In Chapter 5, we learned that infants and toddlers experience tremendous brain and body growth, all in a very short amount of time. As children build their cognitive and physical skills, they also develop social and emotional skills that help them connect with their caregivers and form social relationships. Social development and emotional development encompass many different skills and abilities that are interrelated. This is why we often see these two areas combined into one domain. A child develops emotional understanding and responses based on their interactions with their caregivers and other children they play with. These social interactions become more complex as the child grows.

The cognitive and physical skills learned during the first 3 years of life help children navigate their environments. They also help them engage in self-care tasks and learn life skills. In this chapter, we will learn about adaptive development, which refers to the skills a young child builds that help them achieve independence. We can see how toddlers might want to do everything themselves, with minimal help from their caregivers. They strive for independence, although they still require assistance from more experienced people.

As children age, they start to see themselves as individual beings, and they begin to form a sense of who they are. This is known as identity development. Positive identity development is dependent on a child having healthy attachments to their caregivers, positive social interactions, and the ability to explore their world safely and without undue stress.

We will explore all of these domains in this chapter and discuss the complex social, cultural, and environmental factors that impact a child’s development.

Learning Objectives

After reading this chapter, you will be able to do the following:

1. Identify the stages of social emotional development for infants and toddlers.
2. Explore the development of adaptive skills and identity formation.
3. Describe the role of play in relation to developmental importance.
4. Analyze the impact of caregivers and environmental influences on attachment and development.

Key Terms

Throughout this chapter, you will be introduced to important key terms that will help deepen your understanding of human development.

• Adaptive skill development: the ability of a child to engage in age-appropriate life skills
• Ambivalent attachment: a bond in which the child seeks closeness to their caregivers and is hesitant to explore the environment
• Autonomy versus shame and doubt: the second stage of Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development in which a child establishes their independence and has a sense of control over decisions and abilities
• Avoidant attachment: a bond in which the child avoids or is dismissive of their caregivers and may not explore their environment
• Attachment theory: a term coined by researcher John Bowlby to refer to the affectional bond or tie that an infant forms with their mother
• Bidirectionality: the reciprocal relationship between two variables
• Contact comfort: an infant’s need for physical closeness and touching
• Disorganized attachment: a bond in which a child demonstrates an inconsistent relationship to their caregiver and how they interact with the environment
• Emotional self-regulation: strategies we use to control our emotional states so that we can attain goals
• Goodness-of-fit: the degree to which a child’s surrounding environment is a good match for their temperament and needs
• Non-organic failure to thrive: the diagnosis for an infant who does not grow, develop, or gain weight on schedule, and there is no known medical explanation for this failure
• Reactive attachment disorder: a diagnosable mental disorder characterized by inappropriate attachment behaviors such as being inhibited and withdrawn, demonstrating minimal social and emotional responsiveness to others, limited positive affect, and developmental delays
• Resiliency: the ability to overcome challenges and successfully adapt to negative experiences
• Secure attachment: a bond in which a child feels secure with their caregivers and uses them as a base from which to explore their environment
• Separation anxiety: the fear experienced by a child in the presence of a stranger or the departure of significant others
• Social referencing: the process whereby infants seek out information via facial cues from others to clarify and act in a situation
• Social smiling: a developmental milestone in which an infant responds with smiles to those who engage their positive attention
• Temperament: the innate characteristics of a child such as mood, activity level, and emotional reactivity
• Trust versus mistrust: the first stage of Erikson’s theory of psychosocial development in which a child develops trust in their primary caregivers to feel secure

Licenses and Attributions for Chapter Overview and Learning Objectives

“Chapter Overview and Learning Objectives” by Christina Belli is licensed under CC BY 4.0.