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17.4: Emotional Beginnings

  • Page ID
    173884
    • Amanda Taintor

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    Origins of Emotions

    At birth, infants exhibit 2 emotional responses: attraction and withdrawal. They show interest in pleasant situations that bring comfort, stimulation, and pleasure, and they withdraw from unpleasant stimulation such as bitter flavors or physical discomfort. At around 2 months, infants exhibit social engagement in the form of social smiling as they respond with smiles to those who engage their positive attention (Lavelli & Fogel, 2005).

    Social smiling becomes more stable and organized as infants learn to use their smiles to engage their parents and caregivers in interactions.

    Infant smiling at grandparents
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Infant smiling at grandparents [1]
    Infant Smiling
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): Infant Smiling[2]
    infant smiling
    Figure \(\PageIndex{1}\): infant smiling [1]

    [1] Image by Joy Poeng is licensed CC BY-NC

    [2] Image by Rachel Klippenstein-Gutierrez is licensed CC BY-NC

    [3] Image by Bethany Morgun is licensed CC BY-NC


    This page titled 17.4: Emotional Beginnings is shared under a mixed 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Amanda Taintor.