Module 14

Socio-emotional Development of
Infants and Toddlers
Socio-emotional Development
a person's ability to master one's emotions and ability
to relate to others.
The Formative Years
It is first three years of a child that is considered
important in human development.

• Parents and other caregivers

- play a significant role in the development of infants and toddlers.

• Home and school environment

- determines to a very great extent the quality of the development
of children.
Elements of Socio-emotional Development
• Attachment
• Temperament
• The Emergence of the Moral Self
Attachment
• Infants needs to establish an enduring emotional
bond characterized by a tendency to seek and
maintain closeness to a specific figure particularly
during stressful situation.
 Social Phenomena of Attachment
Dr. John Bowly
Father of Attachment Theory

It occur within the first six months of a

baby's life with a variety of built-in signals
that the baby uses to keep her
caregiver engaged.
Responsive interaction
A key to a good start in the development of a child is timing of the
caregivers response to the baby.
 “Einstein never used class cards"
K. Pasek, R. Golinkoff (2003)

• What is absolutely central to babies emotional well-being is

not so much feeding but the consistent involvement of
caregivers.
• Children who have good attachment relationship as infants
make better adjustments in a number of areas in future life.
• Infants attach more than one caregiver and they are
developing emotional relationship with multiple caregivers
at once.
Even when children are in child care
more than 30 hours per week, the
family contributes more to child’s
social and cognitive well being than
does the children.

Parents and caregivers help children

regulate their emotions by working with them and by
serving as their models.
Temperament

A word that "captures the ways that people differ even at birth and
such things as their emotional reactions activity level attention span
persistence and ability to regulate their emotions."

The reactivity of the infant to the environment.

 Nine Different Temperament Categories
Thomas, Chess and Birch
Secure relationships nurturing infants toddler attachment in
early care settings

• Activity level
• Mood
• Threshold for distress
• Rhythmicity
• Intensity of response
• Approach withdrawal
Activity level

Some babies are placid and or inactive. Other babies trash about a lot
and, as a toddlers, are always on the move. At this stage, they must be
watched carefully.
The mood
•
Some babies are very smiley and cheerful. Although securely attached
emotionally to their teachers, others have a low-key mood and look
more solemn and happy.
Child's threshold for distress
•
Some babies are very sensitive. They become upset very easily when
stressed. Other babies can more confortambly wait when they need a
feeding or some attention.
The rhythmicity of children
•
Some babies get hungry or sleepy on a fairly regular ang predictable
basis. Other babies at varying times, urinate or have bowel
movements at unpredictable times and get hungry at different times.
They are hard to put on a "schedule."
The intensity of response in each baby
•
When a baby's threshold for distress has been reached, some babies
acy restless. Others act cranky or fret just a little. Still others cry with
terrific intensity or howl with despair when they are stressed. They
shriek with delight and respond with high energy when reacting to
happy or challenging situations.
Approach to new situations
•
Some infants are very cautious. They are wary and fearful of new
teachers, being placed in a different crib, or being taken to visit a new
setting. Other infants approach new persons, activities, or new play
possibilities with zest and enjoyment.
Distraction
•
Some children can consentrate on a toy regardless of surrounding
bustle or noise in a room. Others are easily distracted.
Adaptability of each child
•
Some children react to strange or difficult situations with distress but
recover fairly rapidly. Others adjust to new situations with difficulty or
after a very long period.
Child's attention span

Some children have a long attention span. They continue with an

activity for a fairly long time. Others flit from one activity to another.
3 basic types of temperament and clustered
(Alexander Thomas and Stella Chess)
temperament
1. The easy child
They are easily readily establishes regular routines, is generally cheerful
and adapts readily to new experiences.
2. The difficult chid
They are irregular in daily routines, is slow to accept new experiences
and tends to react negatively and intensely to new things
3. The slow-to-warm-up child
Shows low-key reactions to environmental changes, is negative in
mood, and adjusts slowly to new experiences.
The Emergence of Moral Self
•
A sense of morality presupposes awareness of the existence of moral
standards and the ability to evaluate oneself againts standards. One
children can recognize themselves as entities, they become capable of
self-evaluation and self-description againts a set of standards.

50% of 19-24 month olds and 80% of 25-29 months old and almost
30-40 month olds are capable of self-evaluation. Sense of morality.
• Children who aren't capable of self-evaluation and self-description
don't have the capacity to experience a sense of shame and remorse.
Moral behavior cannot occur when children do not recognize
themselves as social beings whose behaviors can be evaluated againts
some standard.

It is not then surprising why some babies show their parents they
have done something wrong sometimes even with laughter or at
other times with no particular emotion. It is not because they are bad
babies. It is simply because they are not yet able to find a standard in
mind and evaluate situations in terms of these standards.
• The development of emotions

Milestone of the baby and toddler's emotional and social

development
• Early infancy (birth to 6 months)
It is not clear whether infants actually experience emotions or if
adults, using adults facial expressions as the standard, simply
superimpose their own understanding of the meaning of infant facial
expressions.

