Ainsworth Conducted an Experiment Dubbed \'The Strange

Ainsworth conducted an experiment dubbed 'The Strange Situation' in which one-year-old children and their mothers were observed in an unfamiliar surrounding. The purpose of this experiment was to determine the babies' reactions to separation from and reunification with their mothers. Based on their responses, Ainsworth placed the children into one of three categories: securely attached infants, insecure-avoidant infants, and insecure-resistant infants. The securely attached infants used their mothers as a base from which to explore the unfamiliar setting. When the mothers left, the children were sometimes plainly distressed; however, when the mothers returned, the babies became placid and resumed exploration of the novel surrounding. The insecure-avoidant infants ignored their mothers and immediately began to explore their surroundings. When their mothers exited the room, they appeared unaffected; moreover, these children did not acknowledge their mothers' return and even tended to avoid their contact. The insecure-resistant infants were reluctant to explore whatsoever. Furthermore, they displayed extreme distress upon the mothers' departure and ambivalence upon their return, alternating between clinginess and resistance.

Parent-child relationships change during early childhood. Children become more independent than during their infancy. Children also experience a broader social landscape; siblings, relatives, and peers become increasingly important role models. Parental response to such changes affects parent-child relationships. The ideal parenting style is called authoritative. Authoritative parents are those who provide guidance and structure but do not domineer their children. Permissive parents exert too little control over their children; such parents are lenient and generally do not instill discipline and structure in their children. At the other extreme are authoritarian parents. Authoritarian parents strictly control their children's behavior and require absolute obedience. Finally, neglectful or uninvolved parents are those that neither respond to nor demand from their children. Naturally, limits are not imposed and parents are emotionally unavailable.

Play assumes many functions and appearances throughout childhood. Solitary play turns into parallel play, which then becomes cooperative play. During cooperative play, peers -- who are children of the same age, providing reciprocal emotional and social support -- engage in activities that teach them how to collaborate, negotiate, and participate as leaders, followers, helpers, and evaluators. Although initially peers are siblings, upon entering school classmates become influential peers. Playing with peers affords children the opportunity to gain interpersonal skills, hone communication abilities, view multiple perspectives of a situation, and cooperate and negotiate effectively. What's more, peers serve as a basis from which children socially compare themselves.

Many psychologists have studied children's moral development; Piaget and Kolberg hold well-known theories in this area. Both Piaget and Kohlberg contend that younger children make decisions based upon rules and consequences; obedience and punishment are what guide their actions. According to Piaget, as children mature, they develop a sense of moral cooperation. In other words, children are able to view situations from another's point-of-view; they judge actions based on one's intention; they respect authority and recognize that rules can be altered; and they develop a sense of justice. Kohlberg, on the other hand, believes that children's morality is influenced by social acceptance; morality is a reflection of other's expectations. Regardless of theory, children's moral development is important for their overall growth. A healthy sense of morality contributes to children's self-image; it fosters autonomy; and it allows them to positively participate in society.

Middle childhood, which begins around seven years of age, marks an important developmental stage in life. During this period, children develop physically, cognitively, and socially. Physical changes include increased weight and height; greater command over fine and gross motor skills; more muscle strength; and greater participation in physical activity. Increased verbal skills, more flexible and complex thinking, and emerging reasoning and abstracting abilities indicate cognitive developments in middle childhood. Socially, children are increasingly more dependent upon their peers rather than their families; they want to belong to and be accepted by peer groups; they develop a sense of self; and they have a need for achievement. The tendency for children at this stage to compare themselves with others, which contributes to their desire to achieve, naturally influences the development of their self-esteem. Those who regularly feel a sense of achievement also likely display healthy self-esteem. Conversely, children who fail to achieve tend to exhibit low self-esteem.