Question

APPLY: Explain how the caregiving experiences of securely attached infants promote development of emotional self-regulation.

REVIEW: How do genetic and environmental factors work together to influence temperament? Cite several examples from research.

Answer 1

Early attachment with the caregivers enbales the child to develop confidence, emotional stability, trust etc. As the child grows, it develops a better awareness and learns things by taking risks. For this physical and emotional growth to be normal, the child needs to have atleast one primary caregiver who will attend to the needs without delay, help the child learn new skills and appreciate it for doing things.

Although it's genetic make-up that is predominant in determining one's physical elements, most of the emotional and behavioural elements are the result of the environment. Before the dawn of the 20th century, people thought it's all about one's genetic make-up that influences one's personality, attitudes, behaviors and even intelligence but later psychologists, especially the behaviourists proved that 90% of one's personality is formed by the environment. That's why James Watson was able to challenge the world with his famous quote 'give me a dozen well formed human babies and I'll bring them up in my own environment. I'll make them whoever you want them to become'. The classical conditioning, the operant conditioning, social learning theories all supported the impact of environment on one's personality. That's why anyone who is in a conducive environment is able to succeed regardless of their origin. Obama becoming the president of America is one of the examples for the influence of better environment.