You are at the grocery store when you spot a crying child in a stroller. the mother picks up the child and cuddles it until it stops crying. a grocery clerk is standing next to you, stocking the shelves. he leans over and says, "now, that’s bad parenting. if you pick up and cuddle a child every time it cries, you’re reinforcing the behavior, and the result will be a very spoiled child." do you agree? does research suggest that it is generally good or generally bad for mothers to be responsive to their infants’ emotional needs?

I don't agree, research suggest that it's generally good.

See explanation below.

Explanation:

Babies start the process of learning and developing skills as soon as they are born, also, as soon as they are born their emotional development starts.

During the early stages of life, the main figure of a baby is his/her caregiver and his emotional development that will impact later stages on his/her life will be influenced by this first experiences.

Erikson developed a theory according to which people go through different "crisis" through their lifespan that they have to solve adequately. One of these crisis is the "trust vs. mistrust crisis".

The trust vs mistrust crisis is the first stage of pyschosocial development and it begins at birth and it finishes at approximately 18 months of age. During this stage the infant look towards their primary caregiver for stability and consistency of care since they are not certain about the "new" world they are living in. When the care received by the infant is consistent and reliable, the infant develops a sense of trust and will be able to feel secure in this world.

Thus, when a mother is responsive to their infants' emotional needs, they are helping develop this sense of trust. After Erikson, research has suggested that indeed it is good for mothers to their infant's emotional needs.