What cues can educators take from these tragic cases?
ASSIGNMENT
Chomsky’s Theory of Language Development discusses “critical periods” for learning language. Following from this theory, disruptions during critical periods should negatively affect the development of language.
Unfortunately, there are some examples from real life to demonstrate this hypothesis. Please link to and read the following regarding both a very recent and an historic case:
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/story?id=4758945&page=1
Here are some additional, optional resources on Genie:
http://documentarystorm.com/secret-of-the-wild-child/
http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/nova/transcripts/2112gchild.html
Obviously, these are both horrific cases of child abuse.
1.) What does “Genie’s” final outcome tell us about language (and emotional) development?
2.) What cues can educators take from these tragic cases?
Introduction
This lesson will explore the emotional and communication development of children. Firstly, we will discuss the theories of emotional development. We will then look at how emotion develops in two main stages: primary emotions which include joy, anger and fear, and secondary emotions which comprise the self-conscious emotions. We will then move onto attachment theory where we investigate how the different kinds of caregiver-infant relationships either create secure or insecure attachments, and the impact of these attachments on child development. In the second part of the lesson, we will explore language and communication development. We will cover how this development is socially facilitated, as well as the components of language and communication. Lastly, we will discuss the social use of language.
Emotional Development
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· Emotions
Emotions have many important functions and have a significant impact on child development. Emotions are internal responses to the environment, that are accompanied by physiological and behavioral changes. For instance, sadness may be accompanied by a change in heart rate and release of cortisol, a stress hormone. Learning how to interpret other’s emotions is also a key aspect of development.
Development of Emotional Expression
While most mothers agree that they can detect emotions in the first month of their baby’s life (Johnson, Emde, Pannabecker, Stenberg, & Davis, 1982), the Maximally Discriminative Facial Movement (MAX) coding system developed by Izard, Fantauzzo, Castle, Haynes and Slomine (1995), determines infant emotions based on their body movements and facial expressions.
PRIMARY EMOTIONS
JOY
GENDER AND NATIONALITY DIFFERENCES
LAUGHING
Fear and Other Emotions
· FEAR
· STRANGER DISTRESS
· INTERACTIONS
· OTHER EMOTIONS
Fear is the second predominant primary emotion. Fear of strangers emerges around the same time that infants begin to show positive emotion to familiar people. According to Sroufe (1996), at around three months, infants begin to be wary when they are exposed to new situations because they have difficulty assimilating and comprehending the unfamiliar. From around seven months, this wariness turns into outright fear and distress.
Knowledge Check
1
Question 1
Please select the two correct statements that refute the genetic-maturational perspective’s argument that biological factors determine how children react and regulate their emotions.
The rate of infant smiling is related to the rate of caregiver stimulation.
Babies begin to smile at 46 weeks from conception, whether they were born premature or full-term.
Stranger distress is not universal since it does not occur in cultures in which caregiving is shared among multiple relatives.
From about eight weeks, babies begin to look a lot at the mouth and respond to smiles.
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Secondary Emotions
Secondary emotions function to identify and coordinate the role of the individual’s responsibility in a situation that involves other factors and/or people. Secondary emotion are self-conscious emotions that describe the individual’s perception of their relatively superior or inferior position. Secondary emotions emerge from around the second year (Saarni et al., 2006).
Emotional reactions differ from child to child, and are a consequence of temperament and environmental factors – particularly parental modeling. High negative emotionality results in more adjustment difficulties, depression and behavioral problems, while children with positive emotionality have high self-esteem, social competence and less adjustment issues.
PRIDE AND SHAME
GUILT
JEALOUSY
JEALOUSY OF PARENTAL ATTENTION
Identifying Emotions in Others
Infants initially learn to interpret other’s emotions by observing caregiver facial expressions. Research suggests that babies recognize caregiver joy before they are able to recognize anger – similar to how babies first express joy and only later express anger (Izard et al., 1995). As children get older, they more accurately discern between genuine and inauthentic smiles (Del Giudice & Colle, 2007).
