Attachment Flashcards
2 modes of Caregiver-Infant Interaction
Reciprocity = Responding to action of another with similar action
International Synchrony = When 2 people interact they mirror what they are doing.
Research into reciprocity
Feldman & Eidelman : Babies have “ alert phases” and signal ready for interaction ( mother responds 2/3 of the time).
Babies and carer spend time in pleasurable interactions
Interactional Synchrony
Meltzoff & Moore : adult makes 1/3 facial expressions and child reaction recorded.
Showed association between adult and infant behaviour.
Ao3 of caregiver-infant interaction
•unreliable due to infants. Infants pull funny faces often. Unable to conclude imitation.
•research supp. Meltzoff & Morre repeated with 3 day olds and got same results.
•controlled. High valid. Inter rated reliability. Recorded.
•Unethical. Socially sensitive as it can be used to argue against mother returning to work.
•prac app. Crotwell, 10 mins of interaction improved interactional synchrony and used as therapy.
Stages of Attachement
Asocial (0-6w) : Behaviour to people and objects similar.
Indiscriminate (6w-6m): Preference for humans but not specific humans.
Specific (6m-1y): Stranger & separation anxiety. Attach to primary figure.
Multiple (1year +): Second attachment 29% have within first month of primary attachment.
Stages of Attachment study
Schaffer & Emerson
60 Glaswegian babies (working class families)
Visited every month for 12 months and again at 18months.
Interviewed + observed mother
Findings & conclusion of Attachment stages study
25-32 weeks = 50% separation anxiety
40weeks = 80% specific attachment and 30% multiple.
Conc: Stages
Ao3 of stages of attachment
•High Ext val. took place in ptsps home. Natural env.
•Lack pop val. only 60 working class babies. Not generalisable.
•Social Desirability bias. Report better info of child to be better mother.
•lack temp val. social roles of men and women loosened.
•low cultural val. Not all babies for specific. In collectivist they form multiple from birth.
Schaffer & Emerson findings on role of father
Less likely to be primary attachment figure possibly due to less time spent with infant.
General ideas of role of father
Lack oestrogen causing inability to form close attachment.
Heerman
Men less sensitive to infant social cues.
Men unable to form attachment due to lack of emotional sensitivity.
Playmate.
Arguments of role of father
Fathers can demonstrate sensitive responsiveness and respond to needs of child.
Ao3 of Role of Father
•Res supp. Playmate. Geiger fathers play interactions more fun than with mother.
•Contra res. McCallum & Golombok same sex families don’t develop diff.
•Economic implications. Mother pressured to stay home. Socially sensitive.
•Bio deter. Lower oestrogen. Men bio programmed to not be primary caregiver.
•Ovserver bias. Observer sees what they wish to.
Animal Studies
Imprinting
Procedure
Lorenz
12 geese. Half hatched with him and half with mother.
Mixed all together and report who they follow
Animal Studies
Imprinting
Findings
Incubator group followed Lorenz. Control followed mother
Critical period where imprinting needs to take place. No imprinting = No attachment
Sexual imprinting also occurs. Birds acquire template of desirable characteristics.
Animal Studies
Contact comfort
Procedure
16 rhesus monkey 2 wire model mothers
1.milk from wire mother
2.milk from cloth covered mother
Preferences measured to frightening situations (noisy teddy bear in environment)
Also continued to study those who deprived real mother.
Animal Studies
Contact Comfort
Findings
Baby monkey always preferred soft object to wire. Regardless of which dispense milk.
Contact comfort more important than food.
As monkeys aged deprived ones more aggy less social less skilled and killed their offspring.
Ao3 of Animal Studies
•Animal bias. Animals not humans. Not fair to generalise.
•Animals and humans not too different. Provides insight into attachment behaviour.
•Unethical. Caused distress to monkeys. Harlow knew he was wrong calling wire mother Iron Maiden which relates to old torture device.
•Prac app. Helped social workers understand child abuse. And zoos.
•Low int val. confounding variables. Different faces on wire monkey.
Learning Theory of Attachment
Classical
Attachment through classical conditioning.
Caregiver neutral. Food unconditioned stimulus.
Overtime caregiver associated with food. Now conditioned stimulus.
Learning Theory of Attachment
Operant
Crying lead to attention from caregiver. Reinforces crying as its consequence is positive.
Caregiver negative reinforcement as baby stops crying.
This relation of pos & neg reinforcement strengthens attachment
Ao3 of Learning Theory of Attachment
•Contra res. Animal studies didn’t matter who fed them. Fundamentally flawed.
•Env deter. Ignores free will only considering classical and operant.
•Oversimp. Too linear approach. Multi-dimensional needed.
•Animal bias. Skinners pigeons and others generalised to humans.
•Valid explanation. Humans no different from animals.
Bs Theory of Attachment
Bowlby
Infants born with tendency to form attachment to survive.
Attachment give ADAPTIVE ADVANTAGE increasing survival.
Babies have SOCIAL RELEASERS to signal mother to care for them.
Have to form attachment during CRITICAL PERIOD. Between birth and 2 1/2 years.
Babies need 1 attachment. MONOTROPIC attachment.
This MONOTROPIC attachment builds INTERNAL WORKING MODEL for future relationships.
Ao3 of Bs Thoery of Attachment
•Supp res. Bailey study 99 mothers found poor attachment with parent lead to poor attachment in child.
•Supp res. Hazen & Shaver. Love quiz pos corr attachment types and love experience. Further supp Internal Working Model.
•Oversimp. More than just IWM effects attachment. Multi needed.
•Ethical issues. Blames mother for poor attachment. Socially sensitive.
•Contra res. Rutted found adopted orphans were still able to form attachments.
As Strange Situation
Procedure
Ainsworths
100 American infants (9-18months). 7 procedures lasting 3 mins.
1.Infant encouraged to play
2.Stranger enters tries to interact with child.
3.Caregiver leaves and stranger interacts with infant.
4.Caregiver return & stranger leaves
5.Caregiver leave child alone
6.Stranger return interact with child.
7.Caregiver reunited with child
Studied for Proximity seeking.
Exploration & Secure base behaviour
Stranger Anxiety
Separation Anxiety
Response to reunion
As Strange Situation
Secure 60-75%:willing to explore, moderate sep and stranger anxiety enthusiastic on reunion.
Insecure-Avoidant 20-25%: Very willing to explore. Low sep and stranger anxiety. Avoid reunion.
Insecure-Resistant 3%: Not willing to explore. High sep & stranger anxiety. Reject comfort on reunion
