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Psychology Topics 1-8 paper 1 and 2 > Attachment > Flashcards

Attachment Flashcards

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1
Q

What is the definition of attachment?

A

An emotional bond between 2 people in which each seeks closeness and feels more secure when in the presence of an attachment figure

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2
Q

What is the definition of a caregiver?

A

Any person who is providing care for a child, such as a parent, grandparent, sibling…

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3
Q

What is a caregiver infant interaction?

A

The way in which an infant engages with and responds to the person who is providing them care

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4
Q

Define proximity seeking

Define stranger anxiety

Separation anxiety

A
  1. Wanting to be close to the attachment figure
  2. Distress caused when in the company of unknown people
  3. Distress caused when being apart from the attachment figure
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5
Q

Explain reciprocity

A

A two way/mutual process whereby each party responds to the other’s signals to sustain interaction (turn taking). The behaviour of each party elicits a response from the other

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6
Q

Explain interactional synchrony

A

A caregiver infant interaction whereby the caregiver and infant mirror or match each others behaviours, expression, facial movements, body movements and emotions

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7
Q

Key features of reciprocity

A

Caregiver responds to the action of the infant with an action, infant responds to the action of the caregiver

Caregiver and infant respond to each other’s signals to sustain the interaction

Turn taking

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8
Q

Key features of interactional synchrony

A

When the infant and the caregiver are said to be synchronised as they engage in same action in unison

Mirroring what the other is doing, harmonious and responsive interaction

Includes imitation of emotion as well as behaviour

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9
Q

Aim and sample of Meltzoff and Moore

A

Aim: To investigate how new born infants interact with their caregivers and whether imitation is intentional

Sample: 60 new born babies

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10
Q

Procedure of Meltzoff and Moore

A

Exposed infants to 4 different conditions:
- Mouth opening
- Mouth closing
- Sticking tongue out
- Tongue termination
Infants responses were observed and recorded during the experiment. Observers examined videotapes of the infants behaviour in real time, slow motion and frame by frame to determine whether gestures were imitated. The videos were then assessed by independent observers to eliminate biases.

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11
Q

Results/findings and conclusion of Meltzoff and Moore

A

Results/findings: There was evidence to suggest that infants as young as 12 days could imitate facial and manual gestures. Imitation was considered intentional and not merely a reflexive response. Intra rater reliability scored greater than .92 (Anything above .7 is good)

Conclusion: Infants intentionally respond to their caregivers actions even at a young age.

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12
Q

AO3
Outline one strength of Meltzoff and Moore’s research into caregiver-infant attachment

(Controlled observations capture fine detail)

A

Controlled observations capture fine detail

These procedures are well controlled procedures. This ensures that very fine details of behaviour can be recorded and later analysed. Furthermore, babies dont know or care that they are being observed so their behaviour doesn’t change in response to controlled observations - which is generally a problem for observational research.

This strengthens our acceptance of Meltzoff and Moore’s research as this means the research is high in validity.

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13
Q

AO3
Outline one weakness of Meltzoff and Moore’s research into caregiver-infant attachment

(Problems with testing infant behaviour)

A

There is reason to have doubt about the findings of the research due to difficulties in reliability testing infant behaviour

Infant’s mouths are in fairly constant motion and the expressions that are tested occur frequently (yawning, sticking out tongue, smiling). This makes it difficult to distinguish between general activity and specific imitated behaviours. To overcome these problems Meltzoff and Moore measured infant responses by filming infants and then asking an observer (who had no idea what behaviour was being imitated) to judge the infants’ behaviour from the video

Therefore, this highlights the difficulties in testing infant behaviour, weaking our acceptance of the research

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14
Q

Outline the sample and aim of Schaffer and Emerson’s study (1964)

A

Aim: To identify stages of attachment/find a pattern in the development of an attachment between infants and parents

Sample: 60 new born babies from Glasgow

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15
Q

Findings of Schaffer and Emerson

A

-Attachment followed 4 main stages
-Babies formed multiple attachments
-Attachment figure isn’t always main caregiver
-Strength of attachment was related to amount of sensitive responsiveness displayed by the caregiver

