chapter 5 emotional development. 5 components of an emotion subjective change in feelings...

Chapter 5

Emotional Development

5 components of an emotion

Subjective change in feelings

Physiological changes

Behavior Change

Cognitive Appraisal

Eliciting Event

Valence – how positive or negative is the emotion?

Arousal – how arousing is the emotion?

Emotion Terms

What is the valence and arousal?

Anger

Joy

Sadness

Contentment

Emotion Terms

MoodsNot an emotion

Not specific to a personally relevant event (objectless)

Generally longer-lasting

Occupy background of thoughts and consciousness (not immediate)

Basic Emotions Theory (biological)

Learning

Functionalist

Theories of Emotional Development

Basic Emotions Theory Specific emotions are innate, universal, and rooted in human

evolution

Each emotion has distinct bodily and facial changes◦ These bodily/facial changes are the same in different cultures◦ Can you tell?

Discriminable from early in life◦ All infants began to smile at 46 weeks post conception—regardless of

how long they have been exposed to smiling faces◦

Hemispheric Lateralization

◦ Left hemisphere = approach emotions (e.g., joy anger)◦ Right hemisphere = avoidance emotions (e.g., fear)

Genetics contribute to emotional development◦ Identical twins are more similar than fraternal twins in the age at

which they first smile, the amount they smile, the onset of their fear reactions to strangers, and their general degree of emotional inhibition

Learning TheoryClass Cond: Children may learn to fear an

object because the object was associated with a fearful stimulus

Operant Cond: Children may acquire fear after a negative experience

Observational Learning: Children learn to fear certain objects by observing other people’s reactions

Reciprocal Determinism: When adults respond to a baby’s smiles with positive stimulation, the baby’s rate of smiling increases

Functional PerspectivePurpose of emotions is to help people achieve

social and survival goals

Emotional signals provide feedback that guides other people’s behavior

Memories of past emotions shape how people respond to new situations

Newborns and very young infants do not display discrete emotions

Have global experiences e.g. excitement, distress

Type of EmotionsPrimary emotions

◦emerge early in life ◦do not require introspection or self-

reflection Secondary or self-conscious

emotions ◦emerge in the second year of life◦depend on a sense of self and the

awareness of other people’s reactions

How PE differ from NENegative Emotions

◦Strongly in the moment◦Generally thought to be evolutionarily adaptive in situations where immediate action is

needed (i.e, fear)

Positive Emotions◦ Influence occurs over the long-term◦Important for multiple aspects of well-being◦Generally do not occur in life-threatening situations◦Less need for them to have specific responses

Specific Positive Emotions

Joy• Urge to play, push the limits, be creative

Interest• Urge to explore, new information, expand

the self

Contentment• Urge to sit back and enjoy current

circumstances

Low-arousal vs. High-arousal positive

emotions

Appear over the first 6 months of age◦Anger (red-face)◦Sadness

Anger and sad expressions increase with age◦Loss of control

Realization that goals can be interrupted by people and objects in environment

◦Different response by caregiver

Negative Emotions

QUICK OVERVIEW: DEVELOPMENT OF EMOTIONS

0 – 6 MONTHS

Positive Emotions: joy, contentment

Negative Emotions:

distress, sadness,

disgust, anger, fear

Baby and Puppy: First Meeting

0 – 6 MONTHSPositive

Emotions: joy, contentment

Negative Emotions:

distress, sadness,

disgust, anger, fear

InterestSurprise

Disinterest

Baby and Puppy: First Meeting

0 – 6 MONTHS

Positive Emotions: joy, contentment

Negative Emotions:

distress, sadness,

disgust, anger, fear

InterestSurprise

Disinterest

Baby and Puppy: First Meeting

General Bipolar Valence State

0 – 6 MONTHS

Positive Emotions: joy, contentment

Negative Emotions:

distress, sadness,

disgust, anger, fear

InterestSurprise

Disinterest

Baby and Puppy: First Meeting

General Bipolar Arousal State

First few

weeksShow, but not

aware of Basic / Distinct Emotion

s 6 weeksSmile for

people, but not objects

Around 6 mos.Separation

Anxiety; Distress; Anger and Surprise!

