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A Level Psychology > Attachment > Flashcards

Attachment Flashcards

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1
Q

What is attachment?

A

Attachment is the two way communication between infant and its caregiver. This process of interacting with others builds emotional bonds and ultimately results in the infant showing distress when separated

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2
Q

What is interactional synchrony?

A

Adults and babies responding at the same time, mirroring each other’s action to sustain communication.

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3
Q

What is reciprocity?

A

Interaction flowing both ways, with adult and infant taking turns in responding to each other’s actions

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4
Q

What is sensitive responsiveness?

A

The adult paying careful attention to infant, responding appropriately (Crying = milk)

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5
Q

What is Caregiverese?

A

Adult use of baby talk (modulating pitch). P

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6
Q

What is body contact and imitation?

A

Skin to skin for bonding

Direct copying

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7
Q

What did melzoff and Moore (1997) find?

A

Recordings of 12-21 day old infants responding to an experimenter were rated. Ratings showed infant imitated gestures such as sticking tongue out, opening and closing the hand, mouth open in shock. Suggesting imitation is possible from an early age as attachment strategy.

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8
Q

Positive about modern studies for interactions in humans?

A

Multiple observers providing inter-rater reliability and a system of video cameras to document and slow down micro-sequences of interactions between caregivers and infants (adds scientific objectivity)

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9
Q

What is a negative about interactions in human studies?

A

Inferences on internal mental states have been made as infants are unable to communicate their thoughts, unscientific as it’s open to observer bias, interpretations matching the observers preconceptions.

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10
Q

Social sensitivity concerns?

A

Mothers who decide to return to work may feel their life choices criticised

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11
Q

What are the stages of attachment? (In order) and who made them?

A

Asocial
Indiscriminate
Specific
Multiple attachments

Shaffer and Emerson

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12
Q

Describe asocial attachment stage?

A

0-6 weeks: babies respond to objects in a way similar to other humans, such as smiling

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13
Q

Describe indiscriminate attachment stage?

A

6 weeks to 7 months: handled by strangers without distress, discriminates between familiar and unfamiliar individuals, with a preference for familiar adults. No separation or stranger anxiety.

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14
Q

Describe the specific stage of attachment?

A

7+ months: separation and stranger anxiety. Preference to primary care givers such as mother.

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15
Q

Describe the multiple attachment stage 9+ months?

A

Attachment towards number of individuals, (brothers, sisters, grandparents). Fear of strangers decrease.

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16
Q

What was Schaffer and Emerson’s study (1963)

A

Glaswegian babies study: 60 babies studied, data collected by 1 year (observations and interviews at home) follow up at 18 months. Behaviour recorded, Stranger distress (discomfort to stranger) showing ability to identify strangers and separation anxiety (discomfort when caregiver left room) showing attachment bond. Found separation anxiety 25-32 weeks, stranger distress one month later. At 18 months follow up most had multiple attachments. Strongest attachment with mothers who provided consistent interaction. Suggests development occurs in stages and quality of interaction leads to strength of attachment.

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17
Q

Positives of Schaffer and emerson?

A

Study included high mundane realism, families visited in own home, strangers visiting would be normal. By incorporating self report researchers used process of triangulation.

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18
Q

Negatives of Schaffer and Emerson?

A

Lack of cultural and temporal validity, human childrearing cultures are variable

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19
Q

What did Shaffer find about the role of the father (AO1)

A

64% of infants primary attachment figure was mum. 30% mum and another person (often dad), only 3% dad only. Either cultural and temporal reasons (1960s working class Glasgow) or biological reasons father has a less important role.

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20
Q

What is changing cultural roles?

A

In modern western society the role of mothers and fathers have changed, mothers are more likely to take part in the workplace, fathers take on caring roles traditionally done by mother. This is likely to change the attachment patterns of infants.

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21
Q

What is the importance of play?

A

Fathers are seen to more consistently engage babies in play activities than mothers. Fathers interactions emphasise simulation and encouraging risk taking behaviours, compared to the more comforting style of mothers.

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22
Q

What did Verissimo et al (2011) conclude?

A

Observations of preschool childrens relationship with mothers and fathers were assessed and compared with a follow assessment of later social interactions at nursery. A strong attachment to the father predicts high ability to make friends in school, suggesting an important role for fathers in socialisation processes.

