Psych 125Human Development

Christopher GadeOffice: 1031-G

Office hours: Tu 12-1:30 and by apt.Email: gadecj@gmail.com

Class: T 1:30-4:20 Room 2210

Moving Onto the Last Section…• In this class, we’re covering development in three

different sections

– Physical basedlifespan development

– Cognitive basedlifespan development

– Socioemotionalbased lifespandevelopment

Socioemotional Processes• Emotional

Development• Personality and

Identity Development

• Sexuality and Gender Identity Development

• Moral and Spiritual Development

Today’s Topic: Emotions and Development• Emotion – a psychophysiological state of mind

resulting from an interaction between an individual and their internal/external environment– Critical in social interaction and the formation and

severance of bonds– Can be positive or negative in valence– Manifests in a variety of forms (joy, fear, sadness, etc.)– Exists in a variety of arousal levels (subtle strong)– Impacts and relates to physiological levels of arousal– Often changes behavior but behaviors can also change

emotions

The Nature and Nurture of Emotions

• Emotions seem to be something that’s ingrained within our biology– Brain regions dedicated to

emotions• Amygdala, frontal lobe, and

hippocampus– Physiological systems that

directly react to various emotions• Vagus nerve• Sympathetic and

parasympathetic nervous system

The Nature and Nurture of Emotions

• Emotions also appear to be impacted by the social world– Findings with infant

behavior and adult interaction

– Cultural studies on displays of and regulation of emotions

– A side note on cultural research on emotions…

Goldberg’s Discrete Emotions ApproachIn order to test the biological inevitability of emotions psychologists argue that these emotions need to meet specific criteria

• Should emerge early in life, before one has had much experience• Should be similar across cultures (i.e. universal)• Should have its own biological signature, and perhaps facial expression

How Do We “Develop” Emotions• Our range of emotional expression• Our recognition of emotions– Within ourselves– Within others

• Our ability to control our emotions• Our regulation of our emotion-related behaviors• Our ability to recognize the impact of our

emotions and emotion-related behaviors– Our own– Others

Emotional Development

Across the Lifespan

• Infancy– Primary emotions – the six basic

emotions appear to be in tact at birth• Joy, anger, sadness, fear, surprise,

and disgust– Self-conscious emotions –

emotions that require self-awareness. These develop between ages 1 and 2• Empathy, jealousy, embarrassment,

pride, shame, guilt– Emotional attachments also

begin to form

Expressing Emotions As An Infant• Infant emotional output is dominated by two

discrete emotion behaviors– Crying – an expression of sadness or discontent that an

infant naturally expresses at birth• Basic cry – rhythmic pattern of crying that usually displays

basic needs (hunger, exhaustion, fatigue)• Anger cry – basic cry with more air passed through the lungs• Pain cry – loud cry mixed with holding of breath

– Smiling – an expression of happiness or content that an infant naturally expresses at birth• Reflexive smile – uncontrolled reflex that exists at birth• Social smile – results from stimuli or social anticipation;

develops greater frequency and complexity with age

Emotional Abilities in Infancy• Limited range of emotional

expression• Minimal recognition of emotions

within themselves• Little to no recognition of emotions in others• Little to no ability to control emotions• Little to no ability to regulate emotion-related

behaviors• No ability to recognize the impact of emotions

and emotion-related behaviors on others

Emotional Development Across the Lifespan• Childhood– Greater complexity in emotions

(self-conscious emotions)– Greater recognition of situations

that might incur emotions– Better recognition of emotions in others– Slightly better control of emotions and emotional

reactions• Delay of Gratification Study

– Experience of stressors can be controlled, but excessive stress at this stage can cause emotional problems in adolescence and beyond

Emotional Development Across the Lifespan

• Adolescence– Increases in emotional range– Increase in negative emotions• Physiological cause• Social factor causes

