Early Socialisation

Abstract

At the end of this chapter you should be able to:

• 1 understand the concept of socialisation;

• 2 describe some of the major milestones in social and emotional development in infants, in particular the phenomenon of attachment;

• 3 describe the views of Bowlby and other researchers concerning the nature and significance of attachment;

• 4 discuss the implications for human development of

  • deprivation in monkeys,

  • studies of animal imprinting;

• 5 Assess critically Bowlby’s views on maternal deprivation in the light of subsequent re-assessments of his work;

• 6 Assess the importance of early experience for later social and emotional development, in the light of the available evidence;

• 7 discuss the nature and functions of play in early childhood.