Infancy & Childhood: Social Development Babies are naturally social creatures, and infants develop an intense bond with their caregivers 2 Origins of Attachment The attachment bond is a powerful survival impulse that keeps infants close to their caregivers. Origins of Attachment 3 Harlow (1971) showed that infants bond with surrogate mothers because of bodily contact and not because of nourishment. Many of Harlows experiments would be considered unethical today. 4 Attachment Differences: Temperament and Parenting Some infants (60%), when put in this strange situation, display secure attachment they are happy and comfortable when their mother is present and become distressed when she leaves. 5 Attachment Differences: Temperament and Parenting Other infants show insecure attachment and are less likely to explore their surroundings, they may cling to their mothers, and are extremely upset when she leaves. Strange situation Research: Types of Attachment Devised by Mary Ainsworth, an infants behavior is observed in an unfamiliar room with toys, while the their mother moves in and out of the room Secure Insecure- avoidant Insecure- ambivalent Insecure- disorganized Type of attachment Child in unfamiliar room WITH MOTHER Mother LEAVES. Childs response Mother RETURNS. Childs response. This response determines what type of attachment child has SECURE INSECURE- AVOIDANT INSECURE- AMBIVALE NT INSECURE- DISORGANIZE D Types of Attachment Secure attachment is when infant explores the situation freely in the presence of the mother, displays distress when the mother leaves responds enthusiastically when mother returns Caregivers who are sensitive and responsive to an infants needs are more likely to develop a secure attachment with the infant Insecure-avoidant attachment is indicated by exploration but minimal interest in the mother infant showing little distress when the mother leaves and avoiding her when she returns Types of Attachment Insecure-ambivalent attachment the infant seeks closeness to the mother does not explore the situation high level of distress when the mother leaves ambivalent behavior when she returns by alternately clinging to and pushing away from her Insecure-disorganized (disoriented) attachment infants confusion when the mother leaves and when she returns The infant acts disoriented, seems overwhelmed by the situation does not demonstrate a consistent way of coping with it The role of genetics (nature vs nurture) Infant temperament, a set of innate tendencies or dispositions also play a role (genetics) Secure attachments have been linked to higher levels of cognitive and social function Daycare does not appear to be detrimental to the formation of secure attachments Parenting Styles (Diana Baumrind) Authoritarian Military style Parents are demanding, expect unquestioned obedience, are not responsive to their childrens desires, and communicate poorly with their children Authoritative strict but fair and loving Parents are demanding but set rational limits for their children and communicate well with their children Permissive Hippy dippy, anything goes Parents make few demands and are overly responsive to their childs desires, letting their children do pretty much as they please Uninvolved whatever Parents minimize both the time they spend with the children and their emotional involvement with them, doing little more than providing for basic needs Baumrind Results Authoritarian parenting styles generally lead to children who are obedient and proficient, but they rank lower in happiness, social competence and self-esteem. Authoritative parenting styles tend to result in children who are happy, capable and successful (Maccoby, 1992). Permissive parenting often results in children who rank low in happiness and self-regulation. These children are more likely to experience problems with authority and tend to perform poorly in school. Uninvolved parenting styles rank lowest across all life domains. These children tend to lack self-control, have low self-esteem and are less competent than their peers. Authoritative Parenting Authoritative parenting correlates with social competence. Other factors like common genes may lead to an easy-going temperament and may invoke an authoritative parenting style. How much credit (or blame) do parents deserve? Adolescence 15 Many psychologists once believed that our traits were set during childhood. G. Stanley Hall, one of the first to study adolescence, described it as a time of "storm and stress." 16 Frontal Cortex During adolescence, neurons in the frontal cortex grow myelin, which speeds up nerve conduction. If you pair the surge of hormones during puberty and the development of the emotional limbic system with the fact that the frontal lobes are not maturing at the same rate, this will help to explain teens occasional impulsiveness, risky behaviors, and emotional storms. 17 Cognitive Development Adolescents ability to reason gives them a new level of social awareness. In particular, they may think about the following: 1.Their own thinking. 2.What others are thinking. 3.What others are thinking about them. 4.How ideals can be reached. They criticize society, parents, and even themselves. 