Social Development: Infancy Stage (Chapter 6)
Harlow's Monkey Experiment
- Purpose: Examine attachment in infant monkeys.
- Setup: Two artificial "mother" monkeys:
- Wire Monkey: Offered food.
- Terry Cloth Monkey: Provided comfort without food.
- Outcome: Infant monkeys preferred the terry cloth mother, highlighting the importance of comfort and tactile stimulation over food.
Concepts of Attachment and Bonding
- Attachment: Infant's emotional connection to a caregiver.
- Bonding: Caregiver's emotional connection to the infant.
- Synchrony: Mutual exchange of attachment and bonding.
Types of Anxiety
- Stranger Anxiety:
- Develops when unfamiliar individuals (even known relatives) try to interact with the infant.
- Typical in infants not familiar with the person, leading to fear and anxiety.
- Separation Anxiety:
- Occurs when a caregiver leaves the infant temporarily (e.g., daycare).
- Infants lack a concept of time, leading to distress when caregivers are not present.
Types of Attachment
- Secure Attachment:
- Comfort in exploring surroundings with a caregiver as a "home base."
- Avoidant Attachment:
- Indifference towards caregiver proximity, prefers independence.
- Anxious Attachment:
- Clinginess and distress when a caregiver is not nearby.
Preview of Personality Types
- Discussed briefly as five dimensions: openness, conscientiousness, extroversion, agreeableness, and neuroticism.
- Infants do not have developed personalities but exhibit temperaments.
Temperament Types
- Slow to Warm Up:
- Initially shy but becomes comfortable over time.
- Inconsistent:
- Varies day-to-day, unpredictable mood changes.
- Difficult:
- Generally irritable and hard to soothe.
- Easy Going:
- Typically content and easy to care for.
Development of Self
- Subjective Self: Awareness of being an individual.
- Objective Self: Recognition of personal traits and characteristics (gender, appearance, personality).
Next Steps
- Further exploration of social development as infants grow into later stages.
These notes summarize the key points from the lecture on the infancy stage of social development, focusing on attachment, bonding, anxiety types, and early personality development.