Attachment

Question 1

What is reciprocity in caregiver-infant interactions?

Answer 1

Reciprocity is when mothers and infants initiate and respond to each other meaningfully, providing pleasure, comfort, and security (e.g., playing “peekaboo”).

Question 2

What is interactional synchrony?

Answer 2

Interactional synchrony is when caregivers and infants mirror each other’s actions, such as matching facial expressions.

Question 3

What was Schaffer and Emerson’s aim in their attachment study?

Answer 3

To identify the stages of attachment in infants.

Question 4

What were the key observations recorded in Schaffer and Emerson’s study?

Answer 4

Mothers recorded stranger anxiety, separation anxiety, and social referencing (checking with a caregiver for cues on how to respond).

Question 5

What are the four stages of attachment according to Schaffer and Emerson?

Answer 5

• Asocial (0-6 weeks): Favourable reactions to both humans and non-humans.
• Indiscriminate Attachment (6 weeks-7 months): Enjoys human company generally.
• Specific Attachment (7-9 months): Attaches to one person, shows stranger/separation anxiety.
• Multiple Attachments (10+ months): Forms attachments to multiple people.

Question 6

What factor is most important in forming attachments, according to Schaffer and Emerson?

Answer 6

Sensitive communication, not just feeding.

Question 7

What role does the father typically play in infant attachment?

Answer 7

Often a secondary attachment figure and a playmate, engaging in more physical and risk-taking activities.

Question 8

Describe Harlow’s experiment on attachment.

Answer 8

Harlow placed baby monkeys with two surrogate “mothers”: one made of wire with a feeding bottle and one soft cloth-covered without food.

Question 9

What were Harlow’s findings about attachment in monkeys?

Answer 9

Monkeys preferred the soft cloth mother for comfort, especially when frightened, indicating comfort is more crucial than food for attachment.

Question 10

What did Lorenz’s study with goslings demonstrate about attachment?

Answer 10

Goslings imprint on the first moving object they see, showing that attachment can be innate and occurs within a critical period.

Question 11

How does the learning theory explain attachment?

Answer 11

Attachment is learned through classical and operant conditioning; infants associate the caregiver with food (classical) and are positively reinforced by the caregiver’s presence (operant).

Question 12

What are the three components of Bowlby’s Monotropic Theory?

Answer 12

• Monotropy: An innate need to attach to one primary figure.
• Critical Period: Attachment must form by age 2.5 years.
• Internal Working Model: Primary caregiver relationship serves as a template for future relationships.

Question 13

What was Ainsworth’s aim with the Strange Situation?

Answer 13

To examine variations in attachment styles among children.

Question 14

What behaviours did Ainsworth observe in the Strange Situation?

Answer 14

Stranger anxiety, separation anxiety, and reunion behaviour.

Question 15

What are the three attachment styles identified by Ainsworth?

Answer 15

• Secure (Type B): Comfortable with caregiver presence, explores.
• Insecure Avoidant (Type A): Unbothered by caregiver’s absence.
• Insecure Resistant (Type C): Upset with separation, not easily comforted.

Question 16

What did Van Ijzendoorn’s meta-analysis on cultural variations find?

Answer 16

Highest secure attachment rates were in the UK, highest avoidant attachment in Germany, and highest resistant attachment in Israel; within-country differences were greater than between-country differences.

Question 17

What does Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation suggest?

Answer 17

Disruption of the primary attachment during the critical period can cause irreversible effects like delinquency, reduced intelligence, aggression, depression, and affectionless psychopathy.

Question 18

What were the findings of Bowlby’s 44 Thieves Study?

Answer 18

14 of the diagnosed affectionless psychopaths among the thieves had experienced maternal deprivation, supporting the idea that early separation leads to lasting harm.

Question 19

What was Rutter’s study on Romanian orphans designed to investigate?

Answer 19

The long-term effects of institutionalization and adoption timing on attachment.

Question 20

What were Rutter’s main findings regarding Romanian orphans?

Answer 20

Later adoptees had higher rates of disinhibited attachment and lower IQs, while early adoptees showed better recovery, challenging Bowlby’s theory of permanent maternal deprivation effects.

Question 21

What is the separation anxiety response for securely attached infants?

Answer 21

Distressed when the mother leaves.

Question 22

How do infants with resistant attachment react to separation anxiety?

Answer 22

They show intense distress when the mother leaves.

Question 23

What is the separation anxiety response for avoidantly attached infants?

Answer 23

They show no sign of distress when the mother leaves.

Question 24

How do securely attached infants react to stranger anxiety?

Answer 24

They avoid the stranger when alone but are friendly when the mother is present.

Question 25

How do infants with resistant attachment respond to stranger anxiety?

Answer 25

They avoid the stranger and show fear of the stranger.

Question 26

How do avoidantly attached infants react to stranger anxiety?