18 Developing Reasoning Power During the teen years, reasoning is often self- focused as adolescents may think their private experiences are unique. William Thomas Cain/ Getty Images AP/Wide World Photos 19 Developing Morality A crucial task of childhood and adolescence is discerning right from wrong and developing characterthe psychological muscles for controlling impulses. AP Photo/ Dave Martin 20 Developing Morality Kohlberg (1981, 1984) sought to describe the development of moral reasoning (the thinking that occurs as we consider right and wrong) by posing moral dilemmas to children, adolescents, and adults. Heinz and the druggist dilemma A woman was near death from a special kind of cancer. There was one drug that the doctors thought might save her. It was a form of radium that a druggist in the same town had recently discovered. The drug was expensive to make, but the druggist was charging ten times what the drug cost him to produce. He paid $200 for the radium and charged $2,000 for a small dose of the drug. The sick woman's husband, Heinz, went to everyone he knew to borrow the money, but he could only get together about $ 1,000, which is half of what it cost. He told the druggist that his wife was dying and asked him to sell it cheaper or let him pay later. But the druggist said, "No, I discovered the drug and I'm going to make money from it." So Heinz got desperate and broke into the man's store to steal the drug for his wife. Should Heinz have broken into the laboratory to steal the drug for his wife? Why or why not? 1.Should Heinz steal the drug? Why or why not? 2. If Heinz doesn't love his wife, should he steal the drug for her? Why or why not? 3. Suppose the person dying is not his wife but a stranger. Should Heinz steal the drug for a stranger? Why or why not? 4. Suppose it is a pet animal he loves. Should Heinz steal to save the pet animal? Why or why not? 5. Why should people do everything they can to save another's life? 6. It is against the law for Heinz to steal? Does that make it morally wrong? Why or why not? 7. Why should people generally do everything they can to avoid breaking the law? How does this relate to Heinz's case? 23 Moral Thinking 1.Preconventional Morality: Before age 9, children show morality to avoid punishment or gain reward. 2.Conventional Morality: By early adolescence, social rules and laws are upheld for their own sake. 3.Postconventional Morality: Affirms peoples agreed-upon rights or follows personally perceived ethical principles. Preconventional Morality Conventional Morality Desire to be a good girl/boy. Postconventional Morality Kohlbergs levels of moral reasoning applied to the Heinz/druggist dilemma Stage one (obedience): Heinz should not steal the medicine because he would consequently be put in prison, which would mean he is a bad person. Or: Heinz should steal the medicine because it is only worth $200, not how much the druggist wanted for it. Heinz had even offered to pay for it and was not stealing anything else. Stage two (self-interest): Heinz should steal the medicine because he will be much happier if he saves his wife, even if he will have to serve a prison sentence. Or: Heinz should not steal the medicine because prison is an awful place, and he would probably experience anguish over a jail cell more than his wife's death. Stage three (conformity): Heinz should steal the medicine because his wife expects it; he wants to be a good husband. Or: Heinz should not steal the drug because stealing is bad and he is not a criminal; he tried to do everything he could without breaking the law, you cannot blame him. Stage four (law-and-order): Heinz should not steal the medicine because the law prohibits stealing, making it illegal. Or: Heinz should steal the drug for his wife but also take the prescribed punishment for the crime as well as paying the druggist what he is owed. Criminals cannot just run around without regard for the law; actions have consequences. Stage five (human rights): Heinz should steal the medicine because everyone has a right to choose life, regardless of the law. Or: Heinz should not steal the medicine because the scientist has a right to compensation. Even if his wife is sick, it does not make his actions right. Stage six (universal human ethics, personal conscience): Heinz should steal the medicine, because saving a human life is a more fundamental value than the property rights of another person. Or: Heinz should not steal the medicine, because others may need the medicine just as badly, and their lives are equally significant. Which stage? Its wrong to drive over the speed limit because its against the law If I cheat on this test and pass, Ill get some money from my dad I will snitch on the kid who cheated so the teacher approves of me I must speak out against the gang violence in my community to stand up for human rights I cant sneak out after curfew because Ill be grounded if I get caught If I cheat on a test, there will be no academic standard upheld in my school and thus no point in doing anything correctly Moral Thinking Carol Gilligan 30 Carol Gilligan criticized Kohlberg, saying: He only studied rich white men and boys Women (and some other cultures) tend to have a more relationship-based view of morality Kohlberg incorrectly considered this a lower stage of morality. 31 Forming an Identity For adolescents, the task is to synthesize past, present, and future possibilities into a clearer sense of selfyou ask yourself, Who am I? Leland Bobble/ Getty Images Matthias Clamer/ Getty Images 32 Social Development