Attachment Flashcards
Define attachment
A close two way emotional bond between individuals in which each sees the other as essential for emotional security
How are attachments formed
Interactions
What does having a high quality of interactions lead to for an infant
High social + intellectual development
What are the 3 features of attachment
Proximity
Seperation distress (especially prevalent in infants)
Secure base behaviour (security that the attachment is reciprocal)
What are the two features of caregiver - infant interactions
Reciprocity
Interactional synchrony
What is reciprocity
When each individual responds to, and gets responses from, the other - giving + getting the same back
Give an example of reciprocity
A mother smiles and her baby smiles back
Babies play an _____ role in reciprocity
Active role - not just passive
Babies have ______ phases where they signal they are ready for attention
Alert phases
On average how often do mums pick up on baby’s alert phases
Around 2/3rds of the time
What has reciprocity often been described as
A dance - each responds to the other
What is interactional synchrony
The actions and emotions of the caregiver and infant are mirrored - what is done to the baby the baby does back
Give an example of interactional synchrony
A baby moves her head in time with her mother
Give two examples of studies into interactional synchrony
Meltzoff and Moore
Isabella et al
Describe the study of Meltzoff & Moore
Adult displayed 113 expressions or gestures to babies
(independent observer noted babies’ response)
found significant association with the babies’ response
Describe the study of Isabella et al
30 mums + babies - higher synchrony = better quality attachment - discovered there’s usually one primary caregiver attachment - later on in life babies can develop more
Give a strength of research into caregiver - infant interaction
High control
To observe these processes researchers tend to use controlled observation- high in validity because captures fine detail since process is filmed - children don’t have demand characteristics
Give three limitations of research into caregiver - infant interaction
Limited insight
Contradictory research
Socially sensitive
Expand on the limitation limited insight for research into caregiver - infant interactions
Not particularly useful despite observation as it does not tell us their purpose - make inferences doesn’t definitively state - infants perspective is unknown - can’t tell if actions are conscious + deliberate or not
Expand on the limitation contradictory research for research into caregiver - infant interactions
Other studies have failed to replicate the findings of Meltzoff and Moore e.g. Koepke et al (1996) but m&m have criticised Koepke’s research by saying it was less controlled
Expand on the limitation socially sensitive for research into caregiver - infant interactions
Puts pressure on mothers to stay home for an extended period of time- especially first critical 3-6 months - believe they may miss out on key reciprocity and affect development
what is meant by reciprocity in the context of caregiver - infant interaction
A two way mutual process - each party responds to the others signals to sustain interaction - the behaviour of each party elicits a response from the other
Who looked into stages of attachment
Schaffer and Emerson
Who did Schaffer and Emerson observe and for how long
60 w/c Glaswegian babies
At home every month for 1st year - then again at 18mnths
Schaffer and Emerson asked the mums about _______ and ________ anxiety to measure attachment
Stranger & seperation
What 5 stages of attachment did Schaffer and Emerson find (in order)
Asocial stage
Indiscriminate stage
Specific attachment
Multiple attachments
When is the asocial stage
0 - 6 weeks
What is the asocial stage
First few weeks - humans & objects are treated the same - with some preference for people (especially familiar people)
When is the indiscriminate stage
6weeks to 7mnths
What is the indiscriminate stage
More social + clear preference for people over objects - no stranger/seperation anxiety - accept comfort from all
When is the specific attachment stage
7 - 9 months
What is the specific attachment stage
Signs of attachment to one primary attachment figure (65% were mum) stranger & seperation anxiety
When is the multiple attachments stage
10mnths & upwards
What is the multiple attachment stage
Shortly after specific - attachment starts extending to others (develop secondary attachments) - by 1yr most had multiple attachments
What is a strength of Schaffer and Emersons study into attachment
Good external validity
Carried out in families’ own homes - most of observation done by parents - not artificial setting - babies unaffected by demand characteristics
What are two limitations of Schaffer and Emerson’s study
Problems with asocial stage
Methodological problems
Develop on the limitation ‘problems with the asocial stage’ for Schaffer & Emerson’s study
Important interactions do take place - babies that young are immobile + its hard to make judgements but doesn’t mean the behaviours aren’t social the evidence is just hard to interpret
Develop on the limitation ‘methodological’ for Schaffer & Emerson’s study
Problems measuring multiple attachments - a baby getting distressed when someone leaves doesn’t necessarily mean they are an attachment figure - Bowlby states they are a playmate rather than AF