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Psychology - VC - Attachment > 1 > Flashcards

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1
Q

Define attachment

A

A close, reciprocal (2 way) relationship between two individuals, in which each sees the other as essential for their own emotional security

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2
Q

What are the two main approaches to explaining why attachments are formed?

A
  • Learning Theory
    (Learning to form attachments - NURTURE)
  • Bowlby’s Theory
    (Innate instincts to form attachments - NATURE)
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3
Q

Define primary caregiver

A

Person who spends most time with infant, caring for its needs

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4
Q

Define primary attachment figure

A

Person who has the strongest attachment with the infant

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5
Q

Is the primary caregiver the same person as the primary attachment figure?

A

Often, but not always

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6
Q

What are 3 behaviours that infants may display at the start of their life, which can be linked to forming an attachment?

A
  • Proximity
    (Trying to stay physically close to attachment figure)
  • Separation distress
    (Signs of anxiety when attachment figure removed)
  • Secure-base behaviour
    (Making regular contact with attachment figure)
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7
Q

How are caregiver-infant interactions linked to attachment?

A

Good, frequent caregiver-infant interactions are associated with the formation of good early attachments

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8
Q

What are the 2 main caregiver-infant interactions we must know?

A
  • Reciprocity

- Interactional synchrony

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9
Q

What is reciprocity?

A

When each person (caregiver and infant) responds to the other + elicits a response from them

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10
Q

Give an example of reciprocity

A
  • Baby smiles
  • Caregiver responds by speaking
  • This speaking elicits another response from baby (e.g gurgle)
  • Cycle continues
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11
Q

What is a simplified definition of reciprocity?

A

Turn-taking

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12
Q

Who initiates the start of a reciprocal caregiver-infant interaction?

A

Caregiver or baby (babies now believed to have ACTIVE INVOLVEMENT - once thought to have been passive)

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13
Q

When/how do babies initiate a reciprocal caregiver-infant interaction?

A

Babies enter ALERT PHASES

Periods in which babies signal, eg through eye contact, that they are ready to interact

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14
Q

Do mothers always respond to babies’ attempts to initiate a period of interaction?

A

No

  • Mother’s have different levels of SENSITIVE RESPONSIVENESS
  • This depends on own skill and external factors (eg stress)
  • Feldman + Eidelman (2000) found mothers notice and respond to alert phases 2/3 of time
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15
Q

How does mother’s sensitive responsiveness impact attachment formation?

A

Greater sensitive responsiveness = greater attachment formed (more reciprocity, a caregiver-infant interaction that helps build this attachment)

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16
Q

How did Brazelton (1975) describe the reciprocal interactions between caregivers + infants?

A

Dance

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17
Q

Outline a research study that can be used to exemplify reciprocity

A

Brazelton (1979)

  • ‘Frozen face study’
  • Aim: To examine reciprocity in caregiver-infant interactions
  • Procedure: Mother told to freeze face and stop reciprocating infant’s interaction
  • Findings: Infant becomes distressed
  • Conclusion: The reciprocity of caregiver-infant interactions is important in the development of healthy, secure attachments
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18
Q

What is interactional synchrony?

A

Caregiver and infant reflect each others’ actions + emotions in a synchronised way

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19
Q

How did Feldman (2007) describe interactional synchrony?

A

The temporal coordination of micro-level social behaviour

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20
Q

Give an example of interactional synchrony

A
  • Infant imitating facial expressions

- Infant imitating speech (facilitated by caregiverese)

21
Q

What is caregiverese?

A

Innate parental instinct to make speech simple, high-pitched + repetitive, so it is easier for infants to mimic in interactional synchrony

22
Q

Who found evidence of caregiverese across multiple cultures?

A

Papousek et al (1991)

23
Q

How does interactional synchrony levels impact attachment?

A

Greater interactional synchrony = greater attachment (as interactional synchrony is a caregiver-infant interaction that helps build this attachment)

24
Q

What research established the link between interactional synchrony and strong attachment?

