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| Social
Emotional Development in Children |
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Initiated
in 2005 under the direction of principal investigators Daniela Plesa
Skwerer, Ph.D. and Helen Tager-Flusberg, Ph. D., this pilot study
is funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.
The broad aims of the study are to explore the early development of
children with Williams Syndrome, particularly in the social and emotional
domains.
Project Aims
At all ages, people with Williams Syndrome have been found to be very
socially engaging and congenial in their behavior toward both familiar
and unfamiliar persons. The apparent discrepancy between social perceptual/cognitive
competencies and social behavior in individuals with Williams Syndrome
suggests an interesting profile of social behavior which has not been
systematically investigated in its developmental course in this population.
Employing a combination of parental reports and laboratory-based behavioral
observations, this research examines the ability of children with
Williams Syndrome to express and regulate their behavior by exploring
the following questions:
- Do children with Williams Syndrome display a unique pattern
of temperament?
- Are the attachment bonds formed by children with Williams Syndrome
with their primary caregivers different from those formed by typically
developing children or those with Down Syndrome?
- Do children with Williams Syndrome differ from typically developing
children and those with Down Syndrome in their style of interaction
with parents, peers, and unfamiliar adults?
- Do children with Williams Syndrome differ from typically developing
children or those with Down Syndrome in terms of their empathic
responsiveness to emotionally-charged events or situations?
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