Attachment Flashcards
Definition of Attachment
a close two way emotional bond between two individuals in which each individual sees the other as essential for their own emotional security
Definition of Reciprocity
In a caregiver-infant interaction, each party responds to the other’s signals to sustain interaction
Alert Phases - 2 Points
- Babies signal when they are ready for an interaction
- Mothers usually pick up on these 2/3 of the time, but this varies due to skills and stress
Are Babies Active or Passive in Reciprocity?
Traditionally, babies were seen to have a passive role, but it is now understood that both caregiver and infant can initiate these interactions.
What does Brazelton et al say about Reciprocity?
Described this interaction as a ‘dance’, as each partner responds to another’s moves
Definition of Proximity
People try to stay psychically close to those they are attached to
Definition of Separation Distress
People are stressed when an attachment figure leaves their presence
Definition of Secure-Base Behaviour
When independent from attachment figure, we still make regular contact with them.
Definition of Interactional Synchrony
Mother and infant interact in a way where their emotions mirror one another
Meltzoff and Moore Study - 2 Points
- Infants as young as 2 weeks old observed adults displaying one of three facial expressions or distinctive gestures
- Found a significant association between the expression or gesture of the adult and the action of the baby
Isabella et al Study - 2 Points
- Assessed the degree of synchrony in 30 mothers and infants as well as the quality of their attachment
- Found high levels of synchrony were associated with better quality mother-infant attachment
Caregiver-Infant Interactions A03 - Difficulty Knowing What is Happening When Observing Infants
What is being observed is only small hand movements and a subtle changes in expression as young babies lack co-ordination and much of their body is immobile.
Caregiver-Infant Interactions A03 - Controlled Observations Have Strengths - 2 Points
- Observations of caregiver-infant interactions are usually well-controlled procedures, which are filmed from multiple angles in a lab setting, which allows them to be analysed later (inter-observer reliability).
- Babies are also unaffected by demand characteristics
Caregiver-Infant Interactions A03 - Observations Do Not Tell Us About Developmental Importance - 2 Points
- Although these behaviours can be observed, they do not tell us their purpose from observation alone, so we do not know how important they are for development.
- However, there is some research to suggest that they are helpful in stress responses, empathy, language and moral development
Caregiver-infant Interactions A03 - Research Implications for Working Mothers are Socially Sensitive But also Have Practical Value - 2 Points
- Research into mother-infant interaction is socially sensitive because it suggests children may be disadvantaged by certain rearing practices.
- However it does have practical value - Crotwell et al found a 10 minute child-parent interaction therapy improved interactional synchrony in 20 low-income mothers and their pre-school children.
Role of the Father - Caldera Study - Aim
Investigate the relationship between attachment quality with the father and their levels of caregiving
Role of the Father - Caldera Study - Method
60 mothers and fathers independently described their child, and completed questionnaires about their involvement in and attitudes towards child-rearing and self-esteem.
Role of the Father - Caldera Study - Results
Found that fathers who engaged in more caretaking activities with their children were more securely attached
Role of the Father - Grossman Study - Aim
Assessed mothers’ and fathers’ behaviour and its effect on the quality of their children’s attachments during adolescence.
Role of the Father - Grossman Study - Method
Used a longitudinal study of 44 families comparing the role of fathers’ and mothers’ contributions to their children’s attachment experiences at 6, 10 and 16.
Role of the Father - Grossman Study Results - 2 Points
- Found that quality of infants attachment to the mother was related to children’s attachment quality during adolescence
- The quality of fathers’ play with infants was related to the quality of adolescent attachment
Role of the Father - Grossman Study - Conclusion
Suggests fathers have a distinct role which is more to do with play and stimulation than nurture.
Role of the Father - Field Study - Aim
Investigate the differences between fathers who acted as secondary caregivers to fathers who acted as primary caregivers
Role of the Father - Field Study - Method
Filmed 4 month old babies in face to face interactions with primary caregiver mothers, secondary caregiver fathers, and primary caregiver fathers.
Role of the Father - Field Study - Results
Primary caregiver fathers, like mothers, spent more time smiling, imitating and holding infants than secondary caregiver fathers
Role of the Father - Field Study - Conclusion
Suggests fathers can be a nurturing attachment figure and it is the responsiveness levels of the caregivers, rather than the gender.
Role of the Father A03 - Inconsistent Findings on Fathers - 2 Points
- Research into the father’s role can be confusing because some psychologists are interested in their role as their primary caregiver and some as the secondary caregiver.