A

Isabella et al (1989)

25
Q

Outline a research study that can be used to exemplify interactional synchrony

A

Meltzoff + Moore (1977)
Aim:
- To examine interactional synchrony in caregiver-infant interactions
Procedure:
- Adult displayed 3 distinct facial expressions
- Baby’s response recorded in uncontrolled observation
Findings:
- Clear association between adult’s behaviour + infant’s response
- Association present in babies as young as 2 weeks old
Conclusion:
- Interactional synchrony is important part of caregiver-infant interactions
- Interactional synchrony is innate

26
Q

Give 2 positive points when evaluating the role of caregiver-infant interactions in attachment formation

A

Application

  • Know these interactions are important for forming secure early attachments
  • Can apply to parenting training
  • Crotwell et al (2013) found showing 20 low income mothers a 10 min ‘Parent-Child Interaction Therapy’ video improved their interactional synchrony compared to a control group

Methodology

  • Many caregiver-infant interactions that have been analysed were filmed in controlled environments
  • Filmed means less observer bias (reviewed by many observers)
  • Controlled means less extraneous variables, increasing the validity of the results
27
Q

Give 2 negative points when evaluating the role of caregiver-infant interactions in attachment formation

A

Methodology

  • Infants are hard to observe, as they are fairly immobile + we don’t know their perspective
  • E.g. smiling to signal alert phase for reciprocity may actually be ‘smiling’ when passing wind
  • Hard to draw valid conclusions from infant observations

Debates + Issues

  • Socially sensitive
  • Conclusions suggest that sensitive responsiveness from parents + good caregiver-infant interactions are essential for forming secure attachments
  • Suggests some parenting styles are wrong + parents need to change their behaviour (eg stop working to spend time with infant)
28
Q

Who proposed the Stages of Attachment?

A

Schaffer + Emerson (1964)

29
Q

How many stages of attachment are there?

A

4

30
Q

Define the stages of attachment

A

A sequence of qualitatively different behaviours linked to different ages (of the infant) that all infants experience in the same order

31
Q

State the stages of attachment in order

A

1) Asocial stage
2) Indiscriminate attachment
3) Specific/discriminate attachment
4) Multiple attachments

32
Q

Describe the Asocial Stage of attachment

A

First few weeks (up to approx 2 months old)

  • Infants behave similarly to objects + humans
  • Infants show some preference for eyes + faces
33
Q

Describe the Indiscriminate Stage of attachment

A

Approx 2-7 months old

  • Infants show preference for human company
  • Infants recognise/slightly prefer familiar people, but are not attached yet (no separation anxiety)
  • Infants can be comforted by anyone (no stranger anxiety)
34
Q

Describe the Specific/Discriminate Stage of attachment

A

Approx 7 months +

  • Infants attached to one caregiver, their ‘primary attachment figure’
  • Infants display attachment behaviours (separation + stranger anxiety)
35
Q

Describe the Multiple Attachments Stage of attachment

A

Shortly after Specific Stage (29% within a month of it), most by 1 yr old

  • Infants form secondary attachments to other caregivers
  • Infants display attachment behaviours (separation + stranger anxiety) to multiple people
36
Q

Outline Schaffer + Emerson’s 1964 study

A

Aim:
- To investigate the process by which attachments are formed
Sample:
- 60 babies + their mums
- Working class families from Glasgow
Procedure:
- Longitudinal study
- Visited infants (+mums) at home monthly until 1yr old, then again at 18 months old
- Observed + did interviews (on attachment behaviours)
Findings:
- 6 to 8 months old, most had separation anxiety
- One month later, most had stranger anxiety
- By 18 months, 87% had multiple attachments
Conclusion:
- Attachments formed in same linear process, outlined in Schaffer’s Stages of Attachment

37
Q

Give 2 positive evaluation points for Stages of Attachment

A

Methodology

  • Longitudinal
  • Reduced extraneous variables of a 1 off study
  • Increased internal validity

