3.1.3 Attachment Flashcards
What is an attachment?
- Emotional tie or bond between 2 people
- Relationship is reciprocal (shared) = two-way relationship
What is reciprocity?
- Actions of one person elicits a response from other & vice versa
- Interactions flow back and forth
Describe reciprocity between infants and carers
- Results in mutual behaviour where both parties are able to generate a response
- Interactions facilitate and strengthen the attachment bond
Describe a study that supports reciprocity occuring between infants and carers
Tronick et al. (1979)
- Mothers, who were engaged in dialogue with their babies, were told to stop moving & remain static
- Babies → puzzled and distressed when their smiles = didn’t provoke reciprocal response
- Highlights how babies engage & anticipate reciprocal responses to their own behaviour
What is interactional synchrony?
When infants imitate actions or emotions from an adult model
e.g. facial expressions, hand gestures
Name a study that supports interactional synchrony
Meltzoff and Moore (1977)
Interactional Synchrony: Meltzoff and Moore (1977)
What was their aim?
Examine interactional synchrony
Interactional Synchrony: Meltzoff and Moore (1977)
Describe their method
- Using controlled observation, adult model displayed 3 facial expression or hand gestures
- 1st baby had dummy in their mouth = prevent facial response
- 2nd display from adult = dummy was removed & child’s expression was filmed
Interactional Synchrony: Meltzoff and Moore (1977)
What was their conclusion?
Interactional synchrony = innate & reduces claim that imitative behaviour is learned
Name one postive evaluation point about caregiver-infant interactions
Pratical Application
Caregiver-Infant Interactions
Elaborate on the postive evaluation point: Pratical Application
- Mothers can be placed in same rooms with their children instantly
- So they form attachment bonds unlike previous practice where they were kept separated
Name 3 negative evaluation points about caregiver-infant interactions
- Lacks validity
- Overlooks individual differences
- Lacks reliability
Caregiver-Infant Interactions
Elaborate on the negative evaluation point: Lacks validity
- Testing infant behaviour difficult ∵ facial expressions = continuously changing
- Meltzoff & Moore study may lack validity - expressions (e.g. sticking their tongue out) = constantly in young babies
- ∴ it’s difficult to distinguish between general behaviour and actual interactional synchrony
Caregiver-Infant Interactions
Elaborate on the negative evaluation point: Lacks reliability
- Successive attempts to replicate findings in Meltzoff & Moore’s study have failed
- e.g. Koepke et al (1983) = unable to recreate same finings
- One weakness claimed by Meltzoff and Moore was their study lacked control and thus had ecological validity
Caregiver-Infant Interactions
Elaborate on the negative evaluation point: Overlooks individual differences
- Recent research shows only securely attached infants engage in interactional synchrony
- e.g. Isabella et al. (1989): more securely attached the infant = greater level of interactional synchrony
- Suggests not all children engage in interactional synchrony
- & Meltzoff and Moore = findings may have overlooked individuals differences = could be mediating factor
Name the 4 stages of attachment
- Asocial
- Indiscriminate Attachments
- Discriminate (Specific) Attachments
- Multiple Attachments
Describe the asocial stage
From birth to 2 months
- Infant shows same responses to objects and people
- End of stage = bias towards human stimuli - preferences for faces and eyes
- & can distinguish between peoples voices and smells with reciprocity and interactional synchrony evident in relationships
Describe the indiscriminate attachments stage
From 2 to 6 months
- More sociable = show preference for human company over inanimate objects
- Can distinguish between different people but are comforted indiscriminately (by anyone)
- (Don’t show stranger anxiety)
Describe the discriminate attachments stage
From 7 to 12 months
- Infant show preference for one caregivers = displays separation and stranger anxiety
- Infant looks to particular person for security and protection
- Show joy and relief upon reunion by primary caregiver
Describe the multiple attachments stage
One year onwards
Attachment behaviours = displayed towards several different people (e.g. siblings, grandparents) AKA secondary attachments formed
State the aim of Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) study
Examine formation of early attachments
State the method of Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) study
- Studied 60 babies from working class families in Glasgow aged 5-23 weeks until 1 years old & once again at 18 months
- Researchers visited mothers every month to report their child’s response to separation
- Intensity separation anxiety was recored on 4 point scale
State the results of Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) study
