Social referencing
As Social referencing (English social. Referencing) is called in developmental psychology and infant and young child research the phenomenon to infants that from about eight to nine months in unfamiliar situations (such as when children are faced with uncertainty generating object) to the the affects shown, i.e. the emotional body language (especially facial expression), of the reference person.
In the case of social referencing, the infant or toddler reassures himself with a caregiver how the situation that creates uncertainty or the object that generates uncertainty is to be assessed. Here, the “face-to-face interaction ” (ie the interplay in the facial expressions of the interaction partners ) between the infant and the caregiver is scientifically investigated.
If the mother shows signs of fear, the infant or toddler will also interpret and experience the situation as fearful. If the mother shows no fear, for example greets a stranger in a friendly manner when entering the room, the child is also less likely to show or experience fear.
Social referencing is seen as an important part of a child's emotional development. By orienting towards the mother's expressions of affect, the child learns to evaluate situations. It is considered to be one of the possible causes of separation anxiety or other emotional disorders in childhood and is also seen as formative for the later emotional assessment of situations.
Social referencing is also seen as a milestone in the development of the Theory of Mind . This describes the ability to make an assumption about consciousness processes in other people, i.e. to suspect feelings, needs, intentions, expectations and opinions in other people. Social referencing is a preliminary stage. Reassuring about the mother's affects shows that the child already knows that others have intentions on the outside world.
See also
literature
- RN Emde, JG Sorce (1983): The rewards of infancy: Emotional availability and maternal referencing. In JG Call, E. Galenson, PI Tyson (Eds.), Frontiers of Infant Psychiatry. New York, Basic Books, pp. 17-30
Remarks
- ↑ Martin Dornes (1997): Early Childhood. Developmental Psychology of the First Years of Life. Frankfurt a. M., Fischer.
- ↑ Martin Dornes (1993): The competent infant. The preverbal development of man. Frankfurt a. M., Fischer.
- ↑ http://www.psychology.emory.edu/cognition/rochat/Emergence%20of%20selective.pdf