ATTACHMENT Flashcards
What is attachment
Strong emotional tie that develops over time between an infant and their primary caregiver
Which 2 pychologists studied into attachment of animals
-Lorenz 1935 geese
Harlow 1959 monkey
What was the aim of Lorenzs Study
To investigate the mechanisms of imprinting where the youngsters follow and form an attachment to the first large, moving object that they meet.
What was the procedure of Lorenzs study
- goslings were hatched either with their mother or in an incubator
- Once goslings had hatched they proceeded to follow the first moving object that they saw between 13 & 16 hours after hatching
What did Lorenz Find
geese follow the first moving object they see
What did Lorenz conclude
Lorenz concluded that the process of “imprinting” was a natural instinct
What are 2 limitations of Lorenzs study into attachment
- Criticised due to its age. E.g., conducted in 1930 attachment behaviour has changed dramatically= Might not be valid anymore.
- Issues with extrapilation. E.g., subjects of his research were non-human animals= cannot generalise to human infants and care givers
What are 2 Strengths of Lorenzs study into attachment
- Positives to studying non-human animals. E.g., they provide a simpler model of behaviour as they are less sophisticated and behaviours more easy to interpretate.
- Although outdated inspired future research. E.g., Imprinting occurs within a set time= Pratical applications critical period
What has the Aim of Harlows Study
to study the nature of attachment and how it affects monkeys who were deprived of their mothers early in life
What was Harlows procedure
separated two infant monkeys from their mothers immediately after birth and placed in cages with access to two surrogate mothers, one made of wire and one covered in soft terry toweling cloth
What did Harlow Conclude
never forming an attachment bond is permanently damaging to monkeys
What are 2 strengths of Harlows study into attachment
- Harlow’s research has profound implications for childcare. Due to the importance of early experiences on long-term development, it is vital that all of children’s needs are catered for; taking care of a child’s physical needs alone is not sufficient.
- Green (1994) states that, on a biological level at least, all mammals (including rhesus monkeys) have the same brain structure as humans; the only differences relates to size and the number of connections.
What are 2 Limitations of Harlows study into attachment
- The use of animals in research can be questioned on ethical grounds. It could be argued that animals have a right not to be researched/ harmed. The pursuit of academic conclusions for human benefits could be seen as detrimental to non-human species.
- It is questionable whether findings and conclusions can be extrapolated and applied to complex human behaviours. It is unlikely that observations of goslings following a researcher or rhesus monkeys clinging to cloth-covered wire models reflects the emotional connections and interaction that characterises human attachments.
What are 2 explanations of attachment
- Learning Theory
- Bowlbys Monotrpoic Theory
What Learning Theory Claim
That We are born as blank slates and that we learn everything about attachment from our environment via classical and operant conditioning
What is classical Conditioning
learning through association
What is Operant Conditioning
a method of learning that employs rewards and punishments for behavior
Who carried out research into the cupboard love theory
Dollard and Miller 1950
What is the Cupboard love Theory
infant’s instinctual needs for food, security, and oral sexual gratification are all satisfied by the mother.
What did Dollard and Miller find in their study of the cupboard love theory
Infants learn to associate the caregiver with the feelings of pleasure when fed this reinforces the behaviour
What are 2 Limitations of evaluation of the learning theory
- conditioning is better at explaining simple behaviours. E.g., process of infant care-giver is complex process= environmentally reductionist.
