Attachment

Question 1

what is reciprocity?

Answer 1

• infant coordinates actions with the caregiver like a conversation
• 2 way mutual process
  . behaviour of CG elicits response in infant and vice versa
  . forms attachment/bond between CG and infant
• if CG doesn’t respond, baby could be distressed
• Feldman, 2007: this interaction is frequent from around 3 months and involves close attention to each other’s verbal signals and facial expressions

Question 2

what is interactional synchrony?

Answer 2

• PCG and infant reflect the actions of each other in a coordinated way
• Meltzoff and Moore (1977) found that infants from 2-3 weeks imitated facial and hand gestures
  . being able to do this from as young as 2 weeks suggests that it is not a learned response, but evolutionary/innate
• Isabella et al looked at 30 mothers and their infants and found that higher degree of interactional synchrony meant better quality of infant-mother attachment

Question 3

caregiver-infant interactions AO3

Answer 3

• CAUSE AND EFFECT: reciprocity and interactional synchrony may not lead to better quality attachments, but instead babies may participate in these interactions due to their specific attachment with the CG
  🗸 SUPPORING EVIDENCE: S + E found that sensitive responsiveness (which was communicating and responding to the baby) led to earlier and stronger formation of attachment. which supports the idea that interactions between the infant and CG strengthens attachments. increased validity

+: SUPPORT FROM ISABELLA ET AL
. 30 mothers: found that higher degree of interactional synchrony meant better quality of infant-mother attachment
+ PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF RESEARCH INTO CG-INFANT INTERACTION
Condon and Sander (1974) said that children can synchronise their movements with the sound of an adult’s voice .Brazleton et al demonstrated that the way the two interact changes slightly according to the rhythm, pitch, volume etc of the adult’s speech.
The presence of this interaction is linked to better communication between the parent and child when the child is older

🗸 INFANTS AS SUBJECT: babies don’t understand that they are in an experiment so cannot show demand characteristics, more valid observations
- PURPOSE OF BEHAVIOUR: can only infer purpose as we cannot speak to the baby or know what they think.
+ : observations tend to be very controlled.
there are behavioural categories (like smiling, crying etc) to infer behaviour which means they are more likely to have inter observer reliability.
Brazleton recorded from multiple angles and used advanced eye tracking technology to make more accurate conclusions on interactions.

Question 4

APFC Schaffer and Emerson

Answer 4

AIM- aimed to investigate formation of early attachments

PROCEDURE- 60 babies from Glasgow- skilled, working class families
. experimenter visited mum and baby monthly for 1 year, then visited at 18 months
. mum also kept diary of baby’s behaviour
. took place in mother and baby’s home
. investigated separation and stranger anxiety

FINDINGS-
50% of babies showed separation anxiety towards certain CG from 25-32 week period- specific attachment
. baby attached to the CG who communicated with them most via e.g. expressions/signals not who they spent most time with
. 40 weeks: 80% have formed specific attachment 30% have formed multiple attachment
. 18 months: 75% have attachment to father and separation anxiety for both parents. 31% had 5 or more attachments.

CONCLUSION: early attachment develops by 40 weeks and infants are most attached to those who interact with them most.

Question 5

what were Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment?

Answer 5

. asocial
. indiscriminate
. specific attachment
. multiple attachment

Question 6

explain the asocial stage

Answer 6

0-8 weeks
. many kinds of stimuli, both human and non-human produce a favourable reaction, such as a smile.
. show preference to adults who can calm the baby easier
. happier in the presence of other humans

Question 7

explain the indiscriminate stage

Answer 7

2-7 months
. infants indiscriminately enjoy human company and most babies respond equally to any caregiver.
. they get upset when an individual ceases to interact with them.
. from 3 months infants smile more at familiar faces and can be easily comforted by a regular caregiver.

Question 8

explain the specific attachment stage

Answer 8

7-12 months
infants show a special preference to a single attachment figure. The baby looks to particular people for safety, comfort and protection. It shows fear of strangers (stranger fear) and unhappiness when separated from their specific attachment (separation anxiety).
. usually the biological mother

Question 9

explain the multiple attachment stage

Answer 9

<1year
. The baby becomes increasingly independent and forms several attachments. By 18 months the majority of infants have form multiple attachments.

Question 10

what is sensitive responsiveness?