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16
Q

Procedure of Schaffer and Emerson (1964)

A
  • They analysed the interactions between the infants and carers
  • They interviewed the carers
  • The mother had to keep a diary to track the infant’s behaviours based on the following measures: separation anxiety and social anxiety
    -Mothers were visited every 4 weeks for the first year then again at 18 months. (Longitudinal study)
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17
Q

Schaffer and Emerson’s findings

A

-Evidence for 4 stages of attachment
-87% of babies formed attachment with 2 or more caregivers
-Babies main attachment figure wasn’t always main caregiver
-Babies with strongest attachments had caregivers who displayed the most sensitive responsiveness

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18
Q

What are the 4 stages proposed by Schaffer and Emerson?

A
  1. Asocial/pre attachment
  2. Indiscriminate attachment
  3. Specific/discriminate attachment
  4. Multiple attachments
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19
Q

Features of Asocial stage

A

-Babies produce similar responses to all objects whether they are animate or inanimate
-Towards the end, they show greater preference to social stimuli like smiley faces and they are more content being round people
-Reciprocity and interactional synchrony play key roles in establishing an infants relationship with others

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20
Q

Features of indiscriminate attachment stage

A

-Infants become more social, enjoy being around people
-Prefer human company to inanimate objects
-Can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar
-Accepts comfort from anyone - no signs of stranger anxiety or separation anxiety
-Attachment is therefore described as indiscriminate as it is not different between people

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21
Q

Features of discriminate attachment stage

A

-Infants begin to show distinctly different sort of protest when one particular person puts them down, separation anxiety
-They show special joy at reunion with the same person and are most comforted by this person
-Form specific attachment to one person
-Quality of relationship matters more than quantity/time spent with child

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22
Q

Features of multiple attachment stage

A

-After the main attachment is formed, infants develop a wider circle of multiple attachments with individuals whom they regularly spend time with —-> secondary relationships
-Depends on how many consistent relationships the infant has
-Within the first month of forming an attachment with the primary caregiver, 29% of infants formed multiple attachments

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23
Q

AO3
Strength of Schaffer and Emerson’s study
(Longitudinal study)

A

-One strength of research into the development of attachments s the use of longitudinal studies
-For example, Schaffer and Emerson conducted a longitudinal study with 60 infant pairs over 18 month, whereby researchers visited the same pairs every moth and then again at 18 months
-This means researchers were able to study these infant pair over a period of time focusing on patterns and changes within the specific pair over a period of time, reducing individual differences

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24
Q

AO3
Outline on strength of Schaffer and Emerson’s study
(Naturalistic observation)

A

-One strength of Schaffer and Emerson’s study is that it was a naturalistic observation
-Infants were observed in natural settings e.g. at home, in shops…
-This means the results are higher in ecological validity and can be better generalised to everyday life
-Therefore this strengthens our acceptance of the theory

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25
Q

AO3
Outline one weakness of Schaffer and Emerson’s study
(Observer bias)

A

-One weakness of Schaffer and Emerson’s study is observer bias
-In Schaffer and Emerson’s study, observers may have had a preconceived bias that more sensitive responses leads to stronger attachments
-When the researchers measured the attachment between mother and baby, they might have expected the mothers who displayed more sensitive responsiveness, to have stronger attachments with their babies and so the researchers may have incorrectly rated the sensitive mothers as having stronger attachments to their babies than they really did.

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26
Q

What is the definition of a primary attachment figure

A

The person who has formed the closest bond with the child, demonstrated by the intensity of the relationship

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27
Q

Hormonal explanation for why men cant be primary attachment figures + counter argument

A

Men have less oestrogen which underlies caring behaviour, so women generally have better interpersonal skills. E.g. listening, understanding

Counter:
Research shows that men’s Test levels decrease. Oxytocin increases suggesting men are biologically capable

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28
Q

Cultural explanation for why men cant be primary attachment figures

A

Gender stereotypes that affect male behaviour. This may discourage males from becoming the primary attachment figure E.g. Thought as feminine to be sensitive.

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29
Q

What is the role of the father?

