Home » Kid » Development Show
Develop a relationship with your baby that would aid in developing their conduct. September 9, 2022 By , Contributor IN THIS ARTICLE Social referencing is a phenomenon when babies and young children learn to respond according to their parents’ expressions and those around them. But what is the significance of “social referencing in a child’s development?” and how does it help your little ones develop emotions? This post discusses the principle of social referencing and how it impacts a child’s overall growth and development. What Is Social Referencing In Infants?The definition of Social referencing psychology is the process by which infants take cues from emotive displays of adults (parents or caregivers) to form their responses to certain events or their environment and adjust their behavior towards other people and objects. The affective or emotive display of adults can be through facial expressions, vocal sounds or body language. Social referencing is a vital tool that helps infants to get a sense of their new environment and the people and objects that form a part of it (1). Children Using Social ReferencingInfants as young as six months of age begin to use social referencing as a way to gain deeper understanding of their immediate environment. As they grow older, kids begin to use social referencing more than earlier. By the age of 18 months, your child may be using your affective displays to form responses for all his actions. Babies may use social referencing for many things. For example, he sees a new shiny object on the floor and is obviously intrigued by it. He looks at you to see if it is okay for him to touch it. Your smile or frown can act as referencing tools for your baby and will determine if he proceeds to touch the object or avoid it. The Role Of Social Referencing In Your Child’s DevelopmentNot much clinical research exists on the relation between development of cognitive skills and social referencing. It is also not clear how social referencing differs for every individual. But researchers have pointed out many ways by which social referencing aids a child’s development.
Using Social Referencing For Your Child’s DevelopmentParents and caregivers can use social referencing for babies and toddlers as a teaching tool. You can do so by being more mindful about how you react to people or situations and how you keep the ambiguity out of your body language and voice to a minimum.
Although there is not much clinical evidence, some researchers have found that there could be a significant role of social referencing in a child’s development. From early stages, infants and young children begin to use social referencing to relate to people’s emotions, learn intents, and decide how to act in response to a situation, person, or surroundings. You may use this process as a tool to guide your little one by being a good role model and interacting with them with the correct expressions and body language. This will help promote decision-making skills and the overall development of your child. References:MomJunction's articles are written after analyzing the research works of expert authors and institutions. Our references consist of resources established by authorities in their respective fields. You can learn more about the authenticity of the information we present in our editorial policy.
Was this article helpful? The following two tabs change content below.
Sadiya QamarSadiya is a writer and editor with a passion for writing about parenthood and children. Her focus areas are health, wellness, and beauty. For MomJunction, she writes on kids’ health and nutrition. Sadiya believes in doing in-depth research and providing accurate information to help parents with concerns on their children’s growth and development. How do babies use social referencing?Definition Social referencing refers to the process wherein infants use the affective displays of an adult to regulate their behaviors toward environmental objects, persons, and situations. Social referencing represents one of the major mecha- nisms by which infants come to understand the world around them.
How does social referencing work in a child's experience how does it help him her feel safe?Social referencing can be referred to as an important tool that helps infants to get familiar with their new environment, new people as well as objects that form a part of their new world. This also occurs when a child reads facial expressions and uses the information to make decisions.
Which is an example of social referencing in infants?One of the best examples of social referencing is when your child looks at something shiny on the ground and turns around for your reaction on whether it is okay for him to touch it or pick it up. Your frown or smile can reinforce his reaction to the new object and proceed to touch or avoid it.
What age does a baby begin to demonstrate social referencing?Social referencing, which has been observed in infants as young as 6 months of age, is an example of such an interaction in which children appear to observe the emotional reactions of others as a means of determining how to respond in ambiguous or novel situations (Mireault et al.
|