- Provided some support for different stages of developing an attachment around 25-32 weeks
- 50% of children showed separation anxiety towards their mothers
- By 40 weeks - 80% of children had specific attachment & 30% formed multiple attachments
State the conclusion of Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) study
Results provide some support for Schaffer’s stages of attachment
Name one postive evaluation point about Schaffer’s stages of attachment
High external validity
Name 2 negative evaluation point about Schaffer’s stages of attachment
- Lacks population validity
- Social desirability basis
Schaffer’s Stages of Attachment
Elaborate on the postitive evaluation point: High external validity
- Observations conducted in each child’s own home
- = children and parents more likely to act naturally
- Results can be apply to children from similar demographic
Schaffer’s Stages of Attachment
Elaborate on the negative evaluation point: Lacks population validity
- Based on 60 working class mothers and babies from Glasgow in 1960s
- Who may form different attachments compared to wealthier families form other countries
- ∴ can’t generalise results to other social groups or cultures as behaviour might not be comparable
- Conducted in 1960 = lack validity to modern day
- Caring practices changed a lot + education and employability of mothers
- Many infants now in care of nursery settings or with fathers who stay home/are primary caregiver
- Study repeated today = findings may be unreliable and different
Schaffer’s Stages of Attachment
Elaborate on the negative evaluation point: Social desirability basis
- Mother reported their infant interactions = biased, display themselves in positive light
- e.g. some may been less responsive to infants needs = less likely to report it
- & others may have told what they thought researchers wanted ∵ demand characteristics
- ∴ bias in data = reduce internal validity of finings ∵ natural behaviour ≠ recorded
Name 4 points about the role of the father (AO1)
- Playmate opposed to caregiver
- Traditionally: fathers ≠ primary attachment figures
- Fathers not psychologically equipped to form close bonds
- Role of father has changed now
The Role of the Father
Elaborate on point: Playmate opposed to caregiver
- Encourage problem solving through placing cognitive demands
- Lack of sensitivity from fathers = encourages this type of behaviour
The Role of the Father
Elaborate on point: Traditionally - fathers ≠ primary attachment figures
Played secondary attachment roles
- ∵ playing traditional roles as bread earner and mothers stay home establishing closer bonds
- Gender stereotypes affect role of father = seen as feminine to be sensitive needs of children
The Role of the Father
Elaborate on point: Fathers not psychologically equipped to form close bonds unlike mother
- Lack emotional sensitivity required
- Females produce oestrogen = promotes caring behaviour and sensitivity while males don’t
Name 4 factors affecting the attachment between father and infant
- Degree of sensitivity
- Marital intimacy
- Type of attachment with own parents
- Supportive co-parenting
Name 4 evaluation points about the role of the father (AO3)
- Playmate
- Secure attachments with fathers
- Weaknesses of studies into fathers’ role
- Martial intimacy
The Role of the Father
Elaborate on evolution point: Playmate
- Lamb (1987): children preferred interacting with their fathers but only in positive state & wanting to stimulated
- Mothers were sought for comfort when distressed
- Supports idea father = playmates VS mothers = emotional support
The Role of the Father
Elaborate on evolution point: Secure attachments with fathers
- Positive role of father affects development of child
- Secure attachments with fathers = better relationships with peers & less problematic behaviours
- Children without father figures = do less academically well with higher levels of risk taking behaviour and aggression
The Role of the Father
Elaborate on evolution point: Weaknesses of studies into fathers’ role
- Focused on single mothers from poor backgrounds
- Higher levels of aggression and poor academic performance ∵ of social economic standing not absence of father
- Based on correlational research
- Cannot establish cause and effect between fathers relationship and problematic behaviour observed in children
- Confounding variables might have affected their development (e.g. being bullied)
The Role of the Father
Elaborate on evolution point: Martial intimacy
- Fathers can display sensitive responsiveness required with children
- Belsky et al (2009) found high levels of martial intimacy correlated positively with secure father-infant interactions
- Relationship between fathers and mother = affects attachment type of father with child
- But data correlational - secure father-infant relationships = greater martial intimacy
What was the aim of Lorenz’s (1935) study?
Examine imprinting in non-human animals
Define imprinting
Where offspring follows & forms an attachment bond to 1st large moving object they see
Describe the method of Lorenz’s (1935) study
- Randomly divided greylag goose eggs into 2 batches
- 1st batch - control group - hatched naturally by mother
- 2nd batch - experimental group - placed incubator & Lorenz was 1st large moving object they saw
- Following behaviour, of either mother goose or Lorenz, was recorded
- Lorenz marked gooslings & placed them under upside-down box
- Box removed, following behaviour recorded again
Describe the 5 findings of Lorenz’s (1935) study
- Straight after birth, naturally-hatched goslings followed their mother goose VS incubator-hatched goslings followed Lorenz
- Same thing happened when box was removed
- Imprinting only occurred within critical period of 4-25 hours after hatching
- Relationship persisted over time & was irreversible
- Found that birds imprinted on humans would later in life attempts to mate with humans
- Imprinting has impact on mate preference
Name 2 +ve evaluation points about Lorenz’s study
- Study has reliability
- Practical real world applications
Name 2 -ve evaluation points about Lorenz’s study
- Cannot fully generalise results to humans
- Imprinting may not be irreversible
Lorenz’s study
Elaborate on the +ve evaluation point: Study has reliability
- Numerous studies have replicated Lorenz’s work & found similar results
- e.g. Gulton (1966) leghorn chicks that were exposed to yellow rubber glove became imprinted on them
- Supports view that young bird are innately predisposed to attach to 1st moving object they see
- Chicks then try to mate with gloves - supports Lorenz’s findings that if affect sexual behaviour
Lorenz’s study
Elaborate on the +ve evaluation point: Practical real world applications
- e.g. imprinting migratory birds to microlight aircrafts to teach them migratory flight paths
- been used successfully to reintroduce birds to areas where they have become extinct
Lorenz’s study
Elaborate on the -ve evaluation point: Imprinting may not be irreversible
- Gulton (1966) found that chickens who had imprinted themselves to yellow gloves and tried to mate with them
- Would later mate with other chickens provided they had spent enough time with them
- Suggests imprinting may have learned element too & not be completely biological
Lorenz’s study
Elaborate on the -ve evaluation point: Cannot fully generalise results to humans
- Studied non-human animals - greylag geese - can’t conclude humans attach in the same way
- Attachment formation in mammals = very different to bird species
- e.g. mothers show more emotional reactions to offspring & can form attachments beyond 1st few hours after birth
- Lorenz’s findings = greatly influenced understanding of development and attachment formation
- BUT be wary about drawing wider conclusions about results
Describe the aim of Harlow’s (1959) study
Examine extent to which contact comfort and food influences attachment behaviour in baby rhesus monkeys
Describe the method of Harlow’s (1959) study
- Baby rheus monkeys were separated from their mothers and raised in isolation cages exposed to 2 surrogate mothers
- Soft ‘towelling mother’
- Harsh ‘wire mother’
- 8 monkeys exposed to either mum having milk bottle
- Measurements made through observations on…
- amount of time monkeys spent with each mother
- their responses when frightened (by e.g. mechanical bear)
- or when placed in large cage
Describe the findings of Harlow’s (1959) study
- All monkeys spent majority of time with ‘towelling mother’
- When frightened, clung onto ‘towelling mother’ for reassurance
- Monkeys with ‘wire mother’ = distress, diarrhoea
- In large cage: greater exploration behaviour seen by monkeys with ‘towelling mother’ → shows emotional security
Describe the conclusion of Harlow’s (1959) study (3x)
- Baby rhesus monkeys have innate drive to seek contact comfort from parent
- Form attachment with person giving contact comfort > food
- Contact comfort = higher willingness to explore surroundings and lower levels of stress
Name 2 +ve evaluation points about Harlow’s study
- Real-World Applications
- Supported by Schaffer’s stages of attachments
Name 2 -ve evaluation points about Harlow’s study
- Unethical
- Lacks external validity and generalisation to human population
Harlow’s study
Elaborate on the +ve evaluation point: Real-World Applications
- e.g. Howe (1998) reports knowledge gained from Harlow = helped social workers understand risk factors in neglect and abuse with human children
- Can prevent it from occurring/recognise when to intervene
- e.g. care of captive wild monkeys in zoos or breeding programs = ensure they have adequate attachment figures
Harlow’s study
Elaborate on the +ve evaluation point: Supported by Schaffer’s stages of attachments
- Infants attached to those sensitive to their needs NOT those who feed them
- ‘Towelling mother’ provided contact + comfort and thus sensitivity to monkeys needs during times of distress
Harlow’s study
Elaborate on the -ve evaluation point: Unethical
- Experienced distress from being separated from biological mother at early age
- & subjected to intentional emotional harm thorough fear tactics to observe their behaviour
- Long negative lasting effects: struggled to form relationships with peers
- So unethical that American animal liberation movement was born
- Questions how far animal research can go in name of science
Harlow’s study
Elaborate on the -ve evaluation point: Lacks external validity and generalisation to human population
- Studied monkeys’ attachment behaviour
- May not be representative of human behaviour ∵ different species + humans have greater conscious awareness in their decisions
- However, monkeys share approx 94% of our genetics - findings could have validity in humans to some degree
Describe the learning theory
Infants learn to become attached to their primary caregiver via classical conditioning & operant conditioning