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23
Q

Positive for sensitive responsiveness about fathers?

A

Findings that males can take on a more maternal role could provide confidence to fathers taking on the role of primary care and single gender families that are more common in modern society.

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24
Q

Issues with social sensitivity about the role of the father?

A

Some women may find their life choices criticised by research in this area. Or men that decide to take on the role of primary caregiver may feel they are biologically not capable of providing the same function as a women

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25
Q

What is imprinting?

A

When an animal (such as birds) will strongly attach to the first object (usually the mother) they encounter. The infant animal will then follow this object

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26
Q

Lorenz’ study on imprinting?

A

Half of the greylag goose eggs hatched by Lorenz using an incubator. Half hatched by mother. Findings: goslings hatched by Lorenz followed him, goslings hatched naturally followed the mother and followed her. When goslings were placed together, the half that imprinted in Lorenz continued to follow him. Critical period (32 hours) if a gosling did not see a large moving object to imprint on in these first few hours it will not imprint at all.
Suggest: imprinting is a strong evolutionary/biological feature of attachment in certain birds, and imprinting is with the first large object, not other potential cues (ie smell/sound)

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27
Q

What did Lorenz and Harlows work influence?

A

Later researchers such as Bowlby in the development of the idea of a critical period and internal working model in humans.

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28
Q

Criticism of Lorenz’s study?

A

Geese are evolutionarily different to humans, other models such as Harlows use of monkeys may be closer to human psychology

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29
Q

What did Harlow test?

A

Tested cupboard love, babies love mothers because they feed them. Suggested instead babies have innate need for physical contact, this is basis of attachment

30
Q

Outline Harlows study?

A

16 monkeys. Removed from biological mothers, placed in cages with surrogate mothers. Combinations of wire and/or cloth mothers that provided milk or did not.
Findings: monkeys with cloth mothers always preferred its company, even if the wire mother provided milk. Monkeys with cloth demonstrated confidence in novel situations, returning to it when frightened. Monkeys without access to a cloth mother showed signs of stress related illness. Follow up studies the maternal deprivation resulted in permanent social disorders. This suggests that infants have a biological need for physical contact, will attach to whatever provides comfort

31
Q

Negatives of Harlow?

A

Ethical concerns regarding suffering of primates. Intentionally orphaning infants and subjection to high levels of stress. Led to negative view of psychology, but also to changes in ethical standards

Generalising to attachment in humans is problematic, monkeys are similar genetically, but there are significant difference in both biology and cultural/social environments.

32
Q

Positives of Harlows study?

A

Has been applied to early childcare e.g. contact between mother and babies in the first few hours after birth. Social service workers investigating cases of infant neglect. Benefits to millions of human infants may justify the study from a cost benefit analysis.

33
Q

What was dolland and miller (1950)

A

Cupboard love theory: children become attached to their care giver because they learn the caregivers meet physical needs like food, based on learning theory: behaviour including attachment can be explained by classical and operant conditioning

34
Q

What is classical conditioning?

A

Learning by association. When two stimuli are presented together multiple times e.g. food (unconditioned) and the mother (neutral). Pleasure (unconditioned response) starts to become associated with the mother (conditioned stimulus). Now the response of pleasure (conditioned) happens whenever the mother appears.

35
Q

What is operant conditioning?

A

Learning by trial and error (consequence). Pleasurable consequences (food) for crying behaviour acts as positive reinforcement, making crying behaviour more frequent. Stopping the crying when food is produces is negative reinforcement for the parents.

36
Q

Positive of learning theory?

A

Learning theories are supported by significant amount of well controlled research and has face validity. It makes sense that babies would cry more if they learnt it gained them attention/food.

37
Q

Negatives of learning theory?

A

Environmentally reductionist, explaining complex infant-caregiver interactions and emotions as the result of simplistic processes like S-R links and patterns of reinforcement

Harlows infant monkeys did not attach to the surrogate wire monkey that provided milk, but to the cloth that did not provide milk, but provided comfort (rejecting cupboard love)

Contrast with Bowlbys monotropic theory

38
Q

5 parts of Bowlbys monotropic theory?