Answer 10

• S + E found that attachment was most likely to be formed with CG who best responded to baby’s signals, not who they spent most time with
  . strongly attached infants had mothers who quickly responded to baby’s demands

Question 11

Stages of attachment AO3

Answer 11

+ LONGITUDINAL STUDY: more data collected, so the finding are more reliable as anomalies are less significant
-: SELF REPORT: self-report techniques used to collect data like the mother keeping diary of baby’s behaviour, which could be subjective or suffer from social desirability, reducing validity

-: SAMPLE: only 60 babies used, all from Glasgow and working class families. not generalisable to whole population- cannot nomothetically apply findings
-: CULTURALLY RELATIVE:
. research done in Western cultures, where it is more likely that baby forms specific attachment before then forming multiple attachments
Van Izjendoorn looked at collectivist cultures, where multiple caregivers are the norm (child rearing done collectively). he found that babies formed multiple attachments from the outset.
cross cultural differences means S+E’s stages of attachment likely cannot be universal or else there is risk of imposed etic.

+ NATURALISTIC OBSERVATION: in natural home of parents and the baby, so less demand characteristics form parents- more valid data collected from observation.
-: OVERT OBSERVATION: parents were still aware that they were being observed so may act in a different way to which they normally would.

-: SOCIALLY SENSITIVE?
. majority of children formed specific attachment for mother.
. what does this mean for returning to work?

Question 12

discuss role of the father.

Answer 12

-: S+E found that by 18 months, 75% of babies had attached to father, shown by separation anxiety.
. typically, the mother was a specific attachment, and infants formed attachments to father much later, 25% would have w=even formed it after 18 months
. suggests the role of the father is limited especially in early attachment.
-: Grossman suggested that the role of the father is different to that of the mother
. longitudinal study looking at each parent’s behaviour and its relationship to quality of attachment to child into their teens
. quality of attachment between teen and mother was related to quality of attachment at infancy, but quality of father’s play was related to quality of father-teen attachment later on
. suggests that the father’s role is to do with play and stimulation rather than nurturing.
t= role of father in attachment is more apparent in later life.

-: biological differences in men and women undermine the role of rather in attachment
Taylor et al: sociobiological theory
. female hormones like oestrogen create higher levels of nurturing (nurturing behaviours are more innate in women than men) so mothers are pre disposed to be primary attachment figure
. essentialist view of attachment, that gender differences of attachment are fixed.
. undermines role of father
+: these biological differences can be overcome, if father displays behaviours typically displayed by mothers.
Field recorded 4 month old babies in face-to-face interactions with their PCG
conditions were if child was interacting with PCG mother, secondary CG father, or PCG father.
both PCG mothers and fathers spent more time communicating with child, smiling, holding hands, imitating.
. father can be a nurturing attachment figure and the key thing is sensitive responsiveness of parent.

-: role of father undermined by McCallum + Golombok
children growing up in lesbian or single mother families did not tend to develop differently than those with heterosexual parents, if the role of the father was so important we would expect to see a difference in development.
+: socially sensitive to imply that father has little-no role in attachment
. influences gender dynamics in relationships after having a child
. mother may feel more obliged to stay at home and not return to work, as research implies she is more important. this could even have economic implications if she was the breadwinner.

Question 13

Lorenz’s study A01

Answer 13

IMPRINTING: bird species that are mobile from birth attach to and follow the first moving thing they see
PROCEDURE:
randomly divided clutch of goose eggs: 1/2 hatched with mother in natural enviro. and other 1/2 hatched in an incubator where the first moving thing they see was Lorenz
FINDINGS:
. incubator group followed Lorenz everywhere and control group followed mother goose everywhere
. when the 2 groups were mixed together, the contorl group still followed mother and experimental group followed Lorenz
CRITICAL PERIOD: time period where imprinting must take place- depending on species of bird this could be as little as a few hours after birth.
. if imprinting does not happen in this time, chicks do not attach themselves to a mother figure

Question 14

what is sexual imprinting? A01

Answer 14

• courtship behaviour towards the species you imprinted on
• birds that imprinted on a human later showed courtship behaviour towards humans
• case study (1952): peacock reared in the reptile house of a zoo- imprinted on giant tortoises and as an adult the peacock tried to court these tortoises

Question 15

Harlow’s research A01

Answer 15

AIM: understand attachment in humans by observing Rhesus monkeys. investigated the importance of contact comfort when he found out that new-borns kept alone in a cage would usually die unless they had something soft to cuddle.
PROC: tested the idea that a soft object would serve some functions of a mother
. reared 16 baby monkeys with 2 wire made mothers, but one covered in soft cloth
con1- wire and cloth monkey both give milk- all monkeys go to cloth monkey
con2- only wire monkey gives milk- still all go to the cloth:
con3- monkeys are made to be scared- go to cloth monkey to be comforted
FINDINGS: all monkeys preferred the cloth monkey to the wire one, and chose it even when it went against their biological needs for food.
CONCLUSION: monkeys prioritise contact comfort over food

Question 16

what did Harlow say about maternal deprivation and critical period?

