I have been a silent member of tips for a while, but this is an interesting issue for me as someone who once tried to address through the empirical literature, and, as someone whose children (two out of three) were/are vocal, and, I have gone through some lengthy and intense single-parent periods. Alot can be said about it, I suspect, from many different angles, but for now I am curious to know if anyone on tips still believes this an issue worth seeking an answer to from the classic learning angle .. (or even classic attachment theory).
A case can be made that much crying is not purposefully manipulative, and that the classic "laws of learning" explain only a small % of the variability in crying in younger children. And from a totally different angle (i hope this is not misunderstood), how many times in the course of a typical modern parents' day (and I am thinking amongst us commoners, not those with nannies) do parents have the choice, and time to ponder that choice in a simple yes/no fashion, and the luxury to impliment the choice. I suspect they, like me most days, am much more curious to know how to afford more domestic help so we CAN attend to children when they are distressed. I am also curious to know how many parents have the ability to actually ignore crying ... I knew some people who used to put their child to bed in the farthest room in the house so they could impliment the "ignore" advice and not be disturbed (I believe James Watson advocated the ignore approach ... how many childen did he raise!). I always considered these parents the exception to the rule that crying (and its effects on the listener) has been honed through zillions of years of evolution, and cannot be manipulated or altered readily. On the other hand, when parents choose to ignore, they usually do not do so as a detached intellectual choice lol So I wonder about the practical significance of the question, given the difficulty isolating a crying model not overwhelmed by genetic/adaptation issues and the rarity of opportunity to get something practical out of the answer. But this is not to disrespect the question, I do believe it is a classic in terms of watching the theoretical frameworks struggle with it. John Kulig Professor of Psychology Plymouth State University Plymouth NH 03264 [EMAIL PROTECTED] ----- Original Message ----- From: "José Ferreira Alves" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To: "Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS)" <[email protected]> Sent: Tuesday, June 17, 2008 11:12:30 AM GMT -05:00 US/Canada Eastern Subject: RE: [tips] allowing infants to cry I think this is a classic problem. When I teach behavioral procedures I give the example of a child crying being picked up by her or his parent as an example of positive reinforcement. In similar circumstances the baby will cry again and this last crying is the best evidence that there was positive reinforce. But I alert my students that this example does not teach us that we should not pick up a child when she or he cries. And I give the example of attachment theory as a theory that suggests that we should promote secure attachments. I do not know anything about what Laura Spiegel said but I advice you to see if she has some theory for doing that suggestion. What results are more adequate or positive when we do not pick a child that is crying, and why. In behavioral theory we only have a theory of behavior and not of bonding, of attachment. You have to see what theory is she formulating. I think these tensions and apparent contradictions are rich moments of learning…. My best Jose _____________________________________ José Ferreira Alves, Ph.D Program in adult development and aging Department of Psychology (IEP) University of Minho Campus de Gualtar 4710-057 Braga - Portugal Tel: +351253604233 (office) Fax: +351253604224 Tel cel. +351919378514 Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] www.cipsi.uminho.pt www.iep.uminho.pt www.uminho.pt De: kleisslers [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] Enviada: terça-feira, 17 de Junho de 2008 15:02 Para: Teaching in the Psychological Sciences (TIPS) Assunto: [tips] allowing infants to cry Hi Tipsters, I have a question about allowing babies to cry.My previous readings (5 years or so ago) indicated that one should pick up a crying baby quickly, because this would promote a secure attachment, and in the long run a securely attached baby cries less as well. My latest reading (e.g. Laura Spiegel) recommends letting babies "cry it out", indicating that this is good for them physically and emotionally. Does anyone know which approach has better support in the literature? Thanks, Kathleen Kleissler, Assistant Prof. Psychology Dept. Kutztown University Kutztown, PA 19530 610-683-4465 [EMAIL PROTECTED] --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED]) --- To make changes to your subscription contact: Bill Southerly ([EMAIL PROTECTED])