- contradicting research for learning theory of attachment. E.g., bowlby babies only need food occasionally but require emotional care more often= cupboard love theory incorrect to say main reason for attachment
What are 2 strengths of evaluation of the learning theory
- provide explanation of how attachments form. E.g., learn number of ways through association in real life=plays part in attachment formation
- Harlows monkey explain operant conditioning. E.g., infant cold seek comfort as positively reinforcement=spend most time on cloth surrogate mother
What does Bowlbys Monotropic Theory suggest
attachment is important for a child’s survival
What are the 8 stages of Bowlbys Monotropic Theory
Survival Innate Tendency Natural Selection Monotropy Reciprocal Social Releasers Critical period Long term Benefits
What is Survial
This is the Drive behind attachment
Define Innate Tendency
all humans are born with an innate Tendency to form attachments early in life
Define Natural Selection
The ability and drive to form attachments has been passed down genetically through natual selection
Define Monotropy
All infants are Particularly attached to one Primary caregiver
What is Reciprocal
The bond is two way as the baby gets care and mother love and fulfilment
Define what Social Releasers are
These are Behaviours such as crying or smiling which are used to gain attention
What is the Critical period
Attachment must be made within the first 2.5 years otherwise will be hard to do so
Define Long term Benefits
Infants Develop an internal working model from early age attachments which tells them how future relationships should be like
What is a Limitation of evaluation of bowlbys monotropic theory
-research contradicted bowlbys concept of monotropy. E.g., shaffer found multiple attachments are not to main caregiver=not as important as he claimed.
What is a strength of evaluation of bowlbys monotropic theory
-support for the continuity hypothesis. E.g., found participants who had report more secure attachments as children=concept of continuity hypothesis is valid
What is the aim of Ainsworth’s Strange Situation
used structured observational research to assess & measure the quality of attachment
What are the 8 stages
1-8
What happens during stage 1
Mother and child enter the playroom
What Happens during stage 2
The child is encouraged to explore
What happens during stage 3
Stranger enters and attempts to interact
What happens during stage 4
Mothers leaves while the stranger is present
What happens during stage 5
Mother enters and the stranger leaves
What happens during stage 6
Mothers leaves
What happens during stage 7
Stranger returns
What happens during stage 8
Mother returns and interacts with child
What is a limitation of evaluation of SS
Controller environment. E.g., not externally valid measure of attachment behaviour
What are the 3 types of Attachments
Insecure aviodant (15% of babies) Secure (70% of babies) Insecure resistant (15% of babies)
What are Cultural Variations in attachment
refers to the rich diversity in social practices that different cultures exhibit around the world
Who Studied into Cultural Variations
Van Ijzendoorn 1988
What was the Procedure ( Van Ijzendoorn)
Meta-analysis of results of 32 different studies in 8 different countries over 2000 babies were used adn in each of 32 studies babies were classed as Type A, B or C
What did Ijzendoorn find
Secure Attachments were the common in all cultures
Avoidant were more common in west Germany
Avoidant Attachments were very rare in Israel adn Japan
Insecure Avoidant were most common in Israel, China and Japan
What is Bowlbys theory of Maternal Deprivation
Explains what happens if the attachments are broken or not formed
Define Separation
Short term disruption of an attachment bond
Define Privation
Lack of neccessities in life no emotional care
Define Deprivation
Loss of emotional care which is normally provided by primary caregiver
What happens if you dont form attachemnts
- Anti-social behaviour
- Affectionate psychopathy
What happend in his study
44 theives study in london
Who carrried out a study on Romanian Orphans
Rutters et al 2007
What was Rutters aim
carried out longitudinal studies comparing Romanian orphans who were adopted by UK famlies With UK-born adoptees who were placed with families before they were 6 months old.
What did Rutters et al Find
50% of Romanian Had below average cognitive functioning and most were underweight.
Who carried out research into the effects of institutionalisation
Hodges and Tizard
What was the aim of hodges and tizards study
To find out the Effects early privation can have on social and emotional development in children
What are the 4 effects of institutionalisation
- Disinhibited attachments
- family relationships
- quality of care
- physical underdevelopment
What are disinhibited attachments
Child does not understand attachments relationships and boundaries
What are family relationships
Most children can form positive relationships with parents after institutionalisation
What is quality of care
The quality of care a child receives in a institution will have a big affect on how much the child will struggle after the institution
What is physical underdevelopment
Malnourishment will have a large impact on the growth and development of the body and brain
What are the effects of early attachment on childhood and adult attachments
Quality of an infants primary attachment would have a positive correlation with the quality of their later attachments
