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ambivalent (resistant) attachment  Pattern in which an infant becomes anxious before the primary caregiver leaves, is extremely upset during his or her absence, and both seeks and resists contact on his or her return.
attachment  Reciprocal, enduring tie between two people—especially between infant and caregiver—each of whom contributes to the quality of the relationship.
autonomy versus shame and doubt  Erikson's second stage in psychosocial development, in which children achieve a balance between self-determination and control by others.
avoidant attachment  Pattern in which an infant rarely cries when separated from the primary caregiver and avoids contact upon his or her return.
basic trust versus basic mistrust  Erikson's first crisis in psychosocial development, in which infants develop a sense of the reliability of people and objects.
committed compliance  Kochanska's term for wholehearted obedience of a parent's orders without reminders or lapses.
conscience  Internal standards of behavior, which usually control one's conduct and produce emotional discomfort when violated.
difficult children  Children with irritable temperament, irregular biological rhythms, and intense emotional responses.
disorganized disoriented attachment  Pattern in which an infant, after separation from the primary caregiver, shows contradictory behaviors upon his or her return.
easy children  Children with a generally happy temperament, regular biological rhythms, and a readiness to accept new experiences.
egocentrism  Piaget's term for inability to consider another person's point of view; a characteristic of young children's thought.
emotions  Subjective reactions to experience that are associated with physiological and behavioral changes.
empathy  Ability to put oneself in another person's place and feel what the other person feels.
gender  Significance of being male or female.
gender-typing  Socialization process whereby children, at an early age, learn appropriate gender roles.
goodness of fit  Appropriateness of environmental demands and constraints to a child's temperament.
internalization  During socialization, process by which children accept societal standards of conduct as their own.
mutual regulation  Process by which infant and caregiver communicate emotional states to each other and respond appropriately.
receptive cooperation  Kochanska's term for eager willingness to cooperate harmoniously with a parent in daily interactions, including routines, chores, hygiene, and play.
secure attachment  Pattern in which an infant cries or protests when the primary caregiver leaves and actively seeks out the caregiver upon his or her return.
self-awareness  Realization that one's existence and functioning are separate from those of other people and things.
self-concept  Sense of self; descriptive and evaluative mental picture of one's abilities and traits.
self-conscious emotions  Emotions, such as embarrassment, empathy, and envy, that depend on self-awareness.
self-evaluative emotions  Emotions, such as pride, shame, and guilt, that depend on both self-awareness and knowledge of socially accepted standards of behavior.
self-regulation  A person's independent control of behavior to conform to understood social expectations.
separation anxiety  Distress shown by someone, typically an infant, when a familiar caregiver leaves.
situational compliance  Kochanska's term for obedience of a parent's orders only in the presence of signs of ongoing parental control.
slow-to-warm-up children  Children whose temperament is generally mild but who are hesitant about accepting new experiences.
social cognition  Ability to understand that other people have mental states and to gauge their feelings and intentions.
Social referencing  Understanding an ambiguous situation by seeking out another person's perception of it.
socialization  Development of habits, skills, values, and motives shared by responsible, productive members of a society.
"still-face" paradigm  Research procedure used to measure mutual regulation in infants 2 to 9 months old.
Strange Situation  Laboratory technique used to study infant attachment.
stranger anxiety  Wariness of strange people and places, shown by some infants during the second half of the first year.
temperament  Characteristic disposition or style of approaching and reacting to situations.







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