A

-Fathers are more playful, physically active and better at providing challenging situations for their children
-Mothers form a more conventional role and fathers are seen as a playmate (Geiger 1996)

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30
Q

AO3
Strength for fathers as primary caregivers
(Geiger 1996, fathers are not caregivers, they are playmates)

A
  • Research evidence provides support for the role of the father as a playmate
    -Research by Geiger et al found that a fathers play interactions were more exciting in comparison to a mother’s. However, the mothers play interactions are more affectionate and nurturing
    -This suggests that the role of the father is in fact as a play mate and not as a sensitive parent who responds to the needs of their children.
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31
Q

AO3
Weakness against fathers as primary caregivers
(Hrdy 1999, fathers are not physiologically, biologically, socially equipped)

A

Research evidence suggests that fathers are not able to primary caregivers are not biologically equipped to be primary caregivers

Hrdy (1999) found that fathers were less able to detect low levels of infant distress, in comparison to mothers

This could be due to different hormone levels such as oxytocin and lack oestrogen to detect the child’s needs

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32
Q

AO3
Strength for fathers as primary caregivers
(Belsky 2009, father can demonstrate sensitive responsiveness)

A

Research suggests that fathers are able to demonstrate sensitive responsiveness to their infant

Belsky (2009) found that males who reported higher levels of marital intimacy also displayed a secure father-infant attachment, whereas males with lower levels of marital intimacy displayed insecure father-infant attachments

This suggests that fathers can form secure attachments with their infant depending on levels of marital intimacy

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33
Q

Explain imprinting

A

An innate readiness to develop a strong bond with the mother figure which takes place during a specific time in development probably the first few hours after birth/hatching

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34
Q

Lorenz’s procedure

A

12 gosling eggs and divided them into 2 groups
Group 1: Eggs left with their own mother
Group 2: Eggs placed in an incubator and when they hatched the first thing they saw was Lorenz

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35
Q

Lorenz’s findings

A

-Goslings who saw Lorenz first followed Lorenz first
-Goslings who saw their mother first followed their mother

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36
Q

Outline Harlow’s procedure (Harlow’s monkeys)

A

-Created two wire monkeys each with a different head
-One wire mother - wrapped in soft cloth, the other was a plain wire monkey
-Milk bottle was on plain wire

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37
Q

Findings of Harlow’s study (Harlow’s monkeys)

A

-All 8 months spent most of the time with the soft covered mother regardless of where the milk bottle was
-Those who were fed by the wire monkey , fed and then returned to the cloth mother when they were scared

38
Q

Conclusion from Harlow’s monkeys

A

Monkeys don’t form attachments with the person who feeds them but rather the person offering contact comfort

39
Q

Ethical issues with Harlow (Harlow’s monkeys)

A

-Monkeys developed abnormally
-Socially abnormal - fled when approached by other monkeys
-Sexually abnormal - Didn’t show normal mating behaviour or cradle their own babies. Sometimes they neglected their young and even killed them in some cases

40
Q

AO3
Weakness of Harlow’s study
(Confounding variables)

A

One weakness of Harlow’s research is that there was confounding variables which may have affected outcome of the study. For example, the monkey’s head shape was alot more ‘monkey like’ than the wire mokey. This suggests the monkey may have chosen the cloth monkey more due to the head shape being more realistic, rather than the cloth comfort. Therefore this may result in inacurrate data meaning we cant establish cause and effect, thus weakening our accaptance of Harlow’s research.

41
Q

Melissa’s baby Holly is fed four times a day. Initially, Holly used to laugh and smile only when Melissa was feeding her. After a few weeks, Holly soon started to laugh and smile at just the presence of Melissa.

Now Holly is starting to crawl around and explore. At first, she used to crawl away and play with her toys, while Melissa was in a different room. When this happened though, Holly didn’t get fed as much as when Melissa happened to be in the same room as her. Now Holly follows Melissa around wherever she goes.

Explain how this scenario demonstrates the two different types of conditioning that occur when attachments are formed, according to learning theory.

