Child Development

Nature and Nurture—genetics and experience impact our development

Personality traits are influenced by genetics and experience

Predisposed toward being shy, sensitive to change in environment, impulsive, being a risk-taker and a good problem solver.

Environment strongly influences how these traits are played out

Self-esteem and talents strongly influenced by nurture

Children’s brain development strongly influenced by early experiences

Enriched environments are ones that provide stimulating and encouraging interactions that will enhance brain development

Deprived environments are ones that provide few interactions and minimal stimulation and so impede brain development

Examples of Deprived Environments

Orphanages where infants and toddlers are provided few social interactions

Homes where the parents are over-whelmed, depressed or indifferent so unable to provide encouragement or stimulation to their children

Homes where parents are over-protective and controlling and so severely limit their childrens’ range of experiences

Behaviors of children who are raised in deprived environments

Have low levels of energy and alertness as they have received little encouragement but, instead, much extinction

Will be slow processers of information as given minimum stimulation & practice at processing stimuli

Have low-self esteem and confidence in their ability to make a difference as rarely given opportunities to interact with challenges

Deprived environment also impedes the development of a child’s brain Since the brain has not been exercised, few

interconnections and neural networks will be developed

This will reduce the child’s brain power for their entire life

Examples of enriched environments

Children are given much affection and encouragement

Their caregivers talk and verbally interact much of the time via smiles, babbling and language smiling

Are given stimulating & challenging environment to explore: at home and outside of the home

They are highly valued and deeply loved

Behaviors of children raised in enriched, loving environments

Children will be alert, highly motivated, confident and socially skilled

They will have a high level of autonomy (independence) and they will be able to take risks

They will have a strong sense of security that will allow them to develop many social relationships and to take initiative in their work and play

How will an enriched environment impact brain development

The brain will respond by making many interconnections among the neurons, thereby increasing the brain’s circuitry and brain power

Crucial Nature of Positive Reinforcement

Children thrive on being told what they are doing right—more specific, the better

Extinction is an excellent approach to discouraging behavior: tantrums, whining

Us of logical consequences & time-out also discourage behaviors

Hitting & Yelling Just Plain Dumb

Scares children and can make them feel anxious and/or angry

Teaches what to not to do instead of what to do

Use logical & low-key consequences to discourage behaviors

Infants are alert and actively processing their environment right

from the start

Infants show impressing processing abilities!

They prefer complex and novel patterns over simple and familiar patterns

They prefer faces that look at them versus faces that are looking away

They prefer familiar faces over stranger’s faces

They can imitate the facial expressions of others

Babies thrive if given a lot of love and affection

What determines the quality of attachment infants develop?

Quality of attachment is strongly influenced by the quality of interactions between the parent and their infant

a) Parents who provide show sensitive responsiveness to their infant’s needs will have securely attached child

b) Parents who are not very attentive, aware or concerned with their infant’s needs will have an insecurely attached child

How Measure Attachment

“Strange Situation”1. Parent and child come into a new room

and play together for 5 minutes or so

2. Parent leaves for 5 minutes

3. Parent returns

How secure versus insecure children respond to strange situation Securely attached children become distressed

when parent leaves the room but are quickly and easily comforted when parent returns

Children with an ambivalent attachment will cry when parent leaves but continue crying when parent returns

Children with an avoidant attachment do not cry when parent leaves and avoids parent when they return

A Secure Baby is a Happy Baby

Personality traits of secure toddler

Socially skilled

Confident with a high-self-esteem

Independent and autonomous

Curious and competent

Personality traits of insecurely attached toddler

Clingy and needy

Not able to initiate social interactions

Not very curious or independent

Lower IQ as well as academic performance