Attachment Flashcards
Why do we use animal studies?
Animal studies look at the formation of early bonds between non-human parents and their offspring. This behaviour is present in multiple species so can help us understand human attachment.
Konrad and Lorenz - procedure
Lorenz divided a clutch of goose eggs into 2 groups: half were left with their mother and half with Lorenz in an incubator
Lorenz was the first living thing that the goslings saw when they hatched
Konrad and Lorenz - findings
The incubated goslings imprinted on him and followed him around and had no recognition of their real mother
The group left to hatch imprinted on their mother
Konrad and Lorenz - conclusion
Early attachment is irreversible and long lasting
Konrad and Lorenz - implications
Imprinting has to happen in the critical period and if it doesn’t they will never imprint and they can struggle with relationships later in life
Early attachment affects experiences later in life
The goslings had a sexual preference for what they imprinted on later in life
Konrad and Lorenz - evaluation
Generalisability - attachment in mammals works differently to attachment in birds, in mammals it is a two way process
Guiton - rubber glove study
Chicks had a glove instead of a mother throughout the critical period that provided food and interaction
They imprinted and followed the glove
When they grew up they tried to mate with gloves
However, through repeated socialisation attempts, the birds developed relationships with other birds and took on ‘typical’ behaviour
Harlow - procedure
8 orphaned infant monkeys were placed with a wire mother and a cloth mother, one of which had a feeding bottle for 165 days
Harlow recorded the time spent with the mother and their responses when scared
Harlow - findings
In both groups the monkeys spent more time with the cloth mother and went to the cloth mother when scared regardless of who fed them
Harlow - conclusions
Food is not the deciding factor in attachment, but comfort and contact are
Harlow - implications
As the monkeys grew up they developed abnormally
They were scared of other monkeys and were sexually abnormal
They did not cradle their own babies and struggled to behave appropriately
This led to the proposal of the ‘critical period’, attachment needs to occur in the first few months or there will be negative consequences
This has led to greater understanding in social work and the care of captive monkeys
Harlow - evaluation
Theoretical value: there are implications of this research on our understanding of human attachment and the importance of attachment in early relationships and later social development
Attachment is not the result of provision of food but of the provisions of comfort
Practical value: (Howe) Harlow’s research developed our understanding of risk factors in child neglect and abuse and highlights the importance of caring for animals in captivity
Ethical issues: the monkeys suffered emotional distress
Can we generalise to humans? If so the suffering could also be generalised to humans
Harlow’s ’pit of despair’
He placed the monkeys in an isolation chamber where they were fed but cut off from all contact and stimulation for up to a year
They developed intense depression
They lost their sex drive so Harlow inseminated them but they rejected their children, chewing off their finger and toes and biting off their heads
What is attachment?
Attachment is a two way strong emotional bond that endures over time
Sullivan et al
Attachment serves as a dual function
1) survival - attachment ensures that infants engage in proximity seeking and so gain comfort and protection
2) learning about the world and relationships - the quality and pattern of attachment care regulates infant brain function and behaviour, and so determines long term emotional regulation
What is reciprocity?
A description of how two people interact
Mother and infant interaction is reciprocal in that both infant and mother respond to each others signals and elicit a response from each other, the interaction is non-verbal and has a turn taking rhythm to it
What is the alert phase?
This is when reciprocity is more likely to happen. Babies have alert phases throughout the day which the mother picks up on
What is active involvement?
Babies and caregivers both take an active role and both can initiate interactions
What is interactional synchrony?
Mother and infant reflect both the actions and emotions of the other and do this in a co-ordinated synchronised way
Occurs when a caregiver and baby interact in such way that their actions mirror one another
Meltzoff and Moore
They observed 18 infants (9 male; 2-3 weeks old)
The experimenter modelled and action and the infants’ reaction was recorded (adults were not on video)
There were 4 stimuli (3 faces and 1 hand gesture)
Independent judges told to identify the behaviour of the infant
All scores were greater than 9.2 showing that infants often imitated the actions of the adults
This supports interactional synchrony
Inter-dependent observers
Independent observers report observing the same behaviour without conferring showing that inter-observer reliability is high
What does a healthy attachment look like?
Caregiver responds to needs and provides comfort
The baby communicates needs and will show stress when they disappear
Baby will want to be close and interact and will be comforted when reunited
What does an unhealthy attachment look like?
Avoid interaction and shows minimal response to parenting
Little response to separation and strangers
May be generally anxious
Over friendly and may not seek caregivers attention
Has extreme reactions
What is inter-observer reliability?
The extent to which two or more observers are observing and recording behaviour in the same way
Strengths of observational research
Reflects real life better
High external validity
High ecological validity
Can be recorded and re-watched
Babies don’t know they are being observed
Weaknesses of observational research
Low control
Low reliability (however inter-observer reliability - above 0.8)
Low internal validity
If lab based the baby may be distracted
Difficult to interpret behaviour, movements and expressions may be random
What is meant by overt?