A

Holly has formed an attachment to Melissa through classical conditioning, through the feeding process. Holly has formed an association between the pleasure of food with Melissa, prompting a conditioned response of laughing and smiling whenever she is with Melissa. Holly has also formed an attachment with Melissa through operant conditioning. Holly’s behaviour of being around Melissa has been reinforced, by the fact that she gets fed more, and so rewarded more, when she is with Melissa.

42
Q

Features of Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation

A

-Loss of emotional care that is normally provided by mother figure

-Bowlby suggested there would be long term consequences of prolonged emotional deprivation

Critical period - If a young child is denied emotional care due to frequent or prolonged separations may become disturbed If its within the critical period of attachment or there is no substitute mother person available

Value of maternal care - infants need a warm, intimate and continuous relationship with a mother or permanent substitute to ensure normal mental health

43
Q

Aim of Bowlby’s juvenile thieves study

A

To investigate long term effects of maternal deprivation

44
Q

The procedure of Bowlby’s Juvenile Thieves Study

A

-Analysed the case histories of a number of patients in a child guidance clinic

-Natural experiment

-88 children - 44 were the control group and the other 44 were thieves (caught stealing)

-Bowlby described some thieves as affectionless psychopaths - who lacked signs of affection, shame or a sense of responsibility

-He felt this affectionless psychopathy enabled them to steal

45
Q

AO3
Outline one weakness of Bowlby’s 44 Thieves study
(Reconstructive memory)

A

-One weakness of Bowlby’s theory of 44 thieves study was data was collected retrospectively
-For example, data was from 14 years ago
-This means that the information may be inaccurate, reducing the validity of the data and its findings
-Therefore this weakens our acceptance of the research s results may not be compleely accurate

46
Q

Findings of Bowlby’s Juvenile Thieves Study

A

-32% were affectionless psychopaths
- Of affectionless psychopaths, 86% had experienced early separation from mother
-Only 17% if thieves without affectionless psychopathy experienced maternal deprivation and just 4% had experienced separations during critical period

47
Q

AO3
Outline one weakness of Bowlby’s 44 thieves study
(Social desirability)

A

One weakness of Bowlby’s 44 thieves study is that it has been criticised for social desirability
For example, not all parents would have been completely honest about how they treated their children as they don’t want to look bad.
This means the data could have been skewed and not accurate which affects the validity of the study
Therefore, this weakens our acceptance of Bowlby’s findings as they may not be genuine

48
Q

What were the 8 countries involved in the strange situations experiment?

A

China
Japan
Germany
Israel
UK
America
Holland
Sweden

49
Q

Findings of Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg

A

Most secure attachment type = UK

Most avoidant attachment type = Germany

Most resistant attachment type = Israel

Results showed that individualistic countries that support independence such as Germany had high levels of avoidant attachment type, whereas countries that are more culturally close (collectivist), such as Japan, had quite high levels of resistance.

50
Q

Outline the learning theory of attachment

A

Attachments are learned through experiences of being fed through caregivers

Attachment is learned through classical and operant conditioning

Classical conditioning: Baby has association between the mother (NS) and feeling of pleasure that comes from being fed by caregiver (UCR) . Therefore, baby then feels pleasure when mother is around.

Attachment occurs because the child seeks the person who can provide them a reward which is food

51
Q

Outline Bowlby’s theory of Monotropy

A

-Babies form one very special attachment with their mother
-This intense attachment is called monotropy
-If the mother isn’t available, the infant could bond with another ever present adult, mother substitute

52
Q

What was Bowlby’s critical period?

A

-First 2.5 years of a babies life
-Cant form an attachment with the caregiver after this age

53
Q

Outline the internal working model

A

-The schema for relationships that we develop from our attachment with our main caregiver
-Acts as a template for our future relationships
-Positive relationship with caregiver = Positive internal working model = Positive future relationships vice versa

54
Q

AO3
Outline one strength of Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg
(Validity)

A

One strength of Van Ijendoorn and Kroonenberg is that they used a large sample (2000 babies across 8 countries).This suggeests there is high population validity meaning findings can be generalized to other populations of people. Therefore large samples used in meta analysis increase the internal validity, thus strengthening our acceptance of the research

55
Q

What are the 3 attachment types?

