What social-emotional skill typically develops in the first six months of infancy?

During the first six months of infancy, the development of social-emotional skills is profoundly tied to the establishment of basic communication and emotional expression. The ability to smile and cry serves as a fundamental form of emotional communication for infants. Smiling is often one of the first social cues an infant learns, indicating pleasure and forming the basis for social engagement with caregivers and others in their environment. Crying, on the other hand, is a crucial method of expressing needs such as hunger, discomfort, or the desire for attention.

This stage of infancy is characterized by more immediate and basic emotional expression rather than the complex social skills that come later, such as self-regulation, sharing, or complex emotional expressions. Thus, smiling and crying to show feelings are pivotal for infants as they begin to interact socially and develop initial bonds with their caregivers, laying the groundwork for further social-emotional development as they grow.