Early Social and Emotional Development

1. Early Social and Emotional Development Chapter 12 Lecture #8 Guest Lecturer: Dr. R. Pillai Riddell, PhD, CPsych

2. To alleviate your stranger anxiety…. • Guest lecture to be evaluated as part of my tenure and promotion process at the university • Ask Questions (Section Breaks) • Brief Evaluation over break

3. My Background • Assistant Professor, Clin-Dev Psychology, York • Associate Scientist, Infant Psychiatry, Sick Kids • Faculty, York/Sick Kids Infant Mental Health Certificate Program • Area of Research Focus: Infant Pain and the influence of caregivers • Understanding Chronic Pain in Infancy • The Development of Pain Reactivity over the First Year of Life: Caregiver Influences • Improving Distraction as an Infant Pain Management Strategy

4. How would you try to understand this infant’s social-emotional behaviour? Johnny is an 18-month old child whom you have been following for a year because mother is in a teen parenting program. His mother is 19 years old and had behavioral difficulties as a teenager. She moved from Afghanistan when she was 12 and has been estranged from her nuclear family since the baby was born. She reports that Johnny becomes fussy and oppositional very easily, is very active, and throws “mean” tantrums –especially when he is sick. You note that Johnny looks like he has a cold and is making repeated attempts to nuzzle his head in is mother’s chest while she is attempting to dress him to leave. She says under her breath that she needs to get back home quickly as her shift at the restaurant begins in an hour, and she is already late. Johnny is focused on trying to get close to her. The mother is focused on getting his arm into his winter coat. Johnny Immediately explodes in tears and begins shrieking. She looks at you and says, “See what I mean”.

5. Understanding the child in context • Never attempt to understand an infant in isolation • Potential Spheres of Influence • Infant characteristics (e.g. Temperament) • Parent characteristics (e.g. Caregiving Style) • Dyadic characteristics (e.g. Attachment Status) • Familial characteristics (e.g. Nuclear Family?) • Community characteristics (e.g. SES?) • Cultural characteristics (e.g. Individualistic vs Collectivist?)

6. Learning Objectives General: To provide a more in-depth understanding of topics covered by Chapter 12. Specific: • Theories of Early Social Development • Temperament • Goodness of Fit Exercise • Attachment • Video “A Simple Gift” • Unrelieved Pain: Potential Breach of the Attachment Relationship?

7. Learning Objectives- 1 • Theories of Early Social Development • Temperament • Goodness of Fit Exercise • Attachment • Video “A Simple Gift” • Unrelieved Pain: Potential Breach of the Attachment Relationship

8. Theories of Early Social Development • “Chicken and Egg” • Transactional • Humans are social creatures that need and give care Theories-1

9. Theories cont’d • Evolutionary and Biological Approaches • Focus on innate behaviours and species survival • Innate signalling behaviours (Attachment Behavioural Control System) • Innate response to “large heads, round faces and chubby legs” (Caregiving Behavioural Control System) • Johnny’s crying is a pre-programmed behaviour Theories-2

10. Theories cont’d • Environmental/Learning • Focus on socialization as a result of learning processes (reinforcement, punishment, observational learning) • Johnny’s crying is reinforced by maternal attention • Cognitive-Developmental • Focus on how infants and parents understand their social context (working models, schemas) • Johnny’s immediate jump to high distress is based on his belief that this is the best way to get her attention • Sociocultural • Focus on socialization in a cultural context • Johnny’s intense crying is related to his mother’s stress levels due to her isolation from family, financial stress and cultural isolation Theories-3

11. Learning Objectives- 2 • Theories of Early Social Development • Temperament • Goodness of Fit Exercise • Attachment • Video “A Simple Gift” • Unrelieved Pain: Potential Breach of the Attachment Relationship

12. Temperament: What is it? Temperament is the howof behaviour and not the why or the what of behaviour. Temperament is about individual differences in behaviour and behavioural style. The importance of temperament has become more recognized as there is a growing understanding about the child’s unique contribution to developmental outcomes.

13. Can’t we all just get along… • No universal definition • General agreement • Various dimensions • Biological, innate predispositions and significant degree of stability • Can be either protective or risk factor depending on social context  Goodness of Fit crucial to well-being

14. The New York Longitudinal Study (NYLS) (Thomas, Chess, & Birch, 1968) • Began in 1956 and extended for three decades • Assessed 133 3-month-old infants until early adulthood • Followed the infants into adulthood • On basis of clusters of the dimensions identified 3 types of children: “easy”, “difficult”, and “slow-to-warm-up”.

