3 - Attachment Flashcards
What does ‘attachment’ mean?
A close, two-way emotional bond between two individuals in which each individual sees the other as essential for their own emotional security
What 3 things do people display when they have an attachment?
- Proximity
- Separation anxiety
- Secure-base behaviours
What does ‘proximity’ mean?
When we want to feel physically close to our attachment figures
What does ‘separation anxiety’ mean?
What is displayed when we become distressed when away from our attachment figures
What does ‘secure-base behaviour’ mean?
Even when we choose to be independent, we check regularly with our attachment figures
What does ‘caregiver’ mean?
Any person who provides care for a child
What are 2 types of caregiver-infant interactions?
Reciprocity and interactional synchrony
What does ‘reciprocity’ mean?
A two-way, mutual process where each person responds to the other’s actions
What does ‘interactional synchrony’ mean?
When a caregiver and infant reflect the actions and emotions of the other in a coordinated way
What was the aim of Meltzoff and Moore’s still face study (1977)?
To observe the behaviour of infants in response to a stimulus (caregiver)
What were the IV and DV of Meltzoff and Moore’s still face study (1977)?
IV - type of stimulus (3 different faces and 1 hand gesture)
DV - how many times the infant protruded their tongue and moved their head, using 4 behavioural categories (mouth opening, termination of mouth opening, tongue protrusion and termination of tongue protrusion)
What were the findings of Meltzoff and Moore’s still face study (1977)?
A clear association between infant and caregiver’s behaviour
What was the conclusion of Meltzoff and Moore’s still face study (1977)?
The findings suggest that interactional synchrony is natural
What was the aim of Schaffer and Emerson’s Glasgow babies study (1964)?
To investigate attachment formation
What was the method of Schaffer and Emerson’s Glasgow babies study (1964)?
- 60 babies from working-class Glaswegian families (5-23 weeks old at the start of the study)
- Researches visited the babies in their homes, every months for 12 months, and once at 18 months
- Researchers interviewed the mothers and observed the children
What were the findings of Schaffer and Emerson’s Glasgow babies study (1964)?
- At 25-32 weeks, 50% of the babies showed separation anxiety towards their mothers
- By 40 weeks, 80% of the babies had a specific attachment
- 30% had started to form multiple attachments
What was the conclusion of Schaffer and Emerson’s Glasgow babies study (1964)?
- The results provide some support for Schaffer’s stages of attachment
- Suggested that attachments form through a series of stages across the first year of life
What are the names of Schaffer and Emerson’s Stages of Attachment?
- Indiscriminate stage
- Beginnings of attachment
- Discriminate attachment
- Multiple attachments
Describe the ‘indiscriminate stage’ of attachment
- From birth → 2 months
- No preference to any objects/people
- Preference to social stimuli
Describe the ‘beginnings of attachment’ stage of attachment
- From 2 → 6 months
- Can distinguish familiar people from strangers
- No stranger anxiety - comforted by anyone
Describe the ‘discriminate stage’ of attachment
- From 7 → 12 months
- Separation and stranger anxiety start to be seen
- Preference to primary attachment figure
Describe the ‘multiple attachments’ stage of attachment
- 1 year +
- Discriminate attachments are formed with others
- Secondary attachment figure is often the father
What does imprinting mean?
An innate readiness to develop a strong bond with the mother during the critical period
What does sexual imprinting mean?
The idea that imprinting can affect mating and mate choice
What was the aim of Lorenz’s gosling study (1935)?
To investigate infant attachment in geese
What were the IVs and DV of Lorenz’s gosling study (1935)?
- IV (1) - chick raised from birth by mother
- IV (2) - chick raised from birth by Lorenz
- DV following the mother or Lorenz
What were the findings of Lorenz’s gosling study (1935)?
- Chicks always followed the first adult they saw
- The effect seemed permanent
- They chose to mate with Lorenz’s boots
What was the conclusion of Lorenz’s gosling study (1935)?
There is a critical period just after birth when infants imprint on the first adult they come into contact with
What was the aim of Harlow’s monkey study (1959)?
To investigate infant attachment in monkeys
What were the IVs and DVs of Harlow’s monkey study (1959)?
Experiment 1 - choosing mother:
- IV (1) - food on wire mother
- IV (2) - food on cloth mother
- DV (1+2) - time spent with each mother
Experiment 2 - scary toy:
- IV (3) - stranger anxiety/secure-base behaviour
- DV (3) - secure base behaviour and mother choice
What were the findings of Harlow’s monkey study (1959)?
- All monkeys spent much longer with the cloth mother, regardless of food location
- All used the cloth mother for comfort and explored new toys more willingly with cloth mother in the room