Answer 16

MD: monkeys used were deprived of the mother so Harlow followed them to see if this led to permanent effects
1. aggressive
2. less sociable
3. bred less often than others
4. unskilled at mating
5. those who became mothers neglected their young and would at times kill them

CP: mother figure must be introduced to infant within 90 days for attachment to form, after this, attachment is impossible and damage caused by early deprivation is irreversible.

Question 17

animal studies AO3

Answer 17

LORENZ:
- TESTED ON GEESE: attachment formed by geese is different to mammalian attachment systems
. we have high order processing, so more complex attachment.
emotion linked to attachment e.g. mother is also attached to infant)
. we can form attachments at any age, not just infancy
. NOT GENERALISABLE
- CONTRADICTING RESEARCH: Guiton et al
. chickens who imprinted on yellow washing gloves would later try mate with them but with experience learned to prefer other chickens
. decreases validity as it suggests that impact of imprinting is not as permanent as Lorenz thought.

HARLOW:
- GENERALISABILITY: used monkeys- emotional and social communication is different to humans, so findings cannot be applies to human attachment
+ RHESUS MONKEYS: monkeys are a species most similar to humans and rhesus monkey genetics and human genetics have 93% concordance rate
+: EFFECTS OF MD CAN BE APPLIED TO HUMANS
. Bowlby has similar findings on the negative effects of maternal deprivation
. found reduced sociability and social skills such as affectionless psychopathy.

+: PRACTICAL APPLICATION, CRITICAL PERIOD
. both Lorenz and Harlow show that attachment is an innate process and happens within a specific time frame.
. research into the critical period was then developed by Bowlby, to see how it can be applied to humans, and he found humans have a critical/sensitive period of 2.5 years.
. research is highly influential in how it has been built upon.
PRACTICAL APPLICATION OF RESEARCH INTO CONTACT COMFORT : e.g. in care homes, can give baby a blanket for contact comfort
. good because studies gives us information on how we can form better attachments at infancy preventing bad long term effects.

Question 18

outline learning theory of attachment A01

Answer 18

• DOLLARD + MILLER: emphasis on the role of learning in attachment behaviour- CC
• food=primary drive attachment=secondary drive
  UCS (food) > UCR (pleasure)
  NS (CG) > …
  NS + UCS > UCR
  CS > CR
  when food is associated with a CG, it will elicit the UCR of pleasure in the baby, and over time the baby will associate CG with food, so forms an attachment to CG
• OC explains how attachment behaviour is reinforced
  . explains why babies cry for comfort
  . crying leads to response from CG e.g. feeding and if CG gives correct response, crying is reinforced- PR
  . CG undergoes NR because crying stops of they comfort baby
  . mutual reinforcement strengthens the bond

Question 19

learning theory AO3

Answer 19

COUNTER EVIDENCE: feeding may not be that important in forming attachment
. S +E found that most infants formed specific attachment to mother despite both parents doing the feeding. concluded sensitive responsiveness was more important
. undermines D + M theory of ‘cupboard love’ - food not primary drive

IGNORES PRESENCE OF UNIVERSAL ATTACHMENT BEHAVIOURS
claims that main motivation for forming attachment is food. does not take into account role of interactional synchrony and reciprocity in forming attachment
. e.g. Isabella et al. found interactional synchrony is crucial in forming a good quality attachment
. and Brazleton found that interactional synchrony not only increased attachment quality at infancy but was an important indicator of how come communication would be once infant was older.
if ‘cupboard love’ were true there would be no purpose for these complex interactions.

• COUNTER EV. : Harlow
  . used monkeys and found that they values contact comfort over need for food.
  . directly contradicts theory of ‘cupboard love’ because they prioritised contact comfort over food.
  . reduced validity of LTE.
  + : Harlow’s research may be less generalisable to humans as he tested on monkeys
• : the fact that he found that less advanced animals than humans have developed passed prioritising basic evolutionary needs like food suggests that humans also must have done so, since our attachment systems are more complex.