A

Insecure avoidant
Insecure resistant
Secure

56
Q

3 evaluations of caregiver-infant interaction studies

A

-Strength: Enables researchers to collect highly detailed, reliable observations

-Weakness: Studies are correlational making it hard to infer a cause and effect

-Weakness: Observer bias

57
Q

The procedure and findings of Hazan and Shaver 1987

A

Procedure:
-Love quiz in Rocky Mountains newspapers
-The quiz asked questions about current attachment experiences and attachment

Findings:
-Positive correlation between attachment type and love experiences
-Securely attached adults were reported as more positive and enduring in relationships - 10 years on average
-Insecure avoidant attached individuals tended to reveal jealousy and fear of intimacy

58
Q

AO3
Outline one weakness of the influence of early attachment
(IWM)

A

-There is a theoretical problem which exists in research related to internal working models
-This is because the internal working model is an unconscious structure so participants would not be able to discuss it through a questionnaire consciously
-This means the IWM is an untestable concept so it cant be measured, thus weakening our acceptance of it

59
Q

AO3
Outline one weakness of the influence of early attachment
(Determinism)

A

-It is deterministic
-Plenty of insecure people still manage to form happy relationships. People are not always doomed to have bad relationships because they have attachment problems in childhood. They have a greater risk of encountering problems, people can still be happy if they are insecure

60
Q

AO3
Outline one weakness of the influence of early attachment
(Association doesn’t mean causation)

A

-Association doesnt mean causation
-Alternative explanations exist for the continuity between infant and later relationships. Attachment styles and love styles could be influenced by a third environmental factor such as parenting style or one’s personality. This third factor might have a direct effect on the attachment the infant forms and the child’s ability to form relationships with others

61
Q

Outline Mary Ainsworth’s strage situations

A

-A procedure to assess how securely attached a child was to its caregiver
-Controlled observation

  1. The caregiver enters a room, places the child on the floor and sits on a chair.
  2. A stranger enters the room, talks to the caregiver and then approaches the child with a toy.
  3. The caregiver exits the room. If the infant plays the stranger observes without interruption
  4. The caregiver returns while the stranger then leaves.
  5. Once the infant begins to play again, the caregiver may leave the room, leaving the child alone briefly.
  6. The stranger enters the room again and repeats behaviour mentioned in step 3
    (observing, engaging, comforting as needed)
  7. The stranger leaves and the caregiver returns. The “strange situation” places the child in a mildly stressful situation in order to observe 4 different types of behaviour which are separation anxiety, stranger anxiety, willingness to explore and reunion behaviour with the caregiver.
62
Q

Aim of strange situations

Sample of strage situations

A

-To see how a child would react when separated from their mother

-100 middle class Americans

63
Q

Findings of strange situations study

A

Secure - 70%
Insecure avoidant - 15%
Insecure resistant - 15%

64
Q

AO1
Outline the Romanian orphans study, effects of institutionalisation

A

-Studied 165 romanian orphans who suffered effects of institutionalisation
-111 were adopted before the age of 2 and another 54 were adopted before the age of 4
-Adoptees were tested at separate regular intervals (4, 6, 11 and 15) to assess physical and cognitive social development
-progress was compared to a control group of 52 British children adopted in the UK before 6 months

65
Q

What were the 5 effects that institutionalisation had on the Romainan orphans?

A

-Deprivation dwarfism (Physical underdevelopment)
-Delayed intellectual development
-Disinhibited attachment - Infant displays attention seeking behaviour and over friendliness to strangers
- Lack of internal working model
-Lack of emotional development

66
Q

What is the definition of maternal deprivation?

A

Babies are separated from their attachment figure during the critical period

67
Q

Schaffer and Emerson’s study of stages of attachment doesn’t support Bowlby’s theory, because…

A

They found that in the multiple attachment stage, 87% of babies formed an attachment to two or more caregivers.