– Recognition of emotions within themselves– Some ability to recognize emotions in others– Limited ability to control emotions– Little ability to regulate emotion-related behaviors– Growing recognition of the impact of emotion-related

behaviors on others

Emotional Development

Across the Lifespan

• Adulthood– A large range of emotional

skills and complexity exist across adults• EQ

– As we age, most people tend to pursue social environments that produce more stable and positive emotional states• Socioemotional selectivity

theory – as we age, we select social networks that are more positive and spend more time with familiar individuals

Looking Closer at Individual Differences

• Temperament – an individual’s behavioral style and way of responding with respect to emotions

• Temperament in childhood (Chess and Thomas)– Easy child – positive reactions, adapts routines, and

adapts to new experiences– Difficult child – negative reactions, irregular

routines, slow to adapt to new experiences– Slow-to-warm-up child – low activity, and minimal

(somewhat negative) reactions– Undefined child – fits none of the qualifications

The Impact of Early Temperament• Temperament in childhood and adulthood can be

measured in three dimensions (Rothbart and Bates)– Extraversion/surgency – positive interaction, anticipation, and

sensation seeking– Negative affectivity – proclivity for negative responses and

distress– Self regulation – ability to recognize emotions and soothing

abilities to regulate emotions• It can also be described as inhibited or uninhibited– video

• Childhood temperament often carries over into adulthood– A continuation of Mischel’s delay of gratification work

Where Does Temperament Come From?• Biology– Studies with amygdala

activity and temperament– Sibling studies (heritability)

• Environment– Activity level studies (4

years21 years)– Cultural studies on

temperament– Parenting studies and

“goodness of fit”

Other Developments ofEmotion and Temperament

• Gaze following• Theory of mind• Social referencing – the ability to

detect the emotion of others and other cues in order to determine how to appropriately act in a situation

• Attachment – the ability to form an emotional bond between individuals– Harry Harlow’s work in the importance of

physical comfort (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hsA5Sec6dAI)

Attachment Differences in Infants• Mary Ainsworth’s work with the “strange situation”– http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=36GI_1PBQpM– Securely attached – close attachment to primary caregiver,

stressed when caregiver leaves, and relieved when caregiver returns (over 50%)

– Insecure avoidant attached – weak attachment to primary caregiver, unbothered when caregiver leaves, and uncaring when caregiver returns

– Insecure resistant attached – close but tumultuous relationship with primary caregiver, upset when caregiver leaves, and angry when caregiver returns

– Insecure disorganized – fearful in all conditions• Linked to parenting styles• Long-term implications?

Attachment in Later Years• In adolescence, our attachment types and their

manifestations undergo a slight change– Objects of attachment and attachment types with

extend beyond the parents/primary caregiver– New classifications of attachment types emerge• Secure-autonomous (securely attached)• Dismissing-avoidant attachment (insecure-avoidant)• Preoccupied-ambivalent attachment – attachment seeking

mixed with anger and conflict• Unresolved-disorganized attachment – fear based

attachment seeking– Attachment types predict a number of health related

behaviors (sexual activity, drug use, etc.)

Attachment in Adulthood• Attachment styles in adulthood closely resemble those

that we see in infancy– Secure– Anxious– Avoidant

• Securely attached individuals tend to describe securely attached upbringings, but longitudinal studies don’t show as much correlation

• Traumatic and difficult experiences in life are usually much better predictors of adult attachment than childhood attachment styles

• Attachment styles are fairly consistent once we reach adulthood, but can occasionally change

Reviewing Emotions and Attachment• Our emotions, our temperament, and our

attachment styles are constantly evolving over time• As we grow, we become more complex in this area• As we age, we also become more set in our

emotional, temperamental, and attachment styles/abilities

• Two good predictors of these three at adulthood are the three at a younger age and stressful/traumatic experiences

Onto the Next Class…• In the next class

we’ll look at personality and identity development (chapter 11)

• Try to read the chapter before we meet at that time