15. The New York Longitudinal Study (NYLS)(Thomas, Chess, & Birch, 1968) (cont’d) • Characteristics tended to remain constant over time. • Not all the “difficult” children ended up with behaviour or emotional problems. • Outcome influenced by “goodness of fit” particularly with parents.

16. Nine TemperamentDimensions from the NYLS • Activity Level • Level of motor activity (active to inactive) • Regularity/Rhythmicity • Predictability of biological functions • Hunger, sleep, toileting • Approach/withdrawal/first reaction • How child accepts new things • People, foods, places, clothes

17. Nine TemperamentDimensions cont’d (2) • Adaptability • Longer term responses to change/novelty • Degree to which reactions can be modifiable • Sensory Threshold/Sensitivity • Responses to differences in sensations (e.g. taste, texture, sound, temperature) • Particular interest for pain • Intensity of Reaction • Energy level of response (regardless of pole)

18. Nine TemperamentDimensions cont’d (3) • Mood • Amount of positive mood • Distractibility • How interfering are outside stimuli to ongoing behaviour • Persistence/Attention Span • Amount of time activity is pursued without interruption • Continuation in the face of obstacles

19. Types of Children The easy child (40%) 1. Is regular and has predictable routines 2. Readily approaches new things 3. Easily adapts to new situations 4. Shows a mild degree of reaction 5. Positive in mood

20. Types of Children (cont’d) The slow-to-warm-up or shy child (5-15%) 1. Withdraws in new situations 2. Slow to adapt 3. Low in activity level and intensity 4. Displays a lot of negative mood

21. Types of Children (cont’d) The difficult child (10%) 1. Is irregular and has unpredictable routines 2. Low in approach, withdrawing from novelty 3. Slow to adapt 4. Intense in reactions 5. Displays a lot of negative mood Note: About 35-40% of children combine these qualities and have been called intermediate or mixed. Based on the New York Longitudinal Study (NYLS) (Thomas, Chess, & Birch, 1968).

22. What is “Goodness of Fit”? • “Goodness of fit” occurs when there is compatibility between the capacities and characteristics of the individual and the demands and expectations of the environment. • When there is “poorness of fit” there is the risk of the development of a behaviour problem or disorder.

23. Johnny- Part 2 … She reports that Johnny becomes fussy and oppositional very easily, is very active, and throws “mean” tantrums especially when he is sick…. His mother is focused on getting his arm into his winter coat. Johnny immediately explodes in tears and begins shrieking...His mother sighs and states that Johnny hates this coat because he is very sensitive to the roughness of the fabric. Both Johnny’s social worker and mother agree that his reactions in your office were quite typical. You note that when he first started coming in with his mother, he was often irritable because he had to miss his nap and his mother explained it really upsets him when his routines are disrupted and he has to meet new people. You note that things are better but that it has taken almost three months for him to get used to coming for appointments. 1. How would you classify Johnny?2. What type of parent would be a good fit for Johnny?

24. Johnny:A “difficult” child 1. Is irregular and has unpredictable routines X 2. Low in approach, withdrawing from novelty  3. Slow to adapt 4. Intense in reactions 5. Displays a lot of negative mood

25. Goodness of Fit for Johnny 1. Activity level: Are you always on the move or do you prefer to be still 1…………………………………………………..5 Still Active 2.Regularity: How regular do you like to be about eating, sleeping and other bodily functions? 1…………………………………………………..5 Regular Irregular 3. Approach/First Reactions: How do you react to new ideas, activities, places or people? 1…………………………………………………..5 Reject at first Jump right in 4. Adaptability: How quickly do you adapt to new situations, changes in routines 1…………………………………………………..5 Quickly Slowly 5.Sensory Thresholds/Sensitivity: How sensitive are you to noises, bright lights, temperatures, tastes, smells, textures? 1…………………………………………………..5 Very Sensitive Not sensitive

26. Goodness of Fit for Johnny-2 6.Intensity of Reaction: How intense are your emotional reactions? 1…………………………………………………..5 Mild Reactions Intense Reactions 7. Mood: How much of the time do you feel happy and content compared to discontented and unhappy? 1…………………………………………………..5 Usually positive Usually Negative 8. Distractibility: How aware are you of things going on around you? Do you often get distracted by external stimuli 1…………………………………………………..5 Not distractible Very Distractible 9. Persistence/Attention Span Do you generally persist with an activity regardless of interest/difficulty? 1…………………………………………………..5 Very persistent give up easily

27. Learning Objectives- 3 • Theories of Early Social Development • Temperament • Goodness of Fit Exercise • Attachment • Video “A Simple Gift” • Unrelieved Pain: Potential Breach of the Attachment Relationship