A

Evolution
Monotrophy
Internal working model
Strength of attachement
Social releasers

39
Q

What is evolution (Bowlbys theory)

A

Babies have an innate attachment drive to survive, security equals survival. Babies will stay close to one career (usually mother) for safety. Based on Lorenzs imprinting and Harlows contact comfort theories. Termed monotrophy: a unique strong attachment to a single care giver, the mother.

40
Q

What is the critical period (Bowlby)

A

Attachment must happen in the first 2/3 years. Failing results in long lasting negative social consequences. (Lorenzs work)

41
Q

What is the internal working model?

A

Attachment to mother provides a blueprint for future relationships. IWM is a guide on if people can be trusted/ if relationships are loving (from Freud and Harlow)

42
Q

Strength of attachment (Bowlby MT)?

A

Strong if care is consistent and weaker if frequent/long separations. Shown by safe base behaviour (using mother as base to explore) stranger anxiety and separation anxiety.

43
Q

What are social releasers?

A

Babies instinctively use signals (crying, smiling, vocalisations) adults are biologically programmed to find these behaviours cute or distressing giving attention/attachment

44
Q

Negatives on Bowlbys monotropic theory?

A

Based on Lorenz. Imprinting studies on geese demonstrate strength of attachment to a single care giver, explained evolutionary by significant survival advantages. Findings of an animal studies lack generalisation.

Alpha bias: may be exaggerating differences between father and mother. Suggests fathers role is resource production. Lacking temporal validity, men more equal in home and women at work.

Leads to continuity hypothesis. Adult relationships are predicted by infants attachment due to the development IWM. This is deterministic, people like to think they have full conscious control over their relationships.

45
Q

What is ainsworths attachment based off?

A

Attachment strength, proximity to mother, exploration/secure base, stranger anxiety, separation anxiety, reunion response, and sensitive responsiveness of the mother to the infants needs.

46
Q

What is type A in ainsworths attachment?

A

Insecure avoidant: keeps distant from the mother, not using her as a secure base but exploring, low stranger anxiety and separation anxiety. Won’t get comfort from mother when she returns. Little sensitive responsiveness from mother.

47
Q

What is type B attachment from ainsworths?

A

Secure: use mother as a safe base as they explore. High stranger anxiety and high separation anxiety, happy reunion response, then return to exploration. Caregivers show sensitive responsiveness.

48
Q

What is type C in ainsworths attachment theory?

A

Insecure resistant: won’t explore, inconsistent in waiting closeness or distance from mum. Stranger anxiety and separation anxiety is high, unable to settle when reunited rejecting mother. Mothers inconsistent in sensitive responsiveness.

49
Q

Ainsworths strange situation?

A

Infants (12-18 months) and mothers. Structured observation in a controlled lab setting. Infants behaviours (above) in response to a stranger and mothers actions are recorded. Findings provided evidence for three distinct attachment types, correlating with sensitive responsiveness.

50
Q

Positives for Strange situation?

A

Highly controlled observational study with clear standardised procedure for replication

Well respected and is the standard diagnostic tool used to measure caregiver infant relationships

51
Q

Negatives for strange situations?

A

As the attachment type is more common in western or American/English culture is viewed as secure and types more common in other cultures labelled insecure, the theory could suffer from culture bias

Observations only a snapshot of behaviour, not taking into consideration relationships with others or home behaviours

52
Q

What did Van Ljendoorn and Kroonberg study?

A

Meta analysis, 2000 infants, 32 studies, 8 countries
Findings: in all countries secure attachment was the most common type. Insecure resistant was the least common. Type A was more common in western cultures. Type C in non western. More variation between studies within a country than between cultures. Germany (35%), most type A attachments. Japan (27%) and Israel (29%) with the most type C attachments (insecure resistant), China had the least secure type B attachments at 50%. UK had 22% type A, 75% type B and 3% type C

53
Q

What did Van Ljendoorn and kroonberg conclude?

A

Globally preferred attachment type style of secure attachment (type B) but cultural differences in parenting styles with high levels of insecure types in some cultures. Examples. German families value independent/ non clingy children with more type A reflects self-reliance. Japanese mothers spend a significant amount of time with their infants, explaining extreme reactions to separation

54
Q

Simonelli (2014)?

A

Strange situation on 76 modern Italian families. Lower secure (B) rate than in historical Italian families, down to 50% and a much higher rate (36%) of insecure avoidant attachment. Suggests a healing shift to more independent children that can cope with the changing demands of modern life (complex childcare)

55
Q

Positives of the meta analysis?