At 7 mos.Discriminate b/w

familiar unfamiliar

people; Fear appears

At 12 mos.Amusement/Happiness distinct PE;

Emotion Regulation

CHANGES IN YEAR 1

1.5 – 2 yrs↑ in Anger;

Show Empathy

2.5 – 3 yrsSelf-

conscious emotions

Middle ChildhoodShow and

experience mixed

emotions

CHANGES AFTER YEAR 1

Primary Emotion - JoyNewborns: Reflex smiles - Upturned mouth

◦ Spontaneous and due to on some internal stimulus

2-6 Months: Duchenne smile – upturn mouth + eye crinkles◦ Smile in response to external stimulus◦ Familiar vs. unfamiliar faces

Individual differences in smiling◦ Gender differences◦ Cultural differences

Laughing◦ Type of stimulus◦ Increases with age

3-7 mos: wariness

7-9 mos: genuine fear◦Stranger distress

Primary Emotion - Fear

Primary Emotion - Fear

Emde, R. N., Gaensbauer, T. J., & Harmon, R. J. (1976). Emotional expression in infancy: A biobehavioral study. Psychological Issues, 10 (37).

3-7 mos: wariness7-9 mos: genuine fear

◦Stranger distress◦Heights

Primary Emotion - Fear

Separation Anxiety/Distress

Primary Emotion – Types of Fear

Fear of Heights – Visual Cliff

Primary Emotion – Types of Fear

Newborns: First negative facial expressions = startle, disgust, distress

2-3 mos: facial expressions of anger

Eliciting event = frustration, pain

Primary Emotion - Anger

AGE

0 2 31

AN

GER

Babies show an increase in anger and assertiveness (Dunn, 1988)

◦This declines around age 3

Terrible Twos: 1 ½ - 2 years

Why would babies

experience more anger at

age 2?

Terrible Twos: 1 ½ - 2 years

Tantrum

Mother is neutral/positive

Toddlers more interested in environment

more positive emotions

favorable responses to strangers in

mother’s absence

Mother is negative/angry

Increased tantrums

noncompliant behavior

More negative emotions, lower

empathy

At 4 months, infants pulled a string to see a picture.

Later, babies learned that the pull no longer resulted in the picture (Lewis et al., 2006)

Anger Face → ↑ Pulling → ↑ ANS Sad Face → No Pulling → No ↑ ANS

Do babies show anger before 2?

Infancy◦Experienced less than anger

For young infants

For older infants

Primary Emotion - Sadness

Secondary EmotionsPride: feeling pleased with accomplishments

◦First signs◦7-years vs. 10-years

Shame and Guilt: moral violations◦Shame = more intense, unexpected

Embarrassment

Jealousy:◦Younger vs. older children

(Kagan, 1981; Lewis, 1993)

Secondary EmotionsEmpathy: sharing another person’s

emotions

Home Observations◦Parents express distress◦Siblings experience distress

Development of emotion shifts from reactions to others’ emotions to understanding others’ emotions.

Secondary EmotionsDevelopment of Empathy

◦Newborn◦Age 1◦13-14 months◦End Year 2◦Mid-Late Childhood◦Adolescence

Mixed Emotions: Middle ChildhoodUnderstand feelings of mixed

emotionsEarly School Years (Harris, 1989)

◦Children commented on vignettes in which protagonists were likely to experience ME

◦Children reported protagonist’s experience will elicit positive and negative emotions

Identifying others’ emotions

Emotional Regulation (ER)

Individual Differences in ER

Emotional Understanding

3-6 months: recognize positive emotions first◦Functionalist vs. Learning

3-4 years: recognize happiness, sadness, anger, fear

Identifying Others’ Emotions

Emotional Scripts: schema child uses to identify the emotion elicited by a certain event◦3-4 years◦5 years◦7 years

Identifying Others’ Emotions

Emotion Regulation

The managing, monitoring, evaluating, and modifying of one’s own emotionsemotional reactions to reduce the intensity and duration of emotional arousal

Reduce negative emotionsIncrease positive emotionsIncrease arousalDecrease arousal

Emotion RegulationIn womb: suck thumbs

Young infants simple ER tactics ◦ Turning away; self-distraction

Preschoolers◦ Self-distraction, orientation of attention toward or

away from a stimulus, approach or retreat from a situation, use of language skills

Elementary school children◦ Increasingly use cognitive and behavioral coping

strategies to regulate their emotions

Individual Differences in Emotion Regulation

Temperament and ER related

Emotion regulation abilities predict children’s later adjustment