Attachment

Question 1

Define Reciprocity

Answer 1

Caregiver–infant interaction is reciprocal, i.e. each person’s interactions affect the other. Turn-taking, e.g. caregiver does an action, baby responds, then caregiver etc.

Question 2

Define Internal Synchrony

Answer 2

Caregiver and infant signals synchronise, i.e. they occur together (‘mirroring’).

Question 3

What are the 4 stages of attatchment

Answer 3

Asocial
Indiscriminate Attachments
Descriminate (specific) attachments
Multiple Attachments

Question 4

When does a child enter / leave the asocial stage of attatchment

Answer 4

From birth to two months

Question 5

What happens in the asocial stage of attatchment

Answer 5

An infant views people and objects as the same, although shows a preference for faces / eyes

Question 6

When does the indiscriminate attchment stage of attatchemnt occur / end

Answer 6

From two to six months

Question 7

What happens in the indiscriminate stage of attachment

Answer 7

Infant shows preference for humans over non-humans. They can tell differences between humans, but can be comforted by anyone. Stranger anxiety isn’t present yet

Question 8

When does the discriminate stage of attachment occur / end

Answer 8

From seven to twelve months

Question 9

What happens in the discriminate stage of attachment

Answer 9

An infant shows preference for one caregiver, displaying stranger and separation anxiety. The infant looks to one person for security and protection. The infant shows joy upon reunion and are comforted by their primary caregiver.

Question 10

When does the multiple attachments stage of attachment begin

Answer 10

One year

Question 11

What happens in the multiple attachments stage of attachment

Answer 11

Attachment behaviours are now displayed toward several different people (e.g. siblings, grandparents) and are often referred to as secondary attachment. These attachments typically form in the first month after the primary attachment is formed. The number of these attachments and how they develop is dependant on the social circle the children are exposed to.

Question 12

What key study examines the formation of early attachments

Answer 12

Schaffer and Emerson (1964)

Question 13

Give a brief overview of the Schaffer and Emerson study

Answer 13

Sample of 60 babies (29F. 31M) from Glasgow working class. Checked up on the children every months for 12 months and observed. about separation and stranger anxiety.

Question 14

What were the results of the Schaffer and Emerson study

Answer 14

At 25-32 weeks, 50% of children showed seperation anxiety.
By 40 weeks, 80% of children had a specific attachment, and 30% had formed multiple attachments.

Question 15

Evaluate the Schaffer and Emerson study

Answer 15

+ High external validity
- Low population validity
- Social bias, mums were interviewed so may have made things up to seem like better parents.

Question 16

What did Geiger (1996) say about the role of the father

Answer 16

That children see the father as a playmate, and the mother is seen as more nuturing and sensitive

Question 17

What did Belsky et al. (2009) say about the role of the father

Answer 17

Fathers with higher levels of marital intimacy also displayed a secure father-infant attachment. Fathers can have positive relationships with their children, but only if their relationship with the mother is positive

Question 18

What did Lorenz study

Answer 18

Imprinting in non-human animals

Question 19

Describe Lorenz’s study

Answer 19

Randomly divided geese eggs into two groups - one was hatched naturally by the mother, and the other were incubated making sure Lorenz was the first thing they saw

Question 20

Describe the results of Lorenz’s study

Answer 20

The naturally hatched geese followed the mum, but the incubated ones followed Lorenz. Even when mixed together, the geese followed the parent they imprinted on, showing no attachment to biological mother in case of the incubated.

Question 21

Describe the conclusion of Lorenz’s study

Answer 21

Imprinting only occurs within a critical period of 4-25 hours after hatching, this is irreversible

Question 22

Evaluate Lorenz’s study

Answer 22

• Only studied non-human animals, can’t be generalised to us
• Later research disproves this. Guiton et al. imprinted chickens on yellow gloves, but later reversed this change. Said that this was not irreversible

Question 23

What did Harlow study

Answer 23

To see whether baby monkeys would choose food over comfort

Question 24

Describe Harlow’s study

Answer 24

Sixteen baby rhesus monkeys, 4 conditions.
1. wire mother dispensing milk, cloth mother no milk
2. wire mother no milk, cloth mother dispensing milk
3. wire mother dispensing milk
4. cloth mother dispensing milk

Question 25

Describe the results of Harlow’s study

Answer 25

Harlow discovered that babies always chose the comfort of the mother over milk from the wire mother.

