Attachemnt - Paper 1 Flashcards
What is meant by INTERACTIONAL SYNCHRONY in terms of attachment?
Mother and infant reflect both the actions and emotions in a co-ordinated way
what is meant by RECIPROCITY in terms of attachment?
Mother infant interaction respond to each others signals
Describe one way in which psychologist have investigated the caregiver infant interactions
Meltzof and Moore observed interactional synchrony. Adult display 1 of 3 facial expressions.
Response filmed
Association found
Referring to research describe the role of the father in development
Grossman.
Quality of infant attachment - quality of play with father
Stimulation role
Secondary caregiver - can play primary
Outline 1 strength of research into caregiver interactions
Controlled nature - fine detail, increased validity
Outline 1 weakness of research into caregiver infant interactions
Observing simple gestures and expressions
Hard assume infant intention
Cannot be sure they are special
Outline 2 weaknesses of research on the role of the father
Children who grow up in same sex or single parent - no different
Role not important
Inconsistent findings
Picture unclear
Outline Schaffer and Emersons study into the formation of early relationships
Age of attachment formation
Mothers 60 babies
Glasgow
Reported weekly stranger and separation anxiety
Primary caregiver 32 weeks
What are the 4 stages of attachment?
Asocial - happier with humans
Indiscriminate - 2-7 months, prefer humans
Specific - from 7 months, stranger and separation anxiety
Multiple - shortly after, separation from multiple attachments
Why does Schaffer and Emerson’s study have good external validity?
Observations took place in the participants natural environment
What are 2 weaknesses of Schaffers stages of attachment?
Measuring attachment - child cries doesn’t not have to mean attachment
Conflicting evidence - van Ijzendoorn et al found different contexts multiple attachments may come first
What is ETHOLOGY?
The study of animal behaviour
What is IMPRINTING?
Animals attaching to the first moving object they see
What is the CRITICAL PERIOD?
Imprinting must occur within a few hours / days / weeks after birth
What is SEXUAL IMPRINTING?
Birds show courtship behaviour towards whatever species they imprint on
Outline LORENZ’S research into attachment?
2 groups of goslings
1 saw Lorenz other their mother
What is the importance of CONTACT COMFORT?
Animals like monkeys prefer a soft toy mother to wire one regardless of which provides milk
What is MATERNAL DEPRIVATION?
Animals brought up without a mother were dysfunctional as adults
Outline HARLOW’S research into attachment
Baby monkeys given cloth or wire
Wire had feeding bottle
Importance contact comfort
Critical period seen 90 days - after attachment wouldn’t form
What did Harlow find out about the effect of maternal deprivation?
Maternally deprivation monkeys grew up socially dysfunctional
Describe 1 weakness of LORENZ’S research
Lacks generalisability - birds and mammals different attachment
Outline 1 strength of HARLOW’S research
Theoretical value - creature comfort than feeding.
Practical value - understand risk factors for child abuse
Outline 1 weakness of Harlows research
Ethical issues. Monkeys considered similar enough to humans to generalise findings.
Suffering human like
Where is the emphasis in the learning theory of attachment?
The key is food. Babies become attached to whoever feeds them
What is classical conditioning?
Food (unconditioned stimulus)
Produce pleasure (unconditioned response)
Caregiver (neutral) - associate food
What is operant conditioning?
Learning by rewards and punishment.
Babies hungry and cry
Response from parent
Baby (positive reinforcement)
Parent (negative reinforcement)
Provide counter evidence to the learning theory of attachment from animal research
Lorenzs geese - imprinted before they were fed
Harlows monkeys - attached cloth mother rather then milk
Describe Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment
Attachment innate - survival advantage
Law on continuity
Babies born with social releases - ‘cute’
Critical period - harder to form later
Internal working model - mental representation of relationship - template for what relationships are like
Briefly evaluate the idea of an internal working model
Predicts that patterns of attachment will be passed on through the generations.
Bailey et al - 99 mothers - children poorly attached if adult poorly attached.
Evaluate the existence and value of social releases
Brazleton et al - primary caregivers ignore social releases. Distress and curled up motionless. Importance.