Experiences Impact Emotions
Children’s early experiences impact their ability to recognize emotions. For example, children who have experienced high levels of threat and hostility recognize anger more quickly and sadness more slowly than other children (Pollak & Sinha, 2002). Children from cultures that value group harmony and focus on other’s feelings, such as China and Mexico, are more capable than Australian and U.S. children at recognizing other’s emotions (Cole & Tan, 2007).
Emotional Regulation
· SELF-REGULATION
· EMOTIONAL RULES
· CONFLICTING EMOTIONS
· FAMILY ROLE
An important facet of development is learning to regulate and take control of one’s emotional expression. Infants learn that sucking their thumbs is soothing, while older children learn to avoid frightening situations and distract themselves. As children grow up, increased self-control modulates the intensity, frequency and variability of their emotions, and predicts later adjustment (Fox & Calkins, 2003; Saarni et al., 2006). For example, it is normal for two-year olds to have tantrums, but tantrums in older children and adults are not considered normal or healthy.
Watch this video on early childhood self-regulation.
Knowledge Check
1
Question 1
Caregivers have the following two responsibilities:
To help children understand and speak about their own and other’s emotions.
To make their babies smile as often as possible because this shows that the baby is happy and healthy.
To ensure children never experience negative emotions like jealousy, shame and fear, because negative emotions impact development.
To ensure that parent-child and parent-parent relationships in the home are supportive and cooperative.
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Attachment
Attachment is the emotional bond between the infant and caregivers, and is foundational to the rest of the child’s development. Psychoanalytic and learning theory associate attachment with the satisfaction of the infant’s primary drive of hunger. The cognitive developmental view proposes that attachment teaches infants that others continue to exist even when they cannot be seen. The ethological perspective describes that children and caregivers are biologically programmed to respond to each other and develop a mutual attachment.
Attachment processes continue into adolescence, and determine how adolescents gain independence, form relationships with others and perceive the world. Furthermore, these patterns are generally repeated with our own children when we become parents. This is referred to as intergenerational continuity.
Some people are resilient enough to overcome dysfunctional attachments, and develop secure, satisfying relationships with their spouses and children. These people are referred to as earned secure individuals (Paley, Cox, Burchinal, & Payne, 1999). Professional help can improve parent-child relationships.
SECURE BASE
SECURE ATTACHMENT
INSECURE-AVOIDANT ATTACHMENT
INSECURE-RESISTANT ATTACHMENT
INSECURE-DISORGANIZED ATTACHMENT
Impact Of Attachment on Development
· ATTACHMENT
· ATTACHMENT AND SOCIAL BEHAVIOR
· SENSE OF SELF
· DAYCARE
How do you think neural plasticity and the quality of attachment relate?
Research shows that attachments to both mother and father are equally important (Parke & Buriel, 2006). Secure attachment, caregiver responsiveness and good parent-child relationships are related to more complex cognitive development and higher academic achievement and participation (Jacobsen & Hofmann 1997; Stams, Juffer, & van Ijzendoorn, 2002).
Knowledge Check
1
Question 1
Please select the correct statement.
Children with insecure-disorganized attachment are probably angry with their caregiver’s inconsistent availability.
Caregivers who are unavailable, inconsistent, intrusive, or frightening tend to create attachment dysfunction in children.
Children who are sent to daycare are more prone to attachment disorders.
Children who have attachment disorders will probably never be able to form healthy relationships.
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Language and Communication
While humans are genetically predisposed to learning language, social support is crucial when children learn to speak and communicate. Language is a complex system of rules that allows us to send messages to one another through words, symbols and behaviors. We use it to relate, express ourselves, influence, inform others and achieve goals. Language is important to teach children how to regulate their emotions, control their actions and organize their thinking (Parke & Gauvain, 2009).
Communication competence allows children to express themselves in meaningful and culturally relevant ways. Communication is a two-way process, whereby…