Question 26

What was the conclusion of Harlow’s study

Answer 26

Attachment is formed through an emotional need for security rather than food.

Question 27

Evalulate Harlow’s study

Answer 27

+ Provided useful insight into attachment for the real world
- Heavily unethical study
- not easily applicable to humans as animals, although monkeys aren’t that unrelated to humans

Question 28

Describe the Learning Theory

Answer 28

Children attach through classical or operant conditioning. Says that we only attach for food.

Question 29

Describe Classical Conditioning

Answer 29

1. Before conditioning, food is an unconditioned stimulus with produces an unconditioned response (relief from hunger)
2. Before conditioning, the caregiver is a neutral stimulus who provides no response.
3. During conditioning, the child associates the caregiver who feeds them with the food
4. After conditioning, the baby now associates the caregiver (conditioned stimulus) with the pleasure from being fed (conditioned response), and now there is an attachment between them.

Question 30

Describe Operant Conditioning

Answer 30

People or animals learn through consequences (either rewards or punishment)

Question 31

What is Bowlby’s theory of attachment

Answer 31

Argues that children are born with an innate tendency to form attachments with their parents in order to increase chances of survival

Question 32

What are the 5 key terms of Bowlby’s theory of attachment

Answer 32

Adapative
Social Releasers
Critical Period
Monotropy
Internal Working Model

Question 33

What does the Adaptive in Bowlby’s Theory of attachment mean

Answer 33

Attachments are adaptive, as they give humans an advantage to survive

Question 34

What does the Social Releasers point in Bowlby’s Theory of attachment mean

Answer 34

Infants have innate social releasers, which causes caregivers to take care of them. There are two types:
1. physical - cute face to get attention
2. behavioural - crying to get attention

Question 35

What does the Critical period point in Bowlby’s Theory of attachment mean

Answer 35

Infants must form an attachment with their caregiver during the critical period (between 3 and 6 months). If this isn’t done, the child will suffer irreversible physical and mental damage.

Question 36

What does the Monotropy point in Bowlby’s Theory of attachment mean

Answer 36

Infants form one very special attachment (usually with their mother)

Question 37

What does the Internal Working Model point in Bowlby’s Theory of attachment mean

Answer 37

Through the monotropic attachment the child will form an internal working model. This is a template for future relationship expectations. The better attachment with the primary figure, the better relationships will be later in life

Question 38

Evaluate Bowlby’s Theory of Attachment

Answer 38

+ Lorenz’s study supports the critical period
+ Hazan and Shaver’s work supported the Internal working model
- Schaffer and Emerson disagreed with monotropy

Question 39

What did Ainsworth’s strange situation study examine

Answer 39

Separation and stranger anxiety, reunion behaviour

Question 40

What happens in Ainsworth’s strange situation experiment

Answer 40

Mother and baby in room, there are various stages which consist of a stranger entering the room, the mother then leaving, the baby being on its own and the mother reuniting with the baby.

Question 41

Evaluate Ainsowrth’s strange situation

Answer 41

• Low ecological validity, done in a highly controlled and artificial setting
• Low internal validity, parents knew they were being observed

Question 42

What are the 3 types of attachment

Answer 42

Secure
Insecure-Resistant
Insecure-Avoidant

Question 43

What does a secure attachment look like

Answer 43

Explores but often returns to mother as safe base
Moderate seperation / stranger anxiety
Shows joy on reunion

Question 44

What does an Insecure-Resistant attachment look like

Answer 44

Doesn’t explore environment, clingy
High separation / stranger anxiety
Seeks but rejects mother’s comfort on reunion

Question 45

What does an Insecure-Avoidant attachment

Answer 45

Explores environment but doesn’t return to mother
Low stranger / separation anxiety
Shows little reaction upon reunion, avoid intimacy

Question 46

What did van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988) study

Answer 46

Cultural variations in attachment

Question 47

cultural variations in attachment

What happened in van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg’s (1988) study

Answer 47

Meta-Analysis of 32 studies from eight countries which uses Ainsworth’s strange situation

Question 48

Cultural variations

What did the results of van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg’s (1988) study show

Answer 48

Secure attachments are the most common
Japan showed higher levels of insecure-resistant attachments
Germany showed higher levels of insecure-avoidant attachments

Question 49

cultural variations

Evauluate van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988)