Description: We are all wearing masks these days (or should be). I have posted previously about research suggesting that adults experience functional prosopagnosia (the lack of the ability to recognize people when one see’s them) when others are wearing masks covering their mouth and nose. A related, important question concerns how children manage socially when… Read more »
Posts Categorized: Early Social and Emotional development
Psychology of Covid-19: Stunting Children’s Social Growth?
Description: Have you heard of social referencing? Even very young infants do this. Basically, it involves looking at and reading another person’s face (facial expression) in order to find out what something that is around you means. Imagine a toddler sitting in a stroller beside a park bench that one of their parents is sitting… Read more »
Baby’s Heart Rate and Mother’s Mental Health
Description: If you have even a passing interest in infant development you have likely previously run across concerns about post-partum depression. If so (or if not) consider this question. What is it about material anxiety and depression that potentially results in negative developmental outcomes for the infants of those mothers? Yes, of course it likely… Read more »
The Psychology of Covid-19: Anxieties and Uncertainties, What You Can DO About Them
Description: I have posted previously about the stress associated with the high degrees of uncertainty associated with our immediate and longer-term futures in relation to the coronavirus. It is important to keep in mind that while many of the factors contributing to our uncertainty and the related stresses that accompany them are obvious; our health… Read more »
Of Marshmallows and Development: Social Implications
Description: You know about the Marshmallow Test, don’t you? A preschool child is seated in a small room at a table on which is a plate and single marshmallow. The child is told that the adult researchers is going to leave the room for a time (usually 10 to 15 minutes) and that the child… Read more »
Human Emotions: What is Universal and What is Not?
Description: If you have taken an introductory Psychology course you have certainly seen some version of the picture below showing facial expressions of emotion and you likely saw the picture in the context of a part of a lecture on the universality (across cultures) of basic human emotions such as those showing on the faces… Read more »
Fred Rogers: Superhero!
Description: In a recent post I suggested that what the world needs a new superhero and that the best candidate I could think of was a man who wore red cardigan sweaters, spoke very clearly and slowly in ways that made him VERY understandable by preschoolers and who spoke about important things like strong emotions… Read more »
Why Watch Toddler TV?
Description: It is old news now, but do you recall any of the fuss about the Teletubbies TV show? When it first arrive to North American TV screens in 1997 there was an intense storm of media discussion about how very young children (2 and even younger) loved it and parents were perplexed as they… Read more »
Tough Developmental Times Need Real Superheros: Visit Mr Roger’s Neighborhood!
Description: Mr. Rogers spoke to children from “his neighborhood” on television from 1968 through to 2001 (with a 2.5 hiatus in the later 70’s) and if you missed seeing him you can get the experience through a documentary (Won’t You Be my Neighbor) and through the recently released film with Tom Hanks as the man… Read more »
How ARE Childhood and Adult Stress Levels Linked?
Description: We are seeing more and more research in recent years examining the physiological and developmental consequences of stress. For example, we now better understand the ongoing impact of developmentally early traumatic experiences on subsequent development and psychological functioning and well being at both an observational level and increasingly at a physiological causal level. We… Read more »
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