Question 1

Recently, your friends went out for the evening and got a babysitter. They have gotten babysitters in the seven months since their baby was born, but this time the baby cried when the babysitter came in the door and rushed to pick him up. A few weeks ago when the same sitter came to the house, the baby was willing to go to her. Your friends can't figure out what happened to the baby or the babysitter to change the situation. What can you tell your friends about stranger wariness that might explain the baby's behaviour?

Accepted Answer

A good answer will be similar to the following:
You can tell your friends that around six months of age, stranger wariness emerges in infants. So, infants who had gone to strangers readily just a few weeks before will fuss or cry when approached by a stranger. In general, infants show less stranger wariness in familiar environments than unfamiliar environments. Infants also show more wariness when someone rushes at them (like the babysitter did) and less wariness when they are given time to "warm up" to the stranger. This wariness will decline as your friends' baby learns to interpret facial expressions and recognizes when strangers are friendly or hostile.

Question 2

According to Bowlby, what are the four phases of growth in attachment? Briefly describe the major change(s) that occur during each of these stages.

Accepted Answer

A good answer will include the following key points:
∙ Preattachment (birth to six weeks)-Infant's behaviours and the responses they evoke in adults create an interactive system that is the first step in the formation of attachment relationships.
∙ Attachment in the making (six to eight weeks to six to eight months)-Babies begin to behave differently in the presence of familiar and unfamiliar adults.
∙ True attachment (six to eight months to 18 months)-Most infants have singled out the attachment figure. A mental representation of the attachment figure is formed.
∙ Reciprocal relationships (18 months on)-Infants begin to act as true partners in the attachment relationship.

Question 3

Your friend Jamal has a 12-month-old daughter, Kia. Recently, they ran into one of Jamal's coworkers who Kia did not know. When this "stranger" approached, Jamal thought that Kia looked at him to gauge his reaction to the "stranger" and then smiled after she saw Jamal greet the "stranger" in a friendly manner. When Jamal told this story to his wife, Yolanda, she laughed and told him that he was giving Kia more credit than a one-year-old should get. Is Jamal or Yolanda correct? Explain your answer.

Accepted Answer

A good answer will be similar to the following:
You can tell Jamal and Yolanda that Kia was engaging in social referencing. Social referencing occurs when infants encounter unfamiliar or ambiguous situations in the environment and involves looking at a parent to find cues to help interpret the situation. The approach of the coworker who was a stranger to Kia would be an unfamiliar or ambiguous situation. Kia is old enough to use social referencing so she looked at Jamal to see how he reacted to this "stranger." When Jamal was friendly to the "stranger," Kia smiled at the "stranger." In other words, Jamal's ideas about Kia's behaviour were correct.

Question 4

Your friend Beth has a nine-month-old baby and she is considering returning to work full-time. She has heard that infants who are in day care full-time have a slightly higher risk of forming an insecure attachment. She told you that she is willing to take that risk because attachment only lasts a few years and doesn't affect other behaviours. What can you tell Beth about the relation between attachment and later social behaviour?

Accepted Answer

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Question 5

You know your child tends to be quite fearful. One day you catch her cheating while playing a family board game. What do you know about how temperament interacts with the environment, and how should you respond to the cheating situation?

Accepted Answer

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Question 6

Name and describe some different dimensions of temperament.

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Question 7

List four pieces of support showing the importance of a caregiver's sensitivity to the development of attachment in the child.

Accepted Answer

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Question 8

Your friends have a six-month-old son, Ethan. Ethan often is irritable, is prone to anger, and is easily distressed. Your friends are hoping that Ethan is just "in a bad stage" and that he will outgrow his behaviour. Which category of temperament would you put Ethan in and what can you tell your friends about the stability of temperament

Accepted Answer

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Question 9

Explain what is meant by basic emotions and complex emotions and give examples of each.

Accepted Answer

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Question 10

Name the four primary types of attachment relationships observed by Ainsworth. Describe the typical reaction of infants with each type of attachment to the separation and reunion episodes of the Strange Situation procedure.

Accepted Answer

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Question 11

What are some new ways to regulate emotions that children develop as they get older?

Accepted Answer

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Exam 10: C: Emotional Development