Attachment Flashcards
Tronic Et Al
- Asked mothers to stop smiling at their babies.
- Stoic expression.
- Babies smiled to try to get an interaction.
- Supports reciprocity.
Bowlby Strengths
- Influential, has stimulated a great deal of research and many of his ideas have been applied to a variety of different situations.
- Research support i.e Harlow/Lorenz however limited.
Bowlby Weaknesses
- Emphasises the role of the mother. What about the role of the father?
- Contradicted by Schaffer and Emerson who found that many infants can form multiple attachments in the Multiple Attachments Stage (10/11 months+)
Ainsworth 1978 Strange Situation - Findings
- Baby interacts with stranger when mother present.
- Cries when mother leaves.
- Stranger unable to comfort child.
- Baby shows secure attachment.
- Tested stranger anxiety, separation anxiety and reunion behaviour (when mother re-enters the room.)
Secure Attachment
Safe base: Uses mother as a safe base, explores.
Separation Anxiety: Mildly distressed when mother leaves.
Stranger Anxiety: Wary of stranger when alone, friendly when mother present.
Reunion Behaviour: Joy at reunion, easily comforted.
68% in Ainsworth’s study.
Mothers are affectionate and comforting, consistently. Responsive.
Insecure Avoidant (think Apathetic)
Safe base: Explores more, doesn’t use mum as safe space.
Separation Anxiety: No sense of distress when mother leaves. Doesn’t notice.
Stranger Anxiety: Not distressed by stranger.
Reunion Behaviour: Shows no interest when mother returns.
20% in Ainsworth’s study.
Mothers less responsive to social releasers, pay less attention and reject affection more than accept it.
Insecure Resistant
Safe base: Infant wouldn’t explore in first place.
Separation Anxiety: Intense Distress.
Stranger Anxiety: Avoids stranger, resists interaction/getting to know.
Reunion: Approaches mother but rejects contact, resents her for leaving.
12% in Ainsworth’s study.
Mothers respond based on routine, lacking in affection or comfort.
Strange Situation AO3 - Strengths
- Standardised procedures, easily replicable.
- Control of extraneous variables.
Strange Situation AO3 - Weaknesses
- Ecological Validity.
- Ethical Issues babies distressed.
- Role of the father? Some babies may have had a primary caregiver as father and thus are attached to them.
Cultural Variation
- Repeated in 1988
- Great Britain: highest no. of secure
- Germany: highest no. of avoidant
- Japan: highest no. of resistant, very few avoidant.
- Result: Cross-cultural differences in raising children produced different reactions to the strange situation.
Maternal Deprivation
When an infant is deprived of maternal care for a long period of time during infancy. During critical period of 2.5 years, harmful effects.
Bowlby and MD
- Critical period 0-2.5 years
- Effects PIES and may result in them becoming emotionless, potentially sociopathic.
- Continuity Hypothesis: Idea that our earlier relationships can predict our later ones. Similar to internal working model idea MICI.
- May lead to inability to be a good parent in the future.
Continuity Hypothesis
Continued separation may lead to problems in adulthood; idea that our early relationships can predict our later ones; suggestion (with internal working model) that MD kids will become bad parents due to absence of the vital affection from primary caregiver.
Bowlby’s 44 Thieves
- 44 delinquents boys. 32% affectionless psychopaths, of these 86% experienced prolonged periods of maternal separation between 0-5 years.
- 44 control (non-delinquents). 0% affectionless psychos. 2 of them had also experienced prolonged separation.
44 thieves strengths
- Impacted childcare practices.
- His research is influential in this area of attachment.
