Attachment Flashcards
Complete
What are the names of the psychologists for attachment?
Schaffer, Lorenz, Harlow, Bowlby, van Ijzendoorn
What is an attachment?
A strong, long-lasting, emotional tie or bond between two people
What identifies an attachment?
Proximity seeking, separation distress, pleasure on reunion
What is reciprocity?
Turn taking behaviour, action and reaction, like a conversation, behaviours can differ
What is interactional synchrony?
Co-ordinated behaviour/emotions, as if they were one, mirroring, at the same time
What was Meltzoff and Moore’s aim?
To investigate interactional synchrony in caregiver-infant interactions
What was Meltzoff and Moore’s procedure?
Controlled observation, adult model displayed 3 facial expressions, 1 hand movement, a dummy prevented response, recorded
What were Meltzoff and Moore’s findings? (caregiver-infant interactions)
There was an association between the infant behaviour and that of the adult model as young as 3 days old
What were Meltzoff and Moore’s conclusions?
Imitation behaviours aren’t learnt overtime, interactional synchrony must be innate
Who did the Glasgow Baby Study?
Schaffer and Emerson
What was the aim of Schaffer and Emerson’s study?
A longitudinal study to investigate the development of attachments
What was the sample in Schaffer and Emerson’s study?
60 infants from working class families in Glasgow and their mothers
What was the procedure of Schaffer and Emerson’s study? (not with sample)
Naturalistic observation, looked at separation distress and stranger anxiety, mothers visited monthly for first year (then at 18 and 24 months), self report infant’s response to being alone
What were Schaffer and Emerson’s findings?
Attachments develop slowly over first year, single then multiple, created the stages of attachment
What were Schaffer and Emerson’s conclusions?
It is the quality of the relationship that is important not quantity
What are the 4 stages of attachment?
Asocial, indiscriminate, specific, multiple
How long does the asocial stage last?
From birth to 2 months
What is the asocial stage like?
Infants respond in same way to animate and inanimate objects
When is the indiscriminate attachment stage?
2-7 months
What is an infant like in the indiscriminate stage?
Enjoy being with people, recognise familiar people, no preference of person
When is the specific attachment stage?
7-12 months
What is the specific attachment stage like?
Primary attachment figure, dislike everyone else, joy on reunion, stranger anxiety, separation anxiety
By 6-8 months how many babies (not %) showed separation anxiety towards a specific adult?
30 (half)
Who will be the primary attachment figure? (Schaffer and Emerson)
The person who responds quickly and sensitively to the infant’s needs
When is the multiple attachments stage?
Shortly after the main attachment is established
What is the multiple attachments stage?
Small group of attachments, identified with separation anxiety
By 40 weeks/10 months, what percentage of babies displayed multiple attachments? (Schaffer and Emerson)
30%
By 40 weeks/10 months, what percentage of babies displayed a specific attachment? (Schaffer and Emerson)
80%
Who said 1 primary attachment is vital?
Bowlby (1950s) - monotropy
Why are Bowlby’s views on multiple attachments outdated?
1950s, childcare was mothers role, lacks temporal validity
What did Bowlby suggest regarding if multiple attachment are important?
Unimportant, only first one matters/is vital for healthy development
Who said that multiple attachments are possible?
Schaffer (1960s)
By 18 months what percentage of babies had 5 or more attachments? (Schaffer and Emerson)
31%
Who said attachments have a hierarchy?
Schaffer, 1 attachment may be stronger than the others
Who said multiple attachments can be beneficial?
Silverstein and Ruiz (2000s)
How can multiple attachments be beneficial?
It can help babies whose mothers have post-natal depression, the child will be less likely to be depressed as an adult
What is a strength of research into caregiver-infant interactions?
Well controlled procedures, filmed
Inter-observer reliability of 0.92
Valid data
Are there demand characteristics of research into caregiver-infant interactions?
No, don’t know or care they are being observed as they are babies
Why can’t we draw firm conclusions from caregiver-infant interactions research?
Babies move constantly, so is it intentional?
No cause and effect, observation since unethical to experiment
Why is caregiver-infant interactions research socially sensitive?
Suggests development disadvantaged for infants with working mothers or mothers with post natal depression. It deems them bad mothers
What are practical applications of research into caregiver-infant interactions?
Adoptive parents taught how to bond in therapy, research shows therapy group had stronger bonds
What is a strength of research into stages of attachment?
Naturalistic so the way data was collected meant no behaviour adapted, so no demand characteristics, valid
What are 2 methodological issues of research into stages of attachment?
Self report methods, inaccurate data due to overemphasis
Sample was biased, working class, not generalisable
How is research into stages of attachment culturally biased?
Western individualist cultures. In collectivist child care is shared so no specific attachment
How is research into stages of attachment socially sensitive?
Families labelled as abnormal if multiple attachments comes first (links to cultural differences)
How is research into stages of attachment outdated?
Done in 1963, lacks temporal validity, fathers involved, mothers work, same sex couples, grandparents involved
What are two reasons why fathers play a less important role than mothers?
Social factors and biological factors
Who argued that fathers play a less important role than mothers?
Schaffer and Emerson
What social factors play a role in explaining why fathers play a less important role?
Cultural expectations, it is feminine to be nurturing and sensitive, also they work, mothers stay home the first couple years
What biological factors play a role in explaining why fathers are less likely to be the primary caregiver?
