Psychology of Social andEmotional Development

Daniel Messinger, Ph.D.

Today

Introducing social and emotional development

Introducing what and how we will study social and emotional development

Overview

Social and emotional development are intertwined.

Emotional development typically studied in social contexts.

Social Beings

We are social beings, living with others, thinking about others, motivated by others.A human brain without a social upbringing

is similar to a cabbage. Geertz

One chimpanzee is no chimpanzee. Lorenz

Importance of social development

Development is never in isolation

Infants have physical need for caregiving As mammals, our infants will not survive unless

we feed them, change them, keep them warm.

Harlow: Rhesus monkeys raised with food but without social contact become inept social partners aggressive or fearful have trouble finding mates.

Scope of social development

Social development is attaining the capacity to fill social rolesFamily rolesWork rolesRomantic roles

Topics typically include family and peer relationships, sex roles, self-control, moral development, and resilience in the face of social stressors.

Emotional Beings

Emotions may motivate all human action.

Emotions involve appraisals, feelings, autonomic responses, cerebral activity, and actions including facial and vocal behavior.

These often occur in a social context.

Emotional Development

Includes changes in all the constituents of emotion.Typically involves study of the emergence of different emotional responses, and the socialization of emotions.Emotional development within a social context is the course’s first topic.

Course in a Nutshell

Intensive study of several areas of socioemotional development.

Intensive reading of original sources, writing about the original sources, and discussion of the original sources.A lot of internet stuff.

Class description

Critical questions class-by-class Focus of class sessions Weekly papers

Critical questions, final project Select for in-depth study Final paper

Empirical projectHonors credit availableResearch opportunities Psych 367-368

Syllabus

Practical

Requirements for next class Choose a preliminary idea for a final paper

Bring this to class Send this idea to the class using Blackboard

Register your email with the University to have access to Blackboard

In general This is a research-oriented class You will be reading and writing about original

research articles You will be expected to complete a mini-research

project as part of this class

Introductions

Your name

Your guess for a final project topicOr what you are narrowing it down toOr what you definitely don’t want to do