Infant Emotional Expression
Infant Emotional Expression
Expression of Happiness and Smile Types
The purpose of this paper is to describe infant expression of happiness and to inform findings of research relating to smile types in infants as well as to inform about potential relationships between smile types, play type and parent gender. In a professional book, Laura E. Berk (2002) describes how infants display emotions and how caregivers respond to them. According to Berk, research has been done to find out how infants and toddlers communicate their emotions and how they interpret the emotions of others. The research provided that emotions play an important role in the organization of the developments that Erik Erikson thought to be important; relationship with caregivers, exploration of the environment, and discovery of the self. Because infants are not capable of describing what is it they are feeling, it is difficult to determine what it is they are experiencing. Although this is true it is also true that vocalization and body movements are ways in which infants provide information and communicate. Despite this useful information, facial expression is the form of communication that provides the most reliable cues (Berk, 2002).
Happiness is an emotion that is first expressed through smiles and later expressed through laughter. It is an emotion used to express delight and to announce that something new has been learned. A smile expressed in a child 's face motivates affection and stimulating behavior from caregivers which in turn make the infant smile even more (Berk, 2002, 257). Happiness in an emotion that brings baby and caregiver closer to each other, it brings them together and helps develop a warm and supportive relationship (Berk, 2002). Soon after birth babies show reflexive smiling which may be seen to express fullness after eating or may be a smile during sleep, this is because reflexive smiles usually occur when the infant is not in
Expression of Happiness and Smile Types
The purpose of this paper is to describe infant expression of happiness and to inform findings of research relating to smile types in infants as well as to inform about potential relationships between smile types, play type and parent gender. In a professional book, Laura E. Berk (2002) describes how infants display emotions and how caregivers respond to them. According to Berk, research has been done to find out how infants and toddlers communicate their emotions and how they interpret the emotions of others. The research provided that emotions play an important role in the organization of the developments that Erik Erikson thought to be important; relationship with caregivers, exploration of the environment, and discovery of the self. Because infants are not capable of describing what is it they are feeling, it is difficult to determine what it is they are experiencing. Although this is true it is also true that vocalization and body movements are ways in which infants provide information and communicate. Despite this useful information, facial expression is the form of communication that provides the most reliable cues (Berk, 2002).
Happiness is an emotion that is first expressed through smiles and later expressed through laughter. It is an emotion used to express delight and to announce that something new has been learned. A smile expressed in a child 's face motivates affection and stimulating behavior from caregivers which in turn make the infant smile even more (Berk, 2002, 257). Happiness in an emotion that brings baby and caregiver closer to each other, it brings them together and helps develop a warm and supportive relationship (Berk, 2002). Soon after birth babies show reflexive smiling which may be seen to express fullness after eating or may be a smile during sleep, this is because reflexive smiles usually occur when the infant is not in
References: Berk, L. E. (2002). Infants, children, and adolescents. Allyn and Beacon Developmental Psychology Student NetLetter type and play time during parent-infant play. Developmental Psychology, 33(6), 925-933. Retrieved May 7, 2005 from EBSCOhost Academic Search Engine Messinger, D.S., Fogel, A., & Dickson, K. L. (1999, May) What 's in a smile? Developmental Psychology, 35(3), 701-708 Some smiles are more positive than others. Developmental Psychology, 37(5), 642-653. Retrieved May 7, 2005 fromEBSCOhost Academic Search