- Those who research on them as primary caregivers tend to find them adopting a ‘maternal’ role whereas those who research them as secondary caregivers tend to give them a distinct role
Role of the Father A03 - Why Aren’t Children Without Fathers Different? - 2 Points
- Some studies have found that fathers as secondary attachment figures are important for children’s development but others have found that children growing up in single or same-sex parent families do not develop differently from those in a two parent heterosexual household.
- However, may be that fathers adopt this distinct role in heterosexual relationships, but single mothers and lesbian mothers can accommodate this role where necessary.
Role of the Father A03 - Bias in Research - 2 Points
- Preconceptions about how fathers do/should behave created by stereotypical accounts/images of parenting roles/behaviour in advertising.
- These stereotypes may cause observer bias.
Role of the Father A03 - Real-World Application - 3 Points
- Parents and prospective parents often struggle with decisions like who should take on the primary caregiver role.
- Mothers often feel pressured to stay at home and fathers pressured to invest in in work even if this isn’t economically rational.
- Research into the role of the father can alleviate some of this parental anxiety by reassuring parents that fathers are capable of becoming primary attachment figures, and reassuring families without a male figure that this will not affect the child’s development.
Definition of Stages of Attachment
A sequence of qualitatively different behaviour linked to specific ages. In stages go attachment, some characteristics of the infant’s behaviour towards others change as the infant gets older
Definition of Qualitative Differences
Refers to each stage and the associated behaviours being different in kind
Schaffer and Emerson Study - Aim
To investigate the formation of early attachments i.e when they developed, their emotional intensity, and to whom they were directed.
Schaffer and Emerson Study - Method - 5 Points
- 60 babies involved in the study 31 males and 29 female
- All from Glasgow - mostly skilled working class families
- The babies and their mothers were visited at home every month for the first year, then again at 18 months
- The researchers asked the mothers questions about the kids of portent their babies showed in 7 everyday situations to measure the infants’ attachment
- These situations included ones to measure separation anxiety and stranger anxiety
Definition of Separation Anxiety
A behaviour associated with attachment in which people become distressed when an attachment figure leaves their presence
Definition of Stranger Anxiety
A behaviour associated with attachment in which infants show an anxiety response to an unfamiliar adult
Schaffer and Emerson Study - Findings - 3 Points
- Between 25 and 32 weeks, about 50% of the babies showed signs of specific attachment.
- By 40 weeks, 80% of the babies had a specific attachment and almost 30% displayed multiple attachment.
- Attachment tended to be towards the caregiver who was most interactive and sensitive to infant signals and facial expressions. This is not necessarily the person they spend the most time with.
What are Schaffer and Emerson’s 4 Stages of Attachment, In Order?
Asocial Stage
Indiscriminate Attachment
Specific Attachment
Multiple Attachment
What is the Time Period for the Asocial Stage?
First few weeks
Asocial Stage - 4 Notes
- Not actually asocial, as the baby is recognising and forming bonds with its carers.
- Baby behaves relatively similarly towards humans and non-human objects.
- Babies show some preference towards familiar adults - they are more easily calmed by these people.
- Babies are happier in the presence of other humans.
What is the Time Period for Indiscriminate Attachment?
2 - 7 Months
Indiscriminate Stage - 5 Notes
- Display more observable social behaviour.
- Show a preference for people rather than inanimate objects.
- Recognise and prefer familiar adults.
- Babies usually accept cuddles and comfort from any adult and do not show separation or stranger anxiety.
- Attachment said to be indiscriminate
What is the Time Period for Specific Attachment?
7 + months
Specific Attachment - 2 Notes
- Start to display stranger anxiety and separation anxiety when separated from a primary attachment figure
- The primary attachment is not always the person the infant sends the most time with, but is the one who offers the most interaction and responds to the baby’s signals most skilfully
What is the Time Period for Multiple Attachment?
Shortly after specific attachment
Multiple Attachments - 3 Notes
- Extend from primary attachment figure to multiple attachments with other adults they regularly spend time with (secondary attachment)
- In S+E’s study, 29% of the children had secondary attachments within a month of forming specific attachment.
- By age 1, the majority of infants had formed multiple attachments
Schaffer and Emerson Study A03 - Good External Validity, But Issues with Objectivity - PEC
P - Carried out in families homes and most of the observation was done by parents during ordinary activity then later reported to researcher.