Question 20

Bowbly’s monotropic theory of attachment A01

Answer 20

• thought attachment was an evolutionary response
• MONOTROPY: emphasis on 1 CG
  . attachment to this CG is different to other and more important.
  . usually bio. mother- does not have to be
• LAW OF CONTINUITY : the more constant and predictable the childcare is, the better the quality of attachment
• LAW OF ACCUMULATED SEPARATION: effect of every separation from PCG adds up (e.g. leaves for 1 hour one day and 30mins the next day, total separation time is 1.5 hours)
  . constant care leads to better and stronger attachment
• SOCIAL RELEASERS: innate ‘cute behaviours’ that babies are born with e.g. cooing/smiling
  . encourages adults to give them attention and triggers their attachment system- makes them love the baby
  . attachment is an innate response
• INTERNAL WORKING MODEL: template of attachment which is formed by early attachments, and will influence later attachments
  . good early attachment=good later attachment
  SENSITIVE PERIOD: as opposed to critical period
  . if baby does not form an attachment in first 2.5 years of life, it will be hard to form later attachments, but NOT IMPOSSIBLE.

Question 21

Bowlby A03

Answer 21

-: CULTURALLY RELATIVE
. idea of monotropy is not seen in collectivist cultures where infant is exposed to multiple caregivers of equal importance from birth
. here, children are able to form multiple attachments from early on in life.
. theory of monotropy has been formed from western norms.
applying monotropy to these cultures would risk imposed etic
- CONTRADICTING EVIDENCE: S + E
. found small number of infants were able to form multiple attachments form the outset.
. suggests that even in Western cultures, monotropy may not be completely generalisable.

+: RESEARCH SUPPORTING SOCIAL RELEASERS
from observations into interactional synchrony, Brazleton et al conducted an experiment
. PCGs were instructed to ignore their baby’s signals (e.g., smiling or cooing) for a period of time. essentially, to ignore their social releasers.
. babies showed signs of distress in response and after a prolonged period of ignoring, some babies curled up and lay motionless.
. implies that babies expect their social behaviours to elicit some form of care in the CG.
-: inferring intentions behind baby’s distress
. subjective
. what if the baby was instead distress because they expected a certain response based on how the CG had previously reacted to their actions
. it is not that an innate function of social releasers is being prohibited, but that what the child has learnt about interactions is being subverted.
t= not concrete evidence of attachment systems like social releasers being innate/evolutionary as Bowlby’s theory says

+ SUPPORTING EVIDENCE FOR IWM: Bailey et al
. 99 mothers with a 1 year old child
. assessed attachment quality between the mother and their mothers and also assessed attachment quality between mother and their baby.
. mothers with poor attachment with their mothers had poor attachment with their baby
. more valid
+: research from BEIP supporting effects of negative IWM
44% showed disinhibited attachment.
negative consequences of poor IWM and of prolonged separation from CG

• SOCIALLY SENSITIVE: implication on the choices that mothers make
  . law of accumulated separation: lots of time away from PCG= bad attachment which may disadvantage child
  . burden on mothers e.g. less inclined to go back to work
• : ECONOMIC IMPLICATIONS- less people contributing to the economy

Question 22

Strange situation procedure A01

Answer 22

• Ainsworth’s SS- assessment of attachment based on Bowlby’s theory
  1. CG takes baby into lab and baby is left to explore
  . tests exploration and secure base
  2. stranger enters and approaches infant
  . tests stranger anxiety
  3. CG leaves so infant and stranger are left alone together
  . tests stranger and separation anxiety
  4. CG returns and stranger leaves
  . tests reunion behaviour
  5. CG leaves so infant is alone
  . tests separation anxiety
  6. stranger enters and interacts with infant
  . tests stranger anxiety
  7. CG returns and greets infant
  . tests reunion behaviour

Question 23

what were the findings of SS?

