Lecture Notes: Psychology 1100 - Lifespan Development

Chapter 4: Early Childhood

Section 3: Social and Emotional Development in Early Childhood

Dimensions of Child-Rearing

• Warm vs. Cold Parenting
  • Warm Parents: Affectionate, supportive, less likely to use physical discipline.
  • Cold Parents: Show little affection, may complain, or verbally criticize children.
• Restrictive vs. Permissive Parenting
  • Restrictive: Firm control and enforcement of rules.
  • Permissive: Few limitations or rules.

Parenting Styles

• Authoritative Parenting
  • Mix of firm control and affection.
  • Associated with positive child outcomes.
• Authoritarian Parenting
  • High control, low warmth.
  • Children often less competent socially and academically.
• Permissive Indulgent Parenting
  • Warm, but few demands.
  • Children often show misconduct, substance abuse.
• Rejecting-Neglecting Parenting
  • Low involvement, low expectations.
  • Often linked to poor child development.

Parenting Methods

• Inductive Methods
  • Use reasoning to instill understanding and self-regulation in children.
• Power Assertive Methods
  • Physical punishment, denial of privileges.
  • Linked to negative child outcomes such as antisocial behavior.
• Withdrawal of Love
  • Ignoring or isolating misbehaving children.
  • Can be more harmful than physical punishment.

Influence of Siblings

• Can provide care, support, advice, and serve as role models.
• Can also introduce stress due to competition and conflict.
• Birth Order Influence
  • Firstborns often perform better academically but may experience more anxiety.
  • Later-born children may have better social skills.
  • Birth order can influence personality traits.

Peer Interactions

• Foster social skills like sharing, helping, and conflict resolution.

Types of Play

• Non-Social Play
  • Unoccupied and solitary play.
• Social Play
  • Parallel play: Playing side by side without interaction.
  • Associative play: Interaction without a common goal.
  • Cooperative play: Shared goals and activities.

Cognitive Complexity in Play (Piaget)

• Functional, symbolic, constructive play, and formal games relate to cognitive skills.

Pro-Social Behavior and Aggression

• Aggression
  • Aggression can be influenced by biological and environmental factors.
  • Bandura's Bobo doll studies: Modeling aggression through observed behavior.
• Pro-Social Behavior
  • Includes altruism, sharing, empathy.
  • Linked to reduced aggression and increased perspective-taking.

Development of Self and Emotional Growth

• Self-Concept
  • Categorical self: Describing self through external traits (age, gender).
• Fears in Early Childhood
  • Common fears: Animals, darkness, imaginary creatures.
  • Social fears develop later and become more prominent.

Conclusion

• Parenting styles and peer interactions significantly affect social and emotional development in early childhood.
• Development of self-concept and emotional regulation is crucial during this stage.