E - There is a very good chance that the participants behaved naturally.
C - However, mothers as observers are less likely to be objective or may misremember.
Schaffer and Emerson Study A03 - Longitudinal Study - P
P - Better internal validity than cross-sectional research because there are no participant variables.
Definition of Cross-Sectional Research in Attachment
Observe different children at each age
Schaffer and Emerson Study A03 - Limited Sample Characteristics - PEE
P - Large volume of data collected for each participant was a strength, though all families came from the same district and social class. The research also took place more than 50 years ago.
E - Child rearing practices vary between cultures and historical contexts so may not generalise well.
E - Multiple attachments from early age in collectivist cultures
Definition of Ethnocentric
Judging by the standards of your own culture
Schaffer and Emerson Stages A03 - Problems Studying the Asocial Stage - 3 Points
- Babies this young have poor co-ordination and are pretty much immobile.
- There is not much observable behaviour to make judgements on - who observed?
- Even if child’s feelings and cognitions are highly social, the evidence is not reliable.
Schaffer and Emerson Stages A03 - Conflicting Evidence on Multiple Attachments - 4 Points
- General agreement that children become capable of multiple attachments but conflict regarding when
- For example, Bowlby found babies form an attachment t to a single main carer before forming multiple attachments
- However, there researchers find babies form multiple attachments from the outset (van IJzendorn et al)
- This is particularly in collectivist cultures with multiple caregivers
Schaffer and Emerson Stages A03 - Measuring Multiple Attachments - 3 Points
- Issues with how multiple attachments are assessed
- Bowlby said children also have playmates, but they are not attachment figures
- Problem for Schaffer and Emerson’s stages as their observation does not allow for the distinction between secondary attachment figures and playmates
Schaffer and Emerson Stages A03 - Practical Value - 3 Points
- Practical application to day care
- In asocial and indiscriminate stages, day care should be straightforward as children will likely accept comfort from any skilled adult - day care with an unfamiliar adult can be problematic during specific attachment stage
- Day care can be planned around S and E’s stages
Definition of Ethology
A branch of research where animal behaviour is studied in a scientific, objective way
Lorenz Study - Aim
To investigate the concept of imprinting on geese
Lorenz Study - Method - 3 Points
- Randomly divided a clutch of goose eggs.
- Half the eggs hatched with the mother in their natural environment (control group)
- The other half hatched in an incubator where the first moving object they saw was Lorenz (experimental group)
Lorenz Study - Results - 3 Points
- The experimental group followed Lorenz everywhere whereas the control group followed their mother.
- This was referred to as imprinting
- Lorenz identified a critical period in which imprinting must occur, and if it did not occur within this time then chicks did not attach themselves to a mother figure.
Lorenz Study - Conclusion
Imprinting is a form of attachment which occurs early on the lifespan of geese.
Definition of Imprinting
Bird species that are mobile from birth attach to and follow the first moving object they see
Definition of Critical Period
The time frame in which imprinting can occur - this varies depending on the species
Lorenz Sexual Imprinting Study - What species imprinted?
Peacock
Lorenz Sexual Imprinting Study - What species the peacock imprint on?
Giant tortoise
Lorenz Sexual Imprinting Study - What sort of behaviours did the peacocks show towards the tortoise they imprinted on?
Sexual
Lorenz Sexual Imprinting Study - What did Lorenz conclude?