Answer 23

• babies classed into 3 types, A, B, C
• A: insecure avoidant
  . explores freely, doesn’t worry about where mum is
  . low levels of separation anxiety
  . low levels of stranger anxiety
  . not bothered when mum comes back
  . 20-25% of babies
• B: securely attached
  . explores while using mum as secure base (looks for her)
  . moderately upset when mum goes
  . moderately wary of stranger
  . comforted by mum on her return
  . 60-75% British babies
• C: insecure resistant
  . does not explore, stays near mum
  . high levels of separation anxiety
  . high levels of stranger anxiety
  . not comforted by mum on her return

Question 24

SS AO3

Answer 24

+ RELIABLE: controlled behavioural categories when assessing baby’s attachment type (like crying to suggest stranger/separation anxiety)
. increases chances of inter-observer reliability
. Bick et al: 94% of the time observers agreed on the type of attachment
. less subjective
. more generalisable
- MAY NOT MEASURE ATTACHMENT
. could be measuring temperament (e.g. type A had good temperament so does not cry that much)
- based on Bowlby’s theory, but they assume that mother is the monotropic attachment, perhaps type A babies don’t have monotropic attachment with mother, so are less comforted by her
. does not tell us about attachment: low face validity

+:PREDICTIVE VALIDITY.
Ward et al found that infants who were insecure resistant went to on to have issues with mental health in adulthood
. evidence for validity of concept as it can explain subsequent outcomes
. we can use SS to predict potential implication, and put in extra support from the offset.
- CULTURALLY RELATIVE: SS only studies Western babies, and is based off Western norms.
. different cultures raise their kids differently, so reaction to strange situation may be different
e.g. Japan, mothers rarely separated from baby (do not work) so child would have higher levels of separation anxiety
. leads to imposed etic, as a Japanese child may be classed as insecure resistant, whereas in Japan high levels of separation anxiety could be seen as a sign of a secure attachment.
. bad as SS cannot be universal assessment of attachment so we cannot achieve universality
t= SS may only have predictive value in Western cultures.

• DOES NOT APPLY TO ALL INFANTS
  . Main and Solomon found that a minority fit into a 4th type of attachment, which was disorganised, a mix of all 3

Question 25

cultural variations in attachment: Van Ijzendoorn A01

Answer 25

AIM: to investigate proportions of 3 different attachments in SS
. looked at attachment variation within USA and across countries
PROCEDURE: meta-analysis
. 32 studies of attachment using SS analysed
. large data set- good for statistical analysis
. 8 different countries: 15/32 studies from the USA
. 1990 children total
FINDINGS:
. type B most common in all countries but this proportion varied from 75% in UK to 50% in China
. C least common ranging from 3% in UK to 30% in Israel
. country with the most type A babies was Germany (35% were type A) and country with the least was Japan with 5%
. in 1 USA study, 95% were type B and in another USA study it was 45%
CONCLUSIONS: more attachment variation within country than across.

Question 26

cultural variations in attachment: Jin et al AO1

Answer 26

AIM: to compare proportions of attachment types in Korea to other studies
PROCEDURE: used SS to assess 87 kids
RESULTS:
. overall proportions of secure and insecure babies were similar to most countries
. out of all the children classified as insecurely attached, (A or C) more people were type C, only one was type A
. Korean proportions most similar to Japanese proportions according to Van I. and they have simliar child rearing styles
CONCLUSION: attachment could vary based on child rearing styles

Question 27

cultural variations in attachment (SS) AO3

Answer 27

+ RELIABLE: controlled behavioural categories when assessing baby’s attachment type (like crying to suggest stranger/separation anxiety)
. increases chances of inter-observer reliability
. Bick et al: 94% of the time observers agreed on the type of attachment
.objectivity of SS means when measuring cultural variations we can ensure that the difference in culture is the only IV, rather than researcher/observer biases playing a role.
- MAY NOT MEASURE ATTACHMENT
. could be measuring temperament (e.g. type A had good temperament so does not cry that much)
. does not tell us about cultural variations in ATTACHMENT: low face validity

+ large sample
1990, large data set, which means anomalies become more insignificant and the findings are more generalisable.
. higher chance that the sample of a certain culture will be representative.
-: country variation, not culture
comparisons were between countries not cultures
. within countries there may be different child rearing practices
. study from Van I and Sagi: found distribution of attachment type in Tokyo, an urban setting, were similar to Western distributions, whereas a more rural sample had an over-representation of insecure resistant individuals
. this shows that an entire country does not represent a single culture lowers the face validity of metanalysis, as it doesn’t really look at cultural variations. to look at cultural variations
. this is why the metanalysis found higher variations within countries.