Men produce very little oestrogen (caregiving behaviour) and oxytocin (bonding), so less sensitive
What percentage of babies had their father as their first attachment in Schaffer and Emerson’s research?
3%
What is the supporting evidence for fathers playing a less important role than mothers?
Hrdy - father less able to detect low levels of infant distress, so are less nurturing/sensitive
What is the challenging evidence for fathers playing a less important role than mothers?
Field - 4mo, primary mothers same as primary caregiver fathers, secondary less smiles, imitations, holds. Level of responsiveness influences quality of attachment, not gender
What is the challenging evidence for fathers playing an important but different role from mothers?
Hrdy - father less able to detect low levels of infant distress, less nurturing/sensitive
What is the supporting evidence for fathers playing an important but different role from mothers?
Field.
Geiger - fathers’ play exciting, mothers’ play affectionate and nurturing, father is playmate, mother is nurturer
What is the quality of fathers’ play with infants related to? (father’s role is important but different)
The quality of children’s attachment in adolescence
What two ways does a father’s role differ from a mother?
Playmate, disciplinary figure
What is the role of the father in terms of play? (father’s role is important but different)
Physically active, challenging situations, problem-solving, communication.
Important for cognitive and social development
What is the role of the father in terms of boundaries? (father’s role is important but different)
Set clearer boundaries, teach to respect others’ boundaries.
Children without fathers show aggression and risk-taking at school.
Important for preventing negative developmental outcomes
What is the third theory on the role of the father?
We don’t know as there are many factors that influence the role of the father: cultural, socio-economic, quality/strength of relationship, more useful to view as specific to individual families.
Difficult to research too, experiment unethical, no cause and effect, many different roles in society
What was Lorenz’s aim?
To investigate the effect of imprinting in newly hatched geese
What Lorenz’s procedure?
Randomly divided 12 eggs into 2 groups, A left with mother, B with him, he was first moving object they saw, then put together to see if they would follow him
What were Lorenz’s findings?
Group A followed mother, B followed him, imprinted to him, displayed mating rituals to him. If imprinting didn’t occur in few hours, chicks did not attach
What were Lorenz’s conclusions?
Imprinting is limited to a critical period, otherwise they won’t imprint.
It is irreversible, and has an effect on mate preferences.
Imprinting is adaptive behaviour
What is the supporting evidence for Lorenz’s ideas?
Guiton’s chickens, animals imprint on any moving object (rubber gloves). Reliable
What is the challenging evidence for Lorenz’s ideas?
Guiton’s chickens, not permanent, they moved away from gloves to other chickens. Overstated permanence
What is a criticism of Lorenz’s research? (not ethics or challenging evidence)
Geese and humans are different, cannot generalise to humans. e.g. geese imprint, humans attach, also humans can’t walk when born
What was Harlow’s aim?
To investigate whether or not attachment is based on food/being fed
What was Harlow’s procedure?
8 newborn monkeys isolated, 2 surrogate ‘mothers’, 1 wire with bottle, 1 cloth, recorded time spent with each mother and responses when frightened
What were Harlow’s findings?
All preferred cloth, when frightened clung to cloth, when feeding spent as little time on wire as possible, long-lasting effects: unable to socialise/mate, rejected offspring
What were Harlow’s conclusions?
Infants attach not to person who feeds them, but to person who offers comfort through contact.
First attachment has profound long-lasting effects
What is the worst thing to describe the surrogate monkey mother as?
Sensitive/insensitive as they are inanimate
What were the practical applications that arose from Harlow’s research?
Infants need more than food to be psychologically healthy, policy changes in hospitals + children’s homes
Proved cupboard love theory incorrect
What were the methodological issues with Harlow’s research?
Faces of mothers were different, cloth looked more like a monkey, this is a confounding variable, invalid
Why can’t we generalise Harlow’s conclusions?
Monkeys and humans are different, humans make conscious decisions
Why were Harlow and Lorenz’s research unethical?
Long-lasting damage (especially to the monkeys)
Why do attachments form according to the learning theory?
Attachments develop because we learn to feel close to someone else (nurture)
What is the 2 process model of learning theory of attachments?
There isn’t one, there is no order, simply operant and classical conditioning both involved
How do infants learn to attach through classical conditioning?
Learns to associate caregiver with feeding/comfort because the caregiver feeds them, eventually feel pleasure with caregiver when not being fed
How many feeds does it take for an attachment to form according to the learning theory of attachments?
5-7 feeds
Do we form attachments through punishment, reinforcement or both?
Only reinforcement
Who will the strongest attachment form with according to the learning theory of attachments?
The person who does the most primary care (feeding)
What do we expect attachments to do over time according to the learning theory of attachments?
Get stronger (until a point)
How are infants operantly conditioned to form an attachment according to the learning theory of attachments?
They coo, smile, or cry which brings a positive response from the caregiver, this acts as reinforcement (can be negative or positive reinforcement) e.g. cry when hungry, gets fed, negative reinforcement of reduction of hunger
How are caregivers operantly conditioned to form an attachment according to the learning theory of attachments?
Negative reinforcement: reduction of crying after feeding a hungry infant
Positive reinforcement: reward of smiles/coos after feeding a hungry infant
What is a strength of the learning theory of attachments?
Used scientific methods, controlled, evidence can therefore be confidently used to support theory
How does Harlow’s research act as challenging evidence to the learning theory of attachments?
Preferred the cloth ‘mother’ that did not provide food but instead provided comfort through contact, food isn’t main factor