Chapter 4 of Essentials of life-span development covers socioemotional development in infancy. Much like Chapter 3 before it, it also builds on the knowledge from Chapter 1 and assumes that the student remembers that infancy refers to the period from birth to 18-24 months. It defines emotions, lists the basic reactions displayed by infants, such as joy, anger, fear, or surprise, and also points out that infants most likely can experience self-conscious emotions, such as pride (Santrock, 2012). Apart from that, the chapter points out that socioemotional development is affected by biology and conditioning simultaneously, which is important because it once again refers to the nature vs. nurture debate. It provides different theoretical viewpoints on the development of temperament and self-recognition in infancy, which is beneficial for the student’s understanding of both topics (Santrock, 2012). By discussing Ainsworth’s Strange Situation observational measure, the chapter provides a classification of emotional attachment to caregivers (Santrock, 2012). This part is particularly important because it offers a convenient way to appraise the infant’s socioemotional development, which is why knowing about it is well-advised.
The major strength of this chapter, apart from the aforementioned reinforcement of the information from preceding chapters, is that it combines theoretical considerations with practical ones. After covering the theoretical aspects of socioemotional development in infancy listed above, it provides an overview of the social contexts of child care in practical terms (Santrock, 2012). In this regard, it is similar to Chapter 1, which, along with the basics of the subject, gave an entire list of careers in life-span development. By combining the discussion of theories and the practical matters of childcare, the chapter encourages the student to think about the application of the newfound knowledge.
Reference
Santrock, J. W. (2012). Essentials of life-span development (2nd ed.). McGraw-Hill.