-: 27/32 studies used were from individualistic cultures.
results (e.g., that type B is the most common) are biased towards individualist norms and values so we cannot accurately generalise results to collectivist cultures
. low population validity.
-: culture bias within SS procedure
SS procedure was made around western norms, so it cannot accurately class babies from different cultures
. e.g., Germany had the highest proportion of type As, at 35%, which may be due to different child rearing practises, and not because of an ‘insecure’ population.
. in Germany, behaviours of a type A baby would be seen as signs of independence, that would likely be encouraged because there is more interpersonal distance between infants and CGs in Germany.
we see how applying SS procedure to different cultures leads to an imposed etic as it was based on Western, American norms.
t=SS has not been effectively used to look at cultural variations in attachment

Question 28

Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis AO1

Answer 28

separation: temporary distance from PCG
deprivation: prolonged separation in the critical period which takes away an element of care from child
. could be caused by war, death, etc
- could lead to:
. lack of intellectual development
. trouble forming attachments- IWM
. malnutrition
. affectionless psychopathy: inability to understand emotions

Question 29

Bowlby’s 44 thieves study (supporting evidence)

Answer 29

• AIM: investigate link between maternal deprivation and affectionless psychopathy
• PROCEDURE: 44 teens charged with stealing
  . interviewed for AP
  . families interviewed to find out about maternal deprivation
  . control group- not thieves but emotionally disturbed
• FINDINGS:
  . 14/44 thieves were APs, 30/44 were not
  . 12/14 had prolonged separation from mothers in first 2 years
  . 2/44 of control group had deprivation
• CONCLUSION
  . strong link between deprivation and AP

Question 30

Czech twins case study AO1

Answer 30

• Koluchova
• twins lost mother shortly after birth
• step mother banished them into the cellar, trapping them there and beating them
• at 7, they were discovered and were dwarfed, and lacked basic speech ability.
• they were adopted and got special attention
  . they managed to catch up with their peers and achieve emotional and intellectual normality
  . went to study electronics
  . had warm relationships
• CASE STUDY
  . longitudinal
  . not generalisable

Question 31

Genie case study AO1

Answer 31

• born with physical and mental disabilities
• to ‘protect her’ her father locked her in her room, tied her up, and beat her
• she was discovered at 13, had vocab of 20 words, could not stand erect, and scored as a one year old on a maturity scale
• never reached any sort of normal cognitive/ emotional development

Question 32

Bowlby’s MDH A03

Answer 32

+ GENIE CASE STUDY: shows impact of deprivation
. makes theory more valid
- CASE STUDY: data cannot be generalised, her situation could just be an anomaly
. she already had disabilities which could impact her recovery from maternal deprivation

+ SUPPORTING EVIDENCE: 44 thieves
. link between deprivation and AP- shows the accuracy of the MDH
so makes it more valid
- : CONTRADICTING RESEARCH
. Lewis: repeated 44 thieves on larger scale using 500 ppts
. concluded that deprivation does not predict criminality or AP
. goes against Bowlby’s theory and undermines reliability of his research

+ SUPPORTING RESEARCH: Harlow studies maternally deprived Rhesus monkeys and found that in later life they were very aggressive, not sociable and neglected their young
. supports B’s theory- more valid
- Czech twins
. after being given the right attention they were able to recover, and intellectually catch up with their same-age peers and got a good education
. reduced validity, suggests that affects of MD doesn’t have to be permanent.
. this data comes from humans, so more valid/generalisable

Question 33

what is institutionalisation?

Answer 33

• term for the effects of living in an institute in early life
• some effects of institutionalisation are
  . hard to adapt to the real world
  . disinhibited attachment
  . IQ effects- under stimulation
  . negative IWM
• Romanian orphan studies are an example of this
  . 1980s, rule where everyone must have 5 kids- led to too many kids so they were put in underfunded institutions

Question 34

APFC Rutter’s ERA (English Romanian adoptee) study

Answer 34

aims: to what extent children could recover from early institutionalisation
procedure: 165 Romanian orphans who were adopted to the UK
control group was 52 British adoptees
- assessed emotional, cognitive and physical development of child
findings: 1/2 of Romanian kids showed signs of delayed development and majority were undernourished
- mean IQ for children adopted before 6m = 102,
6m-2y = 86 after 2y = 77 (2 years is Bowlby’s critical period)
1/3 of children adopted after 6m needed psychological or educational help
despite this, the undernourishment still allowed these children to have successful adoptions.
conclusions: more time spend in institutions had worse effects

Question 35

APFC for Bucharest Early Intervention Study (BEIP)

Answer 35

aims: examine the long term effects of early deprivation, particularly on attachment
procedure: control group were non-institutionalised and experimental group was institutionalised
95 Romanian orphans between 12m-31m randomly chosen
SS procedure used to assess their attachment, and carers interviewed for signs of disinhibited attachment
findings: 74% of control group were type B, but only 19% of institutionalised group were
. 65% of institutionalised group were disorganised attachment (inconsistent attachment patterns)
. 44% of institutionalised group had disinhibited attachment (social and attachment behaviour towards all adults not one main one- signs are clinginess) but only 20% of control group were.

