming intimate relations • Erickson’s view • Must find oneself but lose oneself in another

11. Erickson’s Stages • Generativity vs Stagnation • Middle Adulthood (40 to 50 years) • Generativity stems from: • Assisting the next generation in developing and leading useful lives

12. Erickson’s Stages • Integrity vs Despair • Late Adulthood (60 + years) • Evaluation of life • Integrity - positive view of one’s life • Despair - negative view of one’s life

13. Social Development • Other Approaches • Temperament- • Stable individual differences in children’s general behavior and response to the environment • Individual differences in children contribute to their social development • Thomas, Chess & Birch- NYLS • 1st major study longitudinal of temperament

16. Social Development • Temperament Types • Easy • Positive mood • regular • adaptable • mild to moderate intensity

17. Social Development • Temperament Types • Difficult • Negative mood • active • irregular • unadaptable • withdrawal in new situations • high intensity

18. Social Development • Temperament Types • Slow-to-warm-up • withdrawal in new situations • slow to adapt • low activity • low to moderate intensity

19. Inhibited Child In infancy shows high levels of agitation and irritability in response to the unfamiliar In unfamiliar situations remains quiet, maintains proximity to mother Heart rate and muscle tension increase with novel events or psychological stress Higher levels of cortisol, more prone to allergies Uninhibited Child In infancy shows low levels of agitation and irritability in response to the unfamiliar, smiles a lot Small rise in heart rate or muscle tension to novelty or psychological stress Shy vs Extroverted Children

20. Inhibited Child Not likely to be delinquents Likely to take jobs with minimal uncertainty At risk for panic disorders and agoraphobia in adulthood Uninhibited Child Likely to take higher risk jobs Shy vs Extroverted Children as Adolescents or Adults

23. Social Development • Temperament in infancy predicts later social & behavioral problems, but “goodness of fit” best predictor • Goodness of Fit = match between child’s temperament and characteristics of the environment

24. Stranger Anxiety • A general fear of strangers is found in most infants • Typically starts around 7 months, peaks around 15 months, and typically starts declining around 18 to 20 months of age • Viewed as adaptive • Wariness of strangers leads to using familiar caregiver as a secure base

25. Stranger Anxiety • Seen across cultures • Varies as a function of: • Culture • Stranger behavior

26. Social Development • Attachment- social-emotional tie to another person • All infants become attached to the people who care for them • attachments develop gradually over 1st year of life • manifestations: separation distress, stranger anxiety

27. Evaluation of Attachment Security

28. Social Development • Individual differences in the quality of attachment relationships: • Secure • ~65% of infants • Ambivalent / Resistant • ~10-15% of infants • Avoidant • ~20% of infants • Disorganized • ~5 to 10 % of infants

29. Secure Infants • Use caregiver as a base for exploration • May or may not cry at separation • Show a strong preference to caregiver over stranger • Actively seek contact on reunion with caregiver

30. Ambivalent / Resistant Attachment • Prior to separation infant seeks closeness with caregiver • Little exploration • Upon return exhibit angry / resistive behavior • Pushing away / hitting • May continue to cry after being picked up and aare not comforted easily

31. Avoidant Attachment • Unresponsive to caregiver when caregiver is present • Not usually distressed by separation • React to stranger and caregiver in similar manner • Avoid or are slow to greet caregiver upon return

32. Disorganized Attachment • Greatest insecurity • At reunion show a variety of confused and contradictory behaviors • Looking away while being held • Look dazed or flat emotionally • May cry out unexpectedly • Display odd frozen postures

33. Social Development • Importance of Attachment • provides basis for exploration, learning • “working model” of relationships • related to later self-esteem, peer competence and general social-emotional adjustment

34. Social Development • Origins of Secure attachment • Sensitive caregiver behavior • e.g., emotional responsivity • contact comfort • known from animal & human studies • importance of touch • premature infants who receive “touch therapy’ gain weight faster & are discharged from hospital sooner

35. Social Development • Institutionalized infants • Absence of attachment figure • infants in Romanian orphanages • may suffer severe effects from social/tactile deprivation • Loss of weight • Difficulty sleeping • Withdrawal from environment

36. Infants often develop multiple attachments But requires stability of caregiving NOT good to have caregiver change often!

37. Attachment Patterns vary across Cultures %

38. Social Development • Distinction between Attachment & Bonding • Bonding-immediate skin-to-skin contact between mother & infant right after birth • Nolong term effects of this • Attachment- relationship that develops gradually over 1st year of life • quality of these relationships do have long term correlates

39. Social Development • Socialization- • Process by which child’s standards, skills, attitudes and behaviors are shaped to conform to those regarded as desirable and appropriate in the society/culture in which s/he lives.

40. Social Development • How to parents socialize their children? • As role models • Via Parenting practices • Major Dimensions of Difference in Parenting Practices • Autonomy vs. Control • Undemanding / Demanding • Hostility vs. Warmth • Responsiveness • Low vs. High

41. Authoritative- High on control High on warmth Permissive- Low on control High on warmth Authoritarian- High on control Low on warmth Neglecting- Low on Control Low on warmth Parenting Styles:

42. Social Development • In most studies conducted in this country authoritative parenting associated with most optimal child outcomes: • self-reliant, greater initiative • higher achieving • better peer relationships

43. Types of Discipline • Induction- • Reasoning • Pointing out effects of misbehavior • Power assertion- • Use of threats, commands, physical force, withdrawal of privileges • Love withdrawal- • Not speaking to child, • threats to abandon the child • Induction associated with higher levels of moral reasoning, greater empathy to others