What are three limitations of Bowlby’s monotrpoic theory of attachment
Schaffer and Emerson’s found didn’t attach to one person first. - contradicts
Feminists argue women are blamed from everything that goes wrong in Childs life
Overemphasis on role of attachment - some more anxious and some more sociable - temperamental differences
Outline the procedure from the strange situation
Controlled observation two way mirror
Proximity seeking
Exploration and secure base
Stranger anxiety
Separation anxiety
Reunion behaviour
Outline the findings of the strange situation
Secure attachment - 60 - 70%
Insecure avoidant attachment - 20 -25%
Insecure resistant attachment - 3%
Describe the three types of attachment
Secure - explores and seeks proximity, moderate anxiety, accepts comfort on reunion
Insecure avoidant - explores no proximity, little anxiety, does not require comfort
Insecure resistant - explores less, seek proximity, considerable anxiety, resist comfort
What are 2 strengths of the strange situation?
Predictive validity - predict later development - secure better at a school
Good inter-rater reliability - same children generally same conclusion 94%. Do not depend on who is watching
What are 2 limitations of the strange situation?
Culture bound - little meaning outside western society - Japanese mothers rarely separated - high anxiety
Temperament confounding variable - challenged validity - not purely measure attachment
Outline the meta analysis by Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenburg
Proportions of attachment types.
32 studies 8 countries
Secure most common
Individualistic cultures similar to aimsowrth
Collectivist cultures rates above 25% and avoidant was reduced
Variation within cultures greater than between cultures
Evaluate the samples used in Kroonenberg et al meta analysis
Very large samples - internal validity
Sample may not be representative - compare countries not cultures - rural and city different
Describe why the strange situation may be biased towards British / US culture
Designed by American researchers and is based on a British theory. Apple a theory designed for one to another imposed ethic.
Germany seen an independent not avoidant
What is the alternative explanation for the similarities between cultures
Mass media. Bowlby’s assumes the similarities were due to attachment being innate and universal.
Outline Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation
Continued emotional care from mother is essential. Separation from mother may lead maternal deprivation.
Losing emotional care
Critical period 30 months
Deprivation lower IQ
Linked affectionless psychopathology
Describe 1 study into the effect of maternal deprivation
44 delinquent teenagers accused of stealing
Families interviewed
Affectionless psychopathy - lack guilt and remorse
14/44 were
12/14 prolonged separation
5 of remaining 30 experienced separation
Outline the case of the Czech twins and how this challenges Bowlby’s theory
Twins isolated from 18 months
Later looked after by 2 loving adults
Positive outcomes, some interaction and good aftercare
Critical period more of a sensitive period
Outline how animal studies support the theory of maternal deprivation
Levy’s et al
Separating baby rats from mothers permanent negative effects on social development
Issues concerning generalisability
What is the difference between deprivation and privation?
Deprivation - loss of primary attachment figure
Privation - failure to form any attachment
Rotter argues severe long term damage more likely privation
Outline Rutter et al
165 Romanian orphans
Poor condition before adopted into UK
Half showed mental retardation when come to UK
Adopted before 6 months = IQ 102
Between 6 - 24 months = IQ 86
After 24 months = IQ 77
What are 2 strengths of the Romanian orphan study?
Important practical application - improvement in way children are cared for
Fewer confounding variables than other research - little trauma to children
What are 2 limitation of Romanian orphan study
Issues with generalisability - condition bad
Children not randomly assigned - children adopted earlier been more social. Parents selecting children
How does an infants internal working model affect their later relationships?
First attachment template for future
Secure form better friends and less likely bully
Also affect parenting
Outline the procedure from Hazen and Shavers study into romantic relationships
620 responses to love quiz
Current and important relationship, general love experiences, attachment type
Outline the findings from Hazen and Shaver’s study
56% identified secure
19% resistant
25% avoidant
Avoidant jealous and fear intimacy
Secure longer lasting relationships
Outline problems with the concept of an internal working model
Unconscious - can’t get direct evidence from self report - require conscious awareness
Correlation v causation related to IWM
Continuity between early and later
Other explanations - temperament
Outline 2 limitations of research on attachment and later relationships
Evidence mixed - Zimmerman little relationships between quality of infant and adolescent attachment
Validity issues - rely on people being honest and realistic view of relationships
