Attachment

Question 1

Caregiver-Infant
Interactions A01

Answer 1

Interactions

Reciprocity – 2 way, each responds to the other

Interactional synchrony – actions and emotions are the same, mirrored

Key research -Meltzoff and Moore, Evans and Porter

Stages

Schaffer and Emerson

– 60 babies and mothers – working

class, Glasgow

– 4 stages:

1. Asocial (behaviour towards

humans and non-humans is

quite similar)

2. Indiscriminate (preference for

people)

3. Specific (preference for

specific people)

4. Multiple (preference for

multiple people who they

spend time with)

The role of the father

Grossman – The quality of fathers play

was important for adolescent

attachments, fathers attachment was not

related

Field – key to attachment is level of

responsiveness, not gender.

Question 2

Summary SS2 – Animal Studies A01

Answer 2

Lorenz Goslings Half hatched with the mother goose Half hatched in an incubator (first object they saw was Lorenz) They followed Lorenz everywhere (imprinting)

Harlow 16 Monkeys In a cage with a wire mother/soft mother Found monkeys preferred comfort over food (goes against learning theory of attachment)

Question 3

SS3 - Theories of Attachment summary A01

Answer 3

Learning Theory (Behaviourism) Babies learn to attach for food Classical conditioning
– they associate the caregiver with food (pleasure) Operant conditioning
– attachment is reinforced by food

Bowlby’s monotropic theory Attachment ability is innate Emphasises one particular caregiver
– more important than others Babies give off social releasers Critical period (around two years) Child forms an internal working model – a model of what relationships should look like

Question 4

SS5 - Types of attachment A01 summary

Answer 4

Types
– the strange situation Ainsworth
- Controlled observation Behaviours assessed
– Proximity seeking, Secure-base, Stranger anxiety, Separation anxiety, Response to reunion Stages
– 1. Child and caregiver. 2. Stranger enters. 3. Caregiver leaves. 4. Caregiver returns, stranger leaves. 5. Caregiver leaves. 6. Stranger returns. 7. Caregiver returns

Found – 3 types of attachment
– Secure, Insecure Resistant, Insecure Avoidant

Culture Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg
Meta-analysis
– 32 studies, 8 countries, 2000 children, strange situation Found
– most common attachment type across cultures was SECURE
2nd most common in Western countries – insecure avoidant
2nd most common in non-Western countries – insecure resistant
There were more differences within countries than between them

Question 5

SS4 – Institutionalisation and Maternal Deprivation A01 summary

Answer 5

Rutter (ERA) 165 Romanian orphans adopted in Britain Physical, cognitive and emotional development assessed at 4, 6, 11 and 15 Found
– Age 11 and 16
–adopted before the age of 6 months - IQ 102,
between 6 months and 2 years – IQ 86,
after 2 years – 77
after 6 month = disinhibited attachment

attachment Zeanah (Bucharest Early Intervention)
95 children
– institutionalised (SS) 19% were securely attached (compared to 74% of control)
-65% disorganised 44% disinhibited

Bowlby’s Maternal Deprivation Nurture from a mother is essential for emotional and intellectual development Critical period
– 30 months Low IQ Affectionless Psychopathy

Question 6

Influence on later life A01 summary

Answer 6

Childhood Internal Working Model First attachment is crucial Acts as a template for all future relationships If relationship is loving – assume all relationships are loving If experiences are bad – lead to bad experiences in the future