68
Q

Strength of Bowlby’s monotropic theory
Weakness of Bowlby’s monotropic theory

A

Strength = Lead to positive changes in the real world such as longer waiting times for children in hospital and longer parental leave

Weakness = Discouraged mothers from going out and working by making them feel bad for not taking care of their child

69
Q

Lorenz’s study showed that baby geese immediately formed a strong attachment to another living being, showing an innate need to bond. This shows support for…

A

Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment

70
Q

Three weaknesses of Bowlby’s 44 Thieves study are…

A

-Participants might have been influenced by investigator effects causing them to respond to demand characteristics - They might have pretended like there was more deprivation than what occurred.

-Reconstructive memory gives inaccurate results of what happened because participants were asked to recall events from 14 years ago.

-Social desirability - The mothers may not have been genuine with their answers because they wouldn’t say how they treated their child if they knew they treated them badly

71
Q

In the group of thieves, the percentage of them who suffered from affectionless psychopathy, was…

A

32%

72
Q

Within the group of affectionless psychopaths, the percentage of those who had experienced separation from their mothers in early life was at…

A

86%

73
Q

Of the 44 thieves, the percentage of children who had experienced separation from their mothers, for 6 months or more during childhood, was around…

A

50%

74
Q

In the control group, the percentage of the 44 teenagers who had experienced deprivation was around…

A

5%

75
Q

AO3
Outline one weakness of Bowlby’s 44 theives study
(Naturalistic experiment)

A

One limitation of natural experiments is that the researchers have little control over extraneous variables which could have influenced the results. The children who displayed criminal behaviour may have been deprived of an attachment figure. Their behaviour might have also been caused by other factors such as low socioeconomic status, a poor but not deprived attachment to their parents, or experiencing lots of family conflict. Without being able to control for these factors, we can’t be sure that it was maternal deprivation that made children more likely to turn to crime, rather than these other uncontrolled factors.

76
Q

What are the consequences of maternal deprivation?

A

Impaired cognitive, behavioural and emotional development

77
Q

AO3
Outline one strength of Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation
(44 thieves study)

A

One strength of Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation is that there s supporting research from his 44 thieves study. For example, children who were separated from their main caregiver are likely to develop delinquency and affectionless psychopathy later in life. Of the children he interviewed, 50% of those who demonstrated delinquency had been separated from their mothers, compared to around 5% of those who did not demonstrate delinquency.
This suggests that there are lasting effects of MD as Bowlby’s theory suggests, thus strenghtening acceptance for his theory of MD.

78
Q

AO3
One weakness of Bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory
(Koluchova’s case study)

A

One weakness of Bowlby’s theory is that there is contradicting evidence from Kulchova. A twin study found that the effects of deprivation can be reversed. Two twins were abused and neglected till the age of 7 when they were put into foster care and developed loving relationships with foster parents and caught up with their peers in school, they both went on to have happy relationships and good jobs later on in life.
This research contradicts Bowlby’s theory, because Bowlby states children will have life long effects of maternal deprivation.
This real world research weakens accaptance of Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation.

79
Q

AO3
One weakness of Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation
(Confounding variables)

A

One weakness of Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivattion is that there were confounding variables. For example, many other factors can affect a child’s development, not just being deprived, however, this isnt taken into account in Bowlby’s theory.
Poverty, abuse and malnourishment are all likely to contribute to emotional distress, therefore they are confounding variables which influence the relationship between deprivation and psychological distress.
Therefore this weakens our acceptance of Bowlby’s theory as it doesnt take confounding varibales such as environment into consideration.

80
Q

Explain how Koluchova’s twin’s study does not support Bowlby’s maternal deprivation theory.

A

Koluchova’s case study describes a pair of twins who were severely neglected and deprived of an attachment figure, during their critical period. The twins showed the severe psychological damage that Bowlby claimed they would have, and Bowlby claimed that this psychological damage would be long-lasting and irreversible. However, after being adopted by a loving family and receiving schooling, the twins cognitive abilities improved leaving them with an above-average IQ. They also went on to form a positive attachment with their caregivers and have happy relationships in adult life. Therefore, the twins don’t support Bowlby’s idea that the consequences of deprivation are long-lasting and irreversible.

