Inauthentic Emotional Communication
Infants, although not completely aware of their surroundings are very much affected by their caregiver’s temperament and emotions. Walle & Campos (2014) investigate an infant’s ability to detect inauthentic emotion. Their study revealed that in all 3 experiments, 19-month-old infants, but not 16-month-old infants, detected inauthentic emotional communication and differentially responded to the environment accordingly. These findings demonstrate that infants do not simply take all emotional communication at face value and are sensitive to features of emotional contexts beyond what is expressively communicated by the adult (Walle & Campos, 2014). This evidence is valid documentation that our emotions, as caregivers, do strongly affect the
infant. Children are very perceptive and feed off of the environment around them. Perlin & Lecours (2015) report that around 10 to 12 months of age, babies can use parental expressions for social referencing (during an unknown situation, babies look at their parent and use their expression as information helping them choose the action to take in the situation) to understand ambiguous and potentially dangerous situations.
This evidential finding reiterates the importance of transference between a caregiver and an infant. For example, if the infant is being raised in a domestic violent home, the infant will learn to be scared of the perpetrator based on the other parent’s emotions and will also learn to react with a negative temperament based on the perpetrator’s behaviors. Thus the consequences of a caregiver’s temperament and emotions can affect the infnat’s relationship severly. The connection made in the beginning will affect the infant in learning basic feelings of safety and protection. This initial relationship will also set the tone for the infant of how to understand basic situations and apply them to society. We all hope for infants to learn positive connections to their caregivers and their surrounding environments, but unfortunately due to several environmental factors, that is not only the case. With education and resources, along with more research studies, we can help, as professionals, to eliminate the negative environments and increase the positive relationships created by caregiver and infant.
infant. Children are very perceptive and feed off of the environment around them. Perlin & Lecours (2015) report that around 10 to 12 months of age, babies can use parental expressions for social referencing (during an unknown situation, babies look at their parent and use their expression as information helping them choose the action to take in the situation) to understand ambiguous and potentially dangerous situations.
This evidential finding reiterates the importance of transference between a caregiver and an infant. For example, if the infant is being raised in a domestic violent home, the infant will learn to be scared of the perpetrator based on the other parent’s emotions and will also learn to react with a negative temperament based on the perpetrator’s behaviors. Thus the consequences of a caregiver’s temperament and emotions can affect the infnat’s relationship severly. The connection made in the beginning will affect the infant in learning basic feelings of safety and protection. This initial relationship will also set the tone for the infant of how to understand basic situations and apply them to society. We all hope for infants to learn positive connections to their caregivers and their surrounding environments, but unfortunately due to several environmental factors, that is not only the case. With education and resources, along with more research studies, we can help, as professionals, to eliminate the negative environments and increase the positive relationships created by caregiver and infant.