What is Social Referencing in a Child’s Development?

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.

When born, an infant is new to the environment, right? But, how do they get familiar with their surroundings? In fact, how did we people grow and how did any human being get used to their atmosphere? Answer for all these questions points to social referencing.

Even from their sixth month, kids begin using social referencing as a way to get a deeper understanding of their immediate environment. With age, the child will be using social referencing more than earlier and slowly they will start responding to their parent’s action.

Babies take signals from the emotional response of caregivers or parents and shape their responses accordingly. For instance, if they notice a shiny object on the floor and were beginning to take it, they will look at their parents or the one who is taking care of them to know whether it is fine for them to touch that.

A parent’s single action will be the reference for the baby to decide whether to touch it or not. With the caretaker’s influence, the child will learn to express both positive as well as negative emotions, which means that expressing emotions is closely related to social as well as educational pressures of family and the surroundings.

Social as well as expressive skills help kids to

Get a clear understanding of the life they have to live
Shape the future and achieve control during the transition stage
Co-operate and play with peers
Concentration to their parents’ or teachers’ instructions
Complete a learning process and learn about the ways to control emotions

With social referencing, children will read the emotional meaning of other person’s facial expressions and thus emotional development will occur throughout their life.

From the kid’s stage to adulthood, the child has to pass through many stages of social and emotional development. Parents can also analyze the growing stages of their child, which are –

Soon after birth (0 to 6 months)

Social interactions would develop within six months after birth. During this phase, your baby would –

Look at their hands and legs
Suck the fingers
Respond to your touch and smile
Try to find out where you are touching
Respond to your call in 3^rd to 6^th month
Smile at certain sounds you make

Before first birthday (6 months to 1 year)

During this stage, your kid is more likely to understand the family members whom they see often. You can also expect the baby to

Express pleasure, fear, unhappiness and even anger
Differentiate between family and other strangers
Respond to your actions and even imitate after 9 months
The self holds the cup from which they are drinking water
Try eating small pieces of food himself
Express sadness when taken away from you

Before the Second Birthday (1-2 years)

Now, he’s a baby explorer. More time will be spent on finding new things and places around him, in monitoring people around and thus developing a sense of self-awareness.

Expect your kid too –

Be happy when you praise them for anything they do
Identify his mirror image
Well imitate your action and speech
Take initiative in helping you with your work
Express anger and frustration

Toddler Stage (2 to 3 years)

Now your kid is more creative and will be confident enough in all their actions. In this stage, your baby will–

Show interest in playing with other kids and will like their company
Be able to know their gender – a boy or girl
Try to put the dress on and remove it himself
Say yes or no based on their moods and interests
Make choices in their dress, food, toys as well as games
Self-protective attitude about their own toys

Within the fourth year

In this age, your toddler is grown and will be involved in diverse activities physically which helps to increase their self-confidence level. They will be –

More independent during this stage
Able to follow the orders you give
Show interest in sharing their toys with friends or siblings
Perform certain activities independently

After the Fourth Year (4 to 6 years)

After four years old, your child will be much aware of their personality. With much interest in involving games and such activities, they will also develop skills of thinking and reasoning.

You can also expect your child to: