4.2 Development of attachment Flashcards
What happens during early interactions between an infant and an adult ?
- The infant has an active and intentional role
- Interactions are bi-directional, with synchrony, reciprocity and mutual attunement
What are early interactions useful for ?
They are a core aspect of the development of the infant’s affective bond to its parents.
Which factor directly impact the development of attachment ?
- The development of attachment depends upon the quality of interaction
- Differences in attachment patterns can be partly attributed to the quality of caregiving
What are the contributing factors to infant behavioral organization ?
- nature and delay of the primary caregiver’s responses throughout the first year
- infants build expectations regarding maternal behavior in different situations
- and learn to organize their own behavior in a way consistent with their expectations
In a healthy mother-infant dyad, how does the infant use the mother ?
- As a safety haven
- As a secure base for exploration (emotional refueling, protection and encouragement)
What behavior indicates that the parent is used as a secure base ?
- Moving away from, then back toward, the parent.
- Moving away possible thanks to confidence in the parent availability
- moving toward : sure of the parent’s acceptance and welcome
What is the Strange situation ?
Paradigmatic observational measure of infant attachment behavior :
8 brief episodes of interaction, separation, reunion, with infant, parent and a stranger
Infant behavioral organization especially during reunion : reflection of his or her expectations regarding parental behavior
What is secure attachment ?
- protests at separation, welcome the parent back and seeks proximity
- the parent is a secure base for ressurance and exploration
- Parents : sensitive, responding promptly and appropriately, provide a supportive, predictable and coherent context
What is insecure-avoidant attachment ?
- Less disturbed by separation, no need for comfort or accept soothing from the stranger
- independent, explore the environment without using the parent as a secure base
- ignore the parent at reunion (do not expect soothing from them)
- Parents : predictably insensitive, perhaps stressful (intrusive or rejecting behaviors)
What is insecure-ambivalent attachment ?
- Highly disturbed by the procedure, anxious at separation
- At reunion, may simultaneously seek physical proximity and show rejection and anger - reflect their uncertainty about the parent’s reaction and availability
- Parents : lack appropriateness and consistency in their caregiving beahviors
What is disorganized attachment and what can be its consequences ?
- No organized pattern, display contradictory or atypical behaviors, the infant seems afraid of the parent. Parent : source of fear - the infant is in a dilemma (fright without solution).
- The parents themselves suffer from unresolved trauma. Display insensitive, odd, abdicating, role reversal, frightening or frightened behavior
- Disorganized attachment linked to child maltreatment, neglect, trauma, role reversal
Consequences : Development of peer agression or externalizing behaviors.
May be a central mechanism in the emergence of many disturbances in maltreated children.
What’s the parent’s role according to Bowlby ?
- Being available, ready to respond when called upon to encourage and assist
- intervene only when clearly necessary
What’s the impact of parental sensitivity and responsiveness ?
- help in the formation of secure attachment
- allow the parents to notice their baby’s signals and be knowledgeable about their infant
- infants of sensitive parents : respond more positively to physical contact, cry less, vocalize more to their parents
What can be done to enhance parent-infant interaction ?
Increase parental awareness of the infant’s competencies –> mothers more likely to spend time stimulating their infant, be more responsive to his signals
Improvements in mother-infant interaction may be linked to long term positive child outcomes.