29. A few historical moments in attachment • Freud- secondary drive/dependency theory • Karl Lorenz’s geese (1935) • Bowlby’s leadership on WHO project on mental health of homeless children (1951) • James Robertson’s “A two year old goes to the hospital” (1952) • Harlow’s monkeys challenge (1962) • Bowlby’s Attachment and Loss (1969, 1973, 1980) • Ainsworth operationalizes attachment (Strange Situation Paradigm) and a strong empirical tradition is born (1978)

30. Bowlby’s Ethological Theory of Attachment • Different basic biobehavioural systems control our behaviour • The Attachment System • Proximity seeking is the ultimate goal of the attachment system • Some triggers = pain, fatigue, fear • When proximity is achieved attachment system deactivates • Works with the Exploratory Behavioural Control System • Both systems are crucial to Social, Emotional and Cognitive Development • Reliably measured after 12 months of age

31. Assessment of Attachment: Strange Situation (Ainsworth et al., 1978)* • Page 470 in text • Introduction • Parent and infant alone • Stranger enters, parent leaves • First separation episode • First reunion episode • Second separation episode • Continuation of second separation episode • Second reunion episode • Approximately 20-25 minutes in total

32. Ainsworth (1978)Main & Solomon (1986) Secure 55% (explore, distress, relief) Insecure-Avoidant 23% (explore, little distress, avoid) Insecure-Resistant 8% (limited exploring, lots of distress, relief/anger) Disorganized 15% (greater in high risk groups) (maybe explore but unpredictable, odd behaviours to separation and reunion) (Benoit, 2000)

33. Establishing Attachment (cont.) Parent Attachment- Adult Attachment Inventory Infant Attachment- SSP Autonomous parent Secure Dismissive parent Avoidant Preoccupied parent Ambivalent/ resistant Unresolved/ Disorganized Disorganized

34. VIDEO: A Simple Gift 1. Which 2 types of parents are exemplified in the video? 2. Any Ideas why they picked those two to highlight to parents?

35. Learning Objectives- 4 • Theories of Early Social Development • Temperament • Goodness of Fit Exercise • Attachment • Video “A Simple Gift” • Unrelieved Pain: Potential Breach of the Attachment Relationship?

36. The Socio-Communication Model of Infant Pain Craig & Pillai Riddell, 2003 Painful Event Pain Experience Pain ExpressionChild Cultural Context Community Context Familial Context Assessment of pain Intervention Caregiver Cultural Context Community Context Familial Context

37. Caregiving and Pain: A practical application • Research has suggested a positive relationship between inappropriate parental behaviours and physiological stress responses (Field 1994; Lueken & Lemery 2004). • Pain experience and expression is altered after significant, prolonged exposure to pain in medical environments (Grunau et al 1994; Taddio et al 1997). • Using principles of operant conditioning a few possible scenarios developing over time…

38. Optimal Caregiver Management (Pillai Riddell & Chambers, 2007) • Sensitive assessment and management of physical and psychological dimensions of pain • Over time, the infant trusts the caregiver will respond to the their pain. Thus, although the infant still gets upset from pain, caregiver soothing is quite effective.

39. Less than optimal(Pillai Riddell & Chambers, 2007) • Low sensitivityless vigorous signaling to a caregiver (e.g., Sweet et al 1999) • Inconsistent sensitivity most intense pain behaviours would be positively reinforced and less intense reactions would be extinguished

40. Much less than optimal(Pillai Riddell & Chambers, 2007) • Parent consistently exacerbates the infant’s pain experience by heightening fear/anxiety (e.g Hysterical when the infant cries, Un-reassuring reassurance, Shaking the infant ) • high level of behavioural reactivity (inconsolability) to an objectively mild pain stimulus • low/no level of reactivity (‘spacing out’) to a highly painful stimulus (e.g. our NICU babies?)

41. Which Infant-Caregiver Description is based on which attachment style? Optimal (sensitive to infant cues, child’s pain is attended to consistently, infant is soothed)? Low Sensitivity (doesn’t attend to infant cues; reinforces low emotional expressivity in infant)? Inconsistent Sensitivity (if responds, tends to respond only when infant is at peak reactivity; infant not sure whether caregiver will respond or not; infant quite upset even when caregiver tries)? Significant Insensitivity (scares infant, expects infant to caretake, heightens infant fear/anxiety; odd infant reactions) ? Secure Avoidant Ambivalent/Resistant Disorganized

42. To get a copy of the slides:Go to www.yorku.ca/ouchlab“Developmental Psychology LectureNovember 8, 2007”