The participants know they are being observed
What is meant by covert?
The participants do not know they are being observed
Abravanel and DeYoung
Observed infant behaviour when ‘interacting’ with objects
Infants between 5-12 weeks made little response to the object
This suggests imitation may be intentional
Schaffer and Emerson - aim
To find out how behaviour and caregiver infant interactions changed over time and how/when attachments developed
Schaffer and Emerson - procedure
They studied 60 babies from working class families in Glasgow to measure attachment and stranger anxiety
Mothers reported infant responses to everyday situations and the intensity of these behaviours
The researchers visited monthly until the infant was one year old and then again at 18 months and assessed stranger anxiety
Schaffer and Emerson - findings
As attachment increased, so did stranger anxiety (positive correlation)
Both increased with age
However, correlation does not prove causation
The most sensitive adult became the primary attachment
Between 25 and 32 weeks 50% of babies showed signs of separation anxiety (specific attachment)
Attachment was mainly with the adult who showed reciprocity
By 40 weeks 80% showed specific attachment and 30% showed multiple attachments
95% of infants were first attached to the mother (65% solely mother), father tended to be a secondary figure
Schaffer’s stages of attachment
Stage one: asocial stage (0-8 weeks)
Stage two: indiscriminate stage (2-6 months)
Stage three: specific attachment (7+ months)
Stage four: multiple attachments (12+ months)
What is the asocial stage?
0-8 weeks
Infant shows similar responses to anything and anyone
What is the indiscriminate attachment stage?
2-6 months
Attachment begins to appear social behaviours toward as humans (not objects)
No stranger anxiety since they do not discriminate between strangers and non-strangers
What is the specific attachment phase?
7+ months
Infants form a strong attachment with one person, with whom they have a quality relationship
They show separation/stranger anxiety and engage with proximity seeking
What is the multiple attachments stage?
12+ months
After becoming attached to a primary figure, infants develop a wider circle of attachment, normally including the father and other close people
These are seen as an ‘emotional safety net’
Advantages of Schaffer and Emerson
High external validity - the babies are in their natural setting, not a lab study
Similar amounts of boys and girls
A longitudinal study - much higher internal validity
Disadvantages of Schaffer and Emerson
Not generalisable - all working class from Glasgow
Self report - behaviour may be misinterpreted
Social desirability bias - not always reliable
Observations - don’t get the full picture, participant behaviour may change, observer bias
How are they measuring multiple attachments?
Measuring multiple attachments - Bowlby showed that children also have playmates who may cause distress when they leave
What is a longitudinal study?
They follow the same group of participants over a long period of time
What is a cross sectional study?
Looking at different groups of participants at different ages
The role of the father
Biological factors - oestrogen creates higher levels of nurturing and therefore women might be biologically predisposed to be the PCG
Social factors - traditional gender roles and stereotypes, women are expected to be more caring
Goodsell and Meldrum - having a secure attachment with both parents is linked, children need both parents
Geiger - fathers have a different role from the mother, the mum is associated with caring and nurturing the child, the dad is more about fun
What did Schaffer and Emerson find about the father?
Fathers were the PAF in only 3% of cases
However, 75% of babies formed attachments with the father at 18+ months
Grossmann et al
Longitudinal study (babies - teens)
The quality of relationship with the mother seems to have more impact on later attachments to other people
However, the role of the father has more to do with play, stimulation and risk taking rather than emotional development
Field
If fathers take on the role of PAF they adopt the emotional role associated with mothers
PAF fathers seem to spend more time smiling at, imitating and holding babies (interactional synchrony)
This is associated with the PAF
Practical applications of role of the father
If the father can take on the role of the mother then there are implication for society:
Paternity/maternity leave
Custody of children (men gain more equality)
Role modelling parental skills in young men
More societal acceptance of single fathers/same sex parents
What is classical conditioning?
Learning through association
Attachment forms because the PCG becomes associated with food (pleasure) over time
What is operant conditioning?
Learning through reinforcement/consequences
Attachment forms because the baby learns that crying brings mum = mum brings food so the baby seeks out mum
Food = primary reinforcer
Mum = secondary reinforcer
Each occurrence strengthens this learning making it more likely to reoccur
Dollard and Miller
Attachment is a set of learnt behaviours gained through experience of the environment (not innate) - a behaviourist approach
It is acquired through classical and operant conditioning
1) baby cries while seeking to reduce discomfort and mother provides food to reduce babies’/own discomfort)
2) mother and food become paired over time
3) mum becomes a reward so baby seeks her out
Implications
Strongest attachments with those who provide most primary care
Percentage of attachment types in different cultures
Love quiz - conclusions