Answer 26

They are okay with the stranger and play normally even when the stranger is present.

Question 27

What is the reunion behaviour of securely attached infants?

Answer 27

They are positive and happy when the mother returns.

Question 28

How do infants with resistant attachment behave during reunion?

Answer 28

They approach the mother but resist contact and may even push her away.

Question 29

How do avoidantly attached infants react during reunion?

Answer 29

They show little interest when the mother returns.

Question 30

What other behaviour is common among securely attached infants?

Answer 30

They use the mother as a safe base to explore their environment.

Question 31

What other behaviours do infants with resistant attachment display?

Answer 31

They cry more and explore less than securely attached or avoidant infants.

Question 32

What other behaviour is observed in avoidantly attached infants?

Answer 32

Both the mother and stranger are able to comfort the infant equally well.

Question 33

What percentage of infants display a secure attachment style?

Answer 33

70% of infants.

Question 34

What percentage of infants have a resistant attachment style?

Answer 34

15% of infants.

Question 35

What percentage of infants have an avoidant attachment style?

Answer 35

15% of infants.

Question 36

What are caregiver-infant interactions?

Answer 36

These include behaviors like reciprocity and interactional synchrony, where the caregiver and infant respond to each other in a coordinated way, helping to build attachment.

Question 37

Define “reciprocity” in the context of attachment.

Answer 37

Reciprocity is the two-way interaction where both caregiver and infant initiate and respond to each other’s signals in meaningful ways, building emotional bonds.

Question 38

Who conducted the study that identified stages of attachment, and what were the main findings?

Answer 38

Schaffer and Emerson identified four stages of attachment: asocial, indiscriminate attachment, specific attachment, and multiple attachments. They found that infants form attachments in stages, with the primary attachment figure often being the one who responds most sensitively to the infant’s needs.

Question 39

Outline Bowlby’s Monotropic Theory of attachment.

Answer 39

Bowlby’s Monotropic Theory suggests that attachment is an evolved, innate behaviour necessary for survival. It includes the concepts of monotropy (one primary attachment figure), a critical period (0-2.5 years), and the internal working model (a cognitive framework for future relationships).

Question 40

What is the critical period according to Bowlby?

Answer 40

The critical period is the first 2.5 years of life, during which an infant must form an attachment. If this does not happen, Bowlby suggested there could be long-lasting emotional and social effects.

Question 41

What is the “internal working model” in Bowlby’s theory?

Answer 41

The internal working model is a mental framework based on the infant’s first attachment that shapes expectations and interactions in future relationships.

Question 42

What is the learning theory of attachment?

Answer 42

The learning theory, proposed by Dollard and Miller, suggests that attachment is learned through classical and operant conditioning. The child associates the caregiver with food and comfort, and positive reinforcement strengthens the attachment.

Question 43

What was Harlow’s study on attachment in monkeys, and what did it conclude?

Answer 43

Harlow’s study involved baby monkeys choosing between a wire “mother” with food and a soft cloth “mother.” The monkeys preferred the cloth mother, suggesting that comfort is more important than food for forming attachment bonds.

Question 44

Summarise Lorenz’s study on imprinting.

Answer 44

Lorenz found that newly hatched goslings would imprint on the first moving object they saw, which they followed as their mother. This demonstrated that attachment can be an innate behaviour and occurs within a critical period.

Question 45

What did Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg’s study reveal about cultural variations in attachment?

Answer 45

Their meta-analysis found that secure attachment was the most common across cultures, but rates of insecure attachment styles varied, with Germany having higher avoidant attachment rates and Israel having higher resistant attachment rates.

Question 46

Explain Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation.

Answer 46

Bowlby’s theory suggests that if a child is separated from their mother (or primary caregiver) during the critical period, it can lead to long-term psychological issues such as delinquency, reduced intelligence, aggression, and affectionless psychopathy.

Question 47

What was the aim and main finding of Bowlby’s 44 Thieves study?

Answer 47

Bowlby aimed to investigate the link between early maternal deprivation and delinquency. He found that 14 “affectionless psychopaths” in his sample had experienced early separation from their mothers, suggesting a connection between maternal deprivation and antisocial behaviour.

Question 48

What did Rutter’s study on Romanian orphans conclude about institutionalization?

Answer 48

Rutter found that children adopted after six months showed more disinhibited attachment behaviours and lower IQs than those adopted earlier, suggesting that prolonged institutionalization can have negative effects on emotional and cognitive development.

Question 49

What is “disinhibited attachment”?

Answer 49

Disinhibited attachment is characterized by indiscriminate friendliness and a lack of selectivity in social relationships, often seen in children who have experienced extended periods in institutional care.

Question 50

What are the implications of research on Romanian orphans for Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation?

Answer 50

Rutter’s findings suggest that children can sometimes recover from early deprivation if placed in a nurturing environment, challenging Bowlby’s claim that deprivation always leads to irreversible damage.