A

Included very large samples, any poorly conducted study or unusual result will have only a small effect on the overall results, including validity of the findings

As the dominant attachment style was secure this supports Bowlbys theory that there is a biological instinctive drive to parent in a way that produces secure attachment,ent

56
Q

Monotrophy in maternal deprivation?

A

Unique attachment bond that develops between infant and mother. Needed for healthy development of infants. Maternal deprivations is not receiving suitable emotional care from a maternal figure.

57
Q

Critical period in maternal deprivation?

A

If adequate attachment is disrupted within 30 months of birth, negative intellectual and emotional consequences due to deprivation. Consequences: delinquency: due to delayed social development behaviour is outside acceptible norms, such as petty crime. Affectionless psychopathy: due to delayed emotional development children can not have empathy, having little guilt for harmful actions. Low IQ due to delayed intellectual development general cognitive abilities are lower than peers.

58
Q

Continuity hypothesis (maternal deprivation)?

A

Lack of internal working model for relationships leading to unsuccessful childhood, adult relationships and issue with own parenting skills

59
Q

Bowlby, J (1944) 44 thieves study?

A

Interviewed 44 older children accused of theft and a control group of 44 emotionally disturbed non-thieves. Affectionless psychopathy assessed, and parents contacted identify periods of separation from mothers. Found in 44 thieves group 14 matched the criteria for Affectionless psychopathy, none of the control group. 12 of the 14 experienced prolonged separation compared to 2 of the control group. Suggesting this leads to criminal behaviour.

60
Q

Negative of 44 thieves

A

Correlational, may be third factor such as poverty, family history or poor mental health

61
Q

Positives of 44 thieves

A

Led to changed to child welfare policies of many institutions, such as visiting time for mothers in hospitals

62
Q

Effects of institutionalisation (Romanian orphans)

A

Institutions include childrens homes, hostels and hospitals. Extended stays can alter normal functioning such as adopting rules and norms (institutionalisation). Resulting in loss of personal identity, deindividuation, and factors identified by Bowlby: Affectionless psychopathy, delinquency and low IQ

Deprivation = breaking of attachment. Privation = lack of development of any bond

63
Q

Romanian orphan studies?

A

Fall of communist government in 1989 left 300000 orphans suffering privation. Lacked physical and emotional care from staff. Many were malnourished or abused.

Rotter (2011) longitudinal study of 165 Romanian orphans. Adopted under 6 months, 6 to 24 months or over 24 months and compared to a control group of British adoptees.
Age 6: if adopted after 6 months showed disinhibited attachment, overly friendly behaviour to adult strangers
Age 11: adopted after 6 months showed significant delayed intellectual development. Average IQ if adopted after 24 months was 77. Cases of quasi autism, problems understanding social context.
Suggests adoption within 6 months avoids effects of privation.

64
Q

Evaluation of Romanian orphans studies?

A

Research resulted in changed policies around adoption and care in orphanages and other institutional settings

Infant not randomly assigned to when adopted, more sociable infants may have been picked first.

Goldfarb (1947) showed early fostering in British children led to higher IQ and social skills

65
Q

AO1 for attachment in childhood and adult relationships

A

Internal working model
Hazen and Shaver suggest adult relationships are a continuation of ainsworths infant types
Children with secure attachment will go on to be more socially capable in relationships
Main et al: developed adult attachment interview to identify IWM. types are dismissing, autonomous, preoccupied and unresolved (childhood trauma) these types predict relationship style with own children.

66
Q

Verissimo et al (2011)?

A

Showed strong attachment to the father predicts high ability to make friends in school

67
Q

Mccarthy (1999)

A

Showed adult women assessed as type B in infancy had the most stable adult relationships.

68
Q

Positive for continuation of attachment into adulthood?

A

Practical applications in schools, altering IWM to address issues such as bullying or loneliness in childhood. Even helping children achieve relationship stability in later adulthood.

69
Q

Alternate theory to IWM?

A

Kagan suggests the alternate temperament hypothesis. Infants have an innate biological personality ie to be passive or challenging. This results in infant caregiver and adult relationships

70
Q

Continuity hypothesis negatives?

A

Highly deterministic. Could make people feel doomed to poor relationships

A Level Psychology (9 decks)

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