Practical applications

  • Stages can be used to understand infant development
  • Can help parents (eg know to introduce child to nursery during indiscriminate stage, where no separation/stranger anxiety)
38
Q

Give 2 negative evaluation points for Stages of Attachment

A

Low generalisability

  • Limited sample (60, working class from Glasgow) reduces population validity across GB and also across the world (nomothetic theory is unreasonable, eg collectivist cultures form multiple attachments faster)
  • Not recent (1964) reduces temporal validity
  • Results may not apply to everyone forever

Debates & issues

  • Reductionist
  • Only predominantly based on 2 attachment behaviours (separation + stranger anxiety)
  • Stages may be over-simplified, lowering validity, as trying to create a too-generic ‘one size fits all’
39
Q

What role has been heavily debated regarding attachment?

A

The role of the father

40
Q

How is ‘father’ defined in psychology?

A

Anyone who takes on the role of the male caregiver

41
Q

What 3 theories exist about the role of the father?

A
  • Father cannot act as primary attachment figure
  • Father has a role as a playmate
  • Father can act as primary attachment figure
42
Q

Outline the theory that the father cannot act as the primary attachment figure

A
  • Men are not psychologically/biologically/socially equipped to form primary attachments
  • Men have less oestrogen (less of an innate tendency to care)
  • Men have low sensitive responsiveness to infants, so are less able to have the caregiver-infant interactions important in forming attachments
43
Q

Give 2 pieces of research that support the role of the father as not being the primary attachment figure

A

Hrdy (1999)

  • Found fathers less able to detect infant distress than mothers
  • Supports theory they have low sensitive responsiveness, less caregiver-infant interactions

Schaffer + Emerson (1964)

  • Found fathers statistically less likely to become primary attachment
  • Only 3% attachments within first 7 months were to father (primary)
  • 75% had attachment to father within first 18 months (multiple)
44
Q

Outline the theory that the father acts as a playmate

A
  • Fathers make unique contributions as playmates

- Fathers help with exciting stimulation, rather than nurturing emotional development

45
Q

Give 2 pieces of research that support the role of the father as a playmate

A

Grossmann et al (2002)

  • Longitudinal study
  • Found adolescents only affected by attachments to MOTHER + quality of play with FATHER
  • Supports father’s important role as playmate

Geiger (1996)

  • Analysed play
  • Father’s play more exciting
  • Mother’s play more nurturing
  • Supports father’s tendencies to stimulate fun + excitement, not nurture
46
Q

Outline the role of the father as the primary attachment figure

A
  • Men have no innate attachment issue (eg same sensitive responsiveness)
  • Men can act as primary attachment figures when given opportunity
  • Men often don’t take on this role due to social stereotypes of gender roles (traditionally work, so spend less time with infant to attach)
47
Q

Give 2 pieces of research that support the role of the father as the primary attachment figure

A

Field (1978)

  • Filmed 4 month old infants with: primary mothers, primary fathers, secondary fathers
  • Found similar levels of high caregiver-infant interactions between primary mothers + primary fathers
  • Suggests men have same biological potential to form first attachment

Belsky et al (2009)

  • Found males with high marital intimacy displayed more secure father-infant attachments
  • Suggests role of father is dependent on time spent with infant, not limited by gender, as an involved father can form good attachment
48
Q

Give 2 positive evaluation points for the role of the father

A

Research support
- There are 2 pieces of strong research support for each theory

Practical application
- As one theory shows potential for fathers to act as primary attachment figures, it can give couples reassurance (eg gay couples)

49
Q

Give 2 negative evaluation points for the role of the father

A

Research is inconclusive
- There are three contrasting theories, all supported by research, that draw contrasting conclusions

Social and economic implications

  • One theory suggests fathers cannot form primary attachments
  • If this is the case, mothers may feel pressurised to stay at home
  • May interrupt jobs/cut off primary source of income

Psychology - VC - Attachment (6 decks)

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