Journal Entry 2: Infant social and emotional development
Raise your child to the age of 2½ years, then select one of the following questions to respond to in your journal. Make sure you reference different events in your child’s life, using your textbook and other reliable sources for support.
At 8 months of age, was your child an “easy,” “slow to warm up,” or “difficult” baby in terms of Thomas and Chess’s classic temperamental categories? On what do you base this judgment?
8 MONTHS
Theodora is sometimes a little reluctant to part from you at daycare and starts crying. She usually gets over it quickly after you leave.
At 8 months of age was your child an “easy”, “slow-to-warm-up”, or “difficult” baby in terms of Thomas and Chess’s classic temperamental categories? On what do you base this judgement?
Theodora is slow to warm up. According to the report, she is initially nervous around new people and surroundings, but will explore eventually, as long as her parents are nearby.
You want Theodora to establish a regular bed-time and sleep through the night. You think she’s almost there, so…
You put Theodora down in her crib well-fed and with clean diapers at the same time every night, and ignore crying unless it goes on for more than ten minutes so she will learn to go to bed on time.
You try the object permanence test. Theodora is able to find a hidden object, as long as you don’t wait too long or distract her in the middle of the search. Theodora really likes this hiding game and shows by her interest that she wants it repeated. However, if you hide the object in the same place repeatedly, and then change the hiding place, Theodora has a strong tendency to look in the old hiding place, and then get confused about where the object is, or forget about it. This curious error was first discovered by Piaget, but researchers have some new explanations for the error.
Frequently Theodora becomes quite upset and clings to you while sobbing. This usually occurs whenever she is in a new situation, or meeting new people. You typically:
hold Theodora and allow her to warm-up slowly to new situations and people, but don’t force anything on her.
As Theodora turns 9 months, the pediatrician has the following to say after a routine physical exam, a few items administered from the
Bayley Scales of Infant Intelligence
, and some observations of Theodora in the playroom:
Theodora is advanced in her gross and fine motor skills and enjoys crawling, pulling up to stand and manipulating objects.
Theodora is cautious and shy in most new situations or with new people. With you present, she will eventually explore, but rarely warms up completely to the strange situation or person.
Theodora has typical emotional reactions for her age, such as fear of total strangers, separation anxiety and a quick, loud cry when upset or in pain.
Based on your report, Theodora is physically healthy. The doctor recommends a greater variety of baby food and ground up fruits and vegetables.
Theodora has an obvious attachment to your partner and prefers your partner over other people, but seems to have fun playing with you. She was cautious at first with the nurse and doctor, a normal reaction to strangers at this age.
How does your baby’s eating, sleeping and motor development compare to the typical developmental patterns?
How is your child’s attachment to you and your partner developing? What is happening at the 3-month and 8-month periods that might affect attachment security according to Bowlby and Ainsworth, and various research studies?
At three months, me and my spouse’s decision to enroll her into daycare can influence her attachment. At eight months Theo is typically nervous around new people and surroundings but will warm up with encouragement from her parents. At 8 months Theodora favors her mother over me.
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