81
Q

Using your knowledge of Rutter’s criticisms of Bowlby, explain what the term privation means.

A

Rutter was critical of Bowlby’s definition of deprivation. According to Rutter, deprivation is when a child has attached to a caregiver, but is then separated in early childhood. Privation is when a child has never experienced the love of a caregiver, and never forms an attachment with anyone.

82
Q

Outline features of an insecure resistant attachment type from Ainsworth’s strange situations

A

This was found to be the least common of the three attachment types identified by Ainsworth

-Around 10-12% of infants were classified as insecure resistant
-The infants did not explore the room and were reluctant to leave the PCG’s side, in case they were left
-separation anxiety
-stranger anxiety
-On reunion with the PCG, they were not able to be calmed down and protested at the PCG as comfort was offered
-They resisted the PCG’s attempt to calm them on return

83
Q

Outline features of an insecure-avoidant attachment type from Ainsworth’s strange situations

A

-This was found to be the second most common attachment type in Ainsworth’s experiment but this does vary in follow-up studies. (See Culture and Attachment)
However, it is never the dominant attachment type in any culture where the strange situation has been used

-18-20% of infants were found to be insecure avoidant
-The infants were happy to explore the room and play but didn’t use caregiver as a safe base
-There was no separation anxiety
-No stranger anxiety
-Indifferent reunion behaviour

84
Q

Outline features of a secure attachment type from Ainsworth strange situations

A

-This was found to be the most common attachment type in the Strange Situation experiment conducted by Ainsworth and is the most common attachment type globally

-Between 66-70% of infants are classified as secure
-The infants were happy to explore the room and play, using the Primary Care Giver (PCG) as a safe base
-They were distressed when left by the PCG so they demonstrated separation anxiety
-The infant avoided the stranger and so showed stranger anxiety
-On reunion with the PCG, they were happy and any upset disappeared very quickly

85
Q

Outline features of a secure attachment

A

The caregiver is sensitive and responsive to the needs of the infant

  • High stranger anxiety
  • High separation anxiety
  • Use the caregiver as a safe base, so they are happy to explore
  • Happy when reunited with caregiver
86
Q

Outline features of an insecure-avoidant attachment

A

The caregiver is not responsive to the child. The child doesn’t trust the caregiver

  • Low separation anxiety
  • Low stranger anxiety
  • Don’t use the caregiver as a safe base
  • Indifferent reunion behaviour
87
Q

Outline features of an insecure resistant attachment

A

The caregiver shows inconsistent care to the child, so the child is unsure if tey can depend on the caregiver or not. Become needy and attention seeking

  • High separation anxiety
  • High stranger anxiety
  • Angry reunion behaviour
  • Don’t use the caregiver as a safe base
88
Q

Outline Main’s research into the continuity hypothesis

A
  • Main conducted an interview-based study, in which participants were asked questions about their relationships with their parents and their relationships with their children
  • The participants’ attachment styles with their parents correlated with the attachment patterns they had with their own child
  • She found that the percentage of adults displaying each of the three attachment types was very similar to the percentages first described by Ainsworth
89
Q

3 weaknesses of Main’s research into continuity hypothesis

A

-Investigator effects as it was an interview
-The ppts responses may not have been accurate and they may have displayed social desirability bias
-Inaccurate memory as events were in childhood

90
Q

Outline 3 weaknesses of Hazan and Shaver’s love quiz

A

-Used a volunteer sample which means it may not have been representative of the whole population

  • Self report measure means results might not always be accurate or objective and may suffer from social desirability biases
  • The study was correlational meaning a causal relationship can’t be established between attachment styles with parents and later romantic relationships
91
Q

3 Strengths of strange situations

A

-Control over extraneous variables due to standardisation. All children went through same script and same 8 stages

-Replicable - Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg did a meta analysis of studies which replicated strange situations and found that these studies replicated the findings from strange situations

-Stable across time

92
Q

3 weaknesses of Strange situations

A

-The results may lack population validity

-The method may be culturally biased towards behaviours expected in Western cultures

-The results may lack ecological validity

Psychology Topics 1-8 paper 1 and 2 (7 decks)

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