attachment Flashcards
what is reciprocity?
caregiver infant interaction is reciprocal; each persons interactions effect each others
what is attachment?
the formation of a strong, reciprocal emotional bond between an infant and primary caregiver
what is interactional synchrony?
caregiver and infant signals synchronise; occur together
which psychologists deals with reciprocity?
Feldman, Eidelman and Brazelton
what did Feldman and Eidelman discover about reciprocity?
babes have alert phases and signals that they are ready for interaction, mothers respond 2/3 of the time
what did Brazelton discover about reciprocity?
describes caregiver interaction as a dance as they respond to each others moves like a couples dance
what psychologists investigated interactional synchrony?
Meltzoff and moore (1977)
isabella (1989)
what did meltzoff and moore observe about interactional synhchrony?
interactional synchrony in infants aged 2 weeks. adults displayed one of three facial expressions or gestures and the baby copied
what did isabella observe about interactional synchrony?
30 mothers and infants, a high level of synchrony associated with a better quality attachment
what are alert phases?
from birth babies signal when they are ready to interact
what behaviours indicate attachment?
proximity seeking, separation distress and joy on reunion, general orientation towards specific adult
what does it mean to have multiple attachments?
attachment to 2 or more people
what is the fathers role?
fathers offer play rather than comfort, seems to contribute to children’s attachment
what is the role of fathers as primary caregivers?
smile, imitate and comfort like mothers
what did Grossman discover?
quality of relationship was effected by relationship with mother not father therefore father attachment was less important
what are Schaffer and Emersons stages of attachment?
asocial, indiscriminate, specific, multiple
what is the asocial stage of attachment?
first few weeks, babies show some preference for familiar adults, babies love most things and humans
what is the in indiscriminate stage of attachment?
2-7 months, preference for people over inanimate objects, more observable social behaviour, no stranger or separation anxiety
what is the specific stage of attachment?
from 7 months, stranger and separation anxiety, specific attachment to primary caregiver
what is the multiple stage of attachment?
babies how multiple attachments to more than one adult, form secondary attachments, normally occurs by age 1
how does oestrogen effect the role of the father?
oestrogen underlies caring behaviour which may make women more biologically suited to forming attachments
what did Lamb (1987) discover about the role of the father?
children often prefer interaction with fathers when in a positive emotional state and seeking stimulation but prefers mothers when they are distressed and seeking comfort
what did Hardy suggest about fathers responsiveness?
less able to detect low levels of infant distress
what were the findings of Harlows experiment with monkeys?
both groups of monkeys spent more time with cloth monkey, cloth=comfort, wire=food, early deprivation leads to emotional damage
what were the findings of Lorenz’s study of geese?
the control group followed their mother group but the second group followed Lorenz as he was the first moving thing they saw
what are some strengths of Lorenz’s study?
its reliable and can be repeated again,
what is a weakness of Lorenz’s study?
it has ethical issues
what are the advantages of animal studies?
can do things which are considered unethical to humans
what are the disadvantages of animal studies?
may not be generaliseable
what is imprinting?
where birds that are mobile from birth attach to and follow the first moving object they see
what is a critical period?
period of time in which an attachment can be formed
what is sexual imprinting?
who they imprint with will effect their future behaviour, template from early attachment, brough up by goose= mate goose
what is cupboard love?
infants are attached to those who satisfy their needs
what is a monotropic bond?
special bond, unique relationship to develop and internal working model
what is an internal working model?
provides template for future attachments, plays a role in later development
what is the aim of Ainsworth’s strange situation?
to be able to observe key attachment behaviours as a means of assessing the child’s attachment to a caregiver
what are the behaviours used to judge attachement?
proximity seeking, exploration behaviour, stranger anxiety, separation anxiety, response on reunion
what is a secure attachment? TYPE B
child explore happily but regularly go back to caregiver, moderate separation anxiety and stranger anxiety, require and accept comfort from caregiver at stage 7 (reunion)
what is an insecure-avoidant attachment? TYPE A
explore freely, do not seek proximity, little or no reaction when caregiver leaves, little contact on return
what is an insecure-resistant attachment?
seek greater proximity than others so explore less, huge stranger and separation anxiety, resist comfort on return
strengths of Ainsworth’s strange situation
standardised, results tend to be similar despite cross cultural differences, ecological validity
limitations of Ainsworth’s strange situation?
focuses on the relationship with one person, cultural specific