Between six and ten weeks, a social smile emerges, usually

accompanied by other pleasure-indicative actions and sounds,
including cooing and mouthing. This social smile occurs in response to
adult smiles and interactions.
• As infants become more aware of their environment, smiling occurs in
response to a wider variety of contexts. They may smile when they
see a toy they have previously enjoyed. Laughter which begins at
around 3 to 4 months, requires a level of cognitive development
because it demonstrates that the child can recognize incongruity. That
is, laughter is usually elicited by actions that deviate from the norm,
such as being kissed on the abdomen or a caregiver playing peek-a-
boo. Because if fosters reciprocal interactions with others, laughters
promotes social development.
• Later infancy months (7-12)
During the last month of the year, infants begin expressing fear, disgust,
and anger because of the maturation of cognitive abilities.
Anger, often expressed by crying, is a frequent emotion expressed by
infants. Although some infants respond to distressing events with sadness,
anger is more common.
Fear also emerges during this stage as children become able to compare an
unfamiliar with what they know. Unfamiliar situations or objects often
elicit fear responses in infants. One of the most common is the presence of
an adult stranger, a fear that begins to appear at about seven months. A
second fear of this stage is called separation anxiety.
• Infants 7-12 months old may cry in fear if the mother or caregiver
leaves them in an unfamiliar place.

Socialization of emotion begins in infancy. It is thought that this

process is significant in the infants acquisition of cultural and social
codes for emotional display, teaching them how to express their
emotions, and the degree of acceptability associated with different
types of emotional behavior.
• Social referencing
Infants begin to recognize the emotions of others, and use this
information when reacting to novel situations and people. As infants
explore their world, they generally rely on the emotional expressions
of their mothers or caregivers to determine the safety or
appropriateness of a particular endeavour.
• Toddlerhood (1-2)
Infants express emotion of shame or embarassment and pride. These
emotions mature in all children and adults contribute in their
development.
• Emotional understanding

Toddlers acquire language and are learning to verbally express their

feelings. This ability, rudimentary as it is during early toddlerhood, is
the first step in the development of emotional self-regulation skills.
• Children largely rely on adults to help them regulate their emotional
states. If they are uncomfortable they may be able to communicate
this state by crying, but have little hope of alleviating the discomfort
on their own.
• Children begin to develop skills to regulate their emotions with the
emergence of language providing an important tool to assist in this
process. Being able to articulate an emotional state in itself has a
regulatory effect in that it enables children to communicate their
feelings to a person capable of helping them manage their emotional
state. Speech also enables children to self-regulate, using soothing
language to talk themselves through difficult situations.
• Empathy- a complex emotional response to a situation, also appears
in toddlerhood, usually by aged two. It requires that children read
others' emotional cues, understand that other people are entities
distinct from themselves and take the perspective of another person.
• Hope: Trust vs Mistrust (Infants, 0-1 yr)
Psychological Crisis: T vs MT
V: H
It centers around the infant's basic needs being met by the parents.
The infant depends on the parents, especially the mother, for food,
sustenance, and comfort. The child's relative understanding of world
and society come from the parents and their interaction with the
child. If the parents expose the child warmth, regularity, and
dependable affection, the infant's view of the world will be one of
trust. Should the parents fail to provide a secure environment and to
meet the child's basic need a sense of mistrust will result.
• The major developmental in infancy is to learn whether or not other
people, especially primary caregivers, regularly satisfy basic needs. If
caregivers are consistent sources of food, comfort, and affection, an
infant learns trust-- that others are dependable and reliable. If they
are neglectful or perhaps even abusive, the infant instead learns
mistrust --that the world is in an undependable, unpredictable, and
possibly dangerous place.
• Will: Autonomy vs Shame & Doubt (Toddlers, 2 to 3 yrs)
Psychological Crisis: A vs S & D
MQ: "Can I do things myself or must I always rely on others?"
V: Will
As a child gains control or eliminative functions and motor abilities,
they begin to explore their surroundings. The parents still provide a
strong base of security from which the child can venture out to assert
their will. The parents' patience and encouragement help foster
autonomy in the child. Highly restrictive parents, however, are more
likely to instill the child with a sense of doubt and reluctance to
attempt new challenges.
• As the gain increased muscular coordination and mobility, toddlers
become capable of satisfying some of their own needs. They begin to
feed themselves, wash and dress themselves, and use the bathroom.
If caregivers encourage self-sufficient behavior, toddlers develop a
sense of autonomy -- a sense of being able to handle many problems
on their own. But if caregivers demand too much too soon, refuse to
let children perform tasks of which they are capable, or ridicule early
attemps at self-sufficiency, children may instead develop shame and
doubt about their ability to handle problems.