Question 36

Romanian orphans AO3

Answer 36

+ : SAMPLE- less extraneous variables to account for
. other studies looking at deprivation often use war orphans, who may have had other trauma (e.g. abuse from parents)
. Romanian orphans had been in institutions their whole life so you can better conclude cause and effect
. MORE INTERNALLY VALID
- : these orphans were an extreme case of institutionalisation (e.g. it was overcrowded and unhygienic)
. this means that the severe long term consequences may be correlated to the bad conditions of the institutions so maybe you can’t apply to other institutions with better conditions (e.g., where there is a focus on mental stimulation)
. it also means that the affect of deprivation, the factor that will be common is most institutions, is unclear.

+ : REAL LIFF APP.
. Langton suggested this research led to a change in how institutions are ran
. e.g. kids in care homes will have a ‘key worker’ to assume the role of PCG which allows the child to develop secure attachments, and avoid long term effects of deprivation
. research into institutionalisation has led to practical changes
+: LED TO CHANGES IN ADOPTION SYSTEM
. stressed the importance of early adoption
. previously mothers were encouraged to keep their children for a substantial period of time before adopting. by then, the critical period for attachment may have passed, without the child forming strong attachment to CG
. Rutter’s research showed early adoption was less damaging and minimised the effects of deprivation
. now, babies can be adopted at as young as one week and Singer et al found that as a result of this, children are as securely attached to their adoptive parents as biologically related families.
t= research has positive implications
-: not all research was followed orphans to adulthood- so we don’t know exactly how long term the effects of institutionalisation are

-: ROMANIAN ORPHANS DON’T SHOW US LONG TERM CONSEQUENCES
. the orphans were not followed into adulthood.
. so although Rutter’s study suggests that those who were institutionalised for longer were not able to recover to the same extent as those who were adopted quicker, it could actually just be that it took them longer to recover, but they would still be able to ‘catch up’ as adults.
+: MORE RESEARCH SUPPORTING LONG TERM CONSEQUENCES OF INSTITUATIONALISATION
. Quinton et al (1984): compared control group of 50 women reared in an ordinary home environment, to 50 women reared in institutions (care homes).
when the women were in their 20s it was found that ex-institutionalised women experienced extreme difficulties acting as parents compared to control group.
e.g., more of institutionalised condition had children who had to spend some time in care homes.

Question 37

APFC love quiz

Answer 37

• Hazan and Shaver
  aim: study the association between early and adult attachment
• analysed 620 responses to a ‘love quiz’ printed on newspaper
  1. assessed ppts current/recent relationships
  2. assessed general love experience (how many partners)
  3. assessed attachment type by choosing which of the 3 statements best described their overall relationships
  results: 56% of respondents were type B, 25% type A, and 19% type C
  . securely attached infants has good and longer lasting romantic experiences
  . type A ppts tended to reveal jealousy or fear of intimacy
  For example, research by Hazen and Shaver has told us that adults with secure attachments in childhood are most likely to have loving and lasting romantic relationships. Participants whose answers indicated an insecure–avoidant attachment type from infancy, were more likely to report feelings of dislike in relation to intimacy, whereas those with an insecure resistant attachment type were more likely to have shorter relationships.

Question 38

influence of early attachments on later relationships.

Answer 38

• : CONTRADICTING RESEARCH
  . Czech twins study- shows that IWM does not always predict later attachments
  +: case study, received lots of special attention and care

+: Harlow and maternal deprivation- monkeys
-: extrapolation
+: Quinton et al: mothers reared in institutions had extreme difficulties acting as parents.

+: Hazan and Shaver
- : SS procedure not used
. does not measure stranger or separation anxiety but uses the types of attachment from SS
. not valid

+: Bailey, supporting IWM, and how attachment can be generational.