The peacock had undergone sexual imprinting
Lorenz A03 - Generalising to Humans? - 2 Points
- Mammalian attachment system is different to birds - mammals show more emotional attachment than birds and research suggests that mammal attachments take longer to form but can also be formed later in life (easiest in infancy)
- Lorenz used precocial species whose eyes are open and can walk from birth - they have different biological motivation to infants
Lorenz A03 - Research Support - Regolin and Vallortigara - 3 Points
- Chicks exposed to simple shape combinations that moved e.g. triangle with rectangle in front
- Then, shape combinations moved in front of them and they followed the original most closely
- Young animals born with innate mechanism to imprint on moving objects in critical window
Lorenz A03 - Lorenz Observations Have Since Been Questioned - 3 Points
- Lorenz’s suggested that imprinting has a permanent effect on mating behaviour
- However, Guiton et al found chickens could imprint on washing up gloves but with experience came to prefer mating with other chickens
- Suggests impact of imprinting on mating behaves is not as permanent as Lorenz believed
Harlow’s Study - Aim
To find out whether baby monkey’s prefer a source of food or a source of comfort as an attachment figure
Harlow’s Study - Method - 2 Points
- Reared 16 baby monkeys with 2 ‘mothers’ - one wire , one cloth
- In one condition, milk was dispensed by wire mother, in another dispensed by cloth mother
Harlow’s Study - Results - 2 Points
- Baby monkeys spent most of their time clinging to the cloth mother, using the wire one for feeding only
- The cloth surrogate seemed to provide comfort in new situations
Harlow’s Study - Conclusion
Infant monkeys formed more of an attachment to a figure that provided comfort than one with provided food
Harlow and Zimmerman’s Study - 2 Points
- When a fearful stimulus was added in the cage, the monkey would cling to the cloth surrogate first before exploring the object regardless of which ‘mother’ dispensed milk
- If the monkey was in a cage with a wire mother only, they would remain frozen or run wildly around the cage
Maternally Deprived Monkeys as Adults - 4 Points
- Wire mother only led to the most dysfunctional long term effects
- Even monkeys with a cloth mother substitute developed strange social behaviours
- These monkeys who went on to be mothers sometimes neglected, attacked, or even killed their offspring
- Mother figure needed to be introduced within 90 days to form attachment or it became impossible and damage became irreversible
What Were 3 Strange Social Behaviours that Maternally Deprived Monkeys Developed as Adults?
- More aggressive
- Less sociable
- Unskilled at mating
Harlow and the Critical Period
A mother figure had to be introduced to a young monkey within 90 days for an attachment to for
Harlow’s Study A03 - Theoretical Value - 3 Points
- Informed our understanding of mother-infant attachment
- Attachment is not only a result of being fed by the mother figure but also contact comfort
- Importance of the quality of early relationships for later social development
Harlow’s Study A03 - Practical Value - 2 Points
- Helped social workers understand risk factors in child neglect and abuse so they can intervene and recent situations (Howe)
- Importance of proper attachment figures for baby monkeys in zoos and breeding programmes in the wild
Harlow’s Study A03 - Lab Experiment - 2 Points
- Strict control of variables so we are more able to isolate the impact of the independent variable
- Kept in isolation in a laboratory, the study lacked ecological validity
Harlow’s Study A03 - Generalisability to Humans
Issues with generalising the behaviour to human behaviour
Definition of Classical Conditioning
The association of two stimuli so that we start to respond to one in the same way we naturally respond to the other
The Classical Conditioning Account of Attachment - Before
Food (UCS) -> Pleasure (UCR)
Caregiver (NS) -> X
The Classical Conditioning Account of Attachment - During
Food (UCS) + Caregiver (NS) -> Pleasure (UCR)
The Classical Conditioning Account of Attachment - After
Caregiver (CS) -> Pleasure (CR)
Definition of Operant Conditioning
Learning to repeat a behaviour or not depending in its consequences
Operant Conditioning - 5 Points
- Can explain crying for comfort
- Crying leads to a response from a caregiver
- If this is correct, the crying is reinforced so the infant directs crying for comfort towards caregiver who responds with social suppresser behaviour
- Reinforcement is a two-way process
- The caregiver is also negatively reinforced because the crying stops
Attachment as a Secondary Drive - What Type of Drive is Hunger?
Primary drive - innate and biological motivator
Attachment as a Secondary Drive - What Does Hunger Motivate Us to do?
Eat in order to reduce hunger drive
Attachment as a Secondary Drive - What Does Sears Say Happens to Caregivers Because They Provided Food?
They become generalised, meaning attachment is s secondary drive
Why is Attachment a Secondary Drive?
It is geared buy associate between the caregiver and the satisfaction of a primary drive
Learning Theory A03 - Counter-Evidence from Animals - 2 Points
Lorenz - Geese Imprinted before they were fed
Harlow - Attached to soft surrogate mother over attaching to wire surrogate who dispensed milk
Learning Theory A03 - Counter Evidence from Humans
Schaffer and Emerson found many babies developed a primary attachment to their biological mother despite other careers doing most of the feeding.
Learning Theory A03 - Ignores Other Factors - 3 Points
- Research suggests that attachment quality is related to other factors (e.g reciprocity and interactional synchrony)
- Primary attachments to to be formed to the person who responds to the infant’s signals the most
- If learning theory is correct, there would be no purpose for these complex interactions an no relationship between them and attachment quality