Attachment Flashcards
What are innate actions?
Things all babies do
Pre-programmed behaviours
Internal (biological)
What is reciprocity?
Description of how two people interact
Turn-taking
Sensitive responsieveness
What is turn-taking?
Interaction flows both ways between adult and infant
What is sensitive responsiveness?
Adult attends sensitively to infant’s communications
What is interaction synchrony?
Adults and babies respond in time to sustain communication
Imitation
What is imitation?
Infant mimics/copies the adult’s behaviour
What was Meltzoff and Moore’s experiment?
When a face was made at a baby, the baby made the same face back
What was the still face experiment?
Asked mother to interact with baby and baby’s reaction was positive
When baby had still face, baby showed signs of distress
Shows importance of interacting with baby
What is imprinting?
When a baby recognises another object/person as a parent
What was Lorenz’s procedure?
Randomly divided clutch of goose eggs
One half hatched with mother goose in natural environment
Other half hatched in a incubator where the first thing they saw was Lorenz
Mixed goslings together to see who they would follow
What were the results of Lorenz’s experiment?
Incubator group followed Lorenz
Control group followed mother
Identified critical period in first few hours after hatching where imprinting takes place
What is a critical period?
Span of time in which a certain behaviour must be achieved and if it’s not completed during this time, the ability is lost forever
How did Lorenz test critical period?
Varied time between birth and seeing moving object
What is extrapolation?
Applying findings from animal studies to humans
What are the differences between humans and animals?
Human attachments more complex
Not based on sight
No imprinting
What are the similarities between humans animals?
Both have critical period
Benefit of introducing skin on skin contact
Strength of Lorenz - imprinting
Regolin and Vallortigara
Exposed chicks to simple shape-combinations that moved
When shown range of moving shapes, chicks followed these in preference to other shapes
Suggests young animals born with innate mechanism to imprint on a moving object
What was Harlow’s procedure?
Separated monkeys from real mother
Put monkey in cage with cloth-covered “mother” and food “mother”
Observed who monkey spent the most time with
Observed which “mother” the monkey went to when frightened
What were the results of Harlow’s experiment?
Cuddled cloth “mother” instead of food “mother”
22 hours with comfort
2 hours sporadically with food
When frightened, monkey went to cloth-covered mother
Monkeys who were deprived of real mothers were more aggressive, less sociable and less skilled in mating
Limitation of Harlow - ethical issues
Baby monkeys immediately taken away from mothers after birth
Missed 90 day critical period
Cannot replicate study so cannot validate the original experiment
Strength of Harlow - practical application
Zoo keeping
Limitation of animal studies - extrapolation
Problem with generalisability from findings of animals to humans
What was Bowlby’s monotropic theory?
Bowlby believes that baby have one main attachment figure known as primary attachment figure, which is typically mothers (or female figure)
What are social releases?
Any behaviour a baby shows to get an adult’s attention
What is a baby’s critical period?
Time in which a baby must make an attachment, otherwise they will never make an attachment
0-2/2.5 years
What is an internal working model?
From this monotropic attachment, baby forms mental model of what relationships are meant to be like, which they use for future relationships
Strength of Bowlby’s monotropic theory - research support
Bailey et al
Interviewed 99 mothers
Mothers had the same attachment style with their mothers as with their children
Supports IWM as states relationship created with mother’s monotropic figure would be template for them when they are a parent
Limitation of Bowlby’s monotropic theory - evidence of multiple attachments
Van Ijzendoorn
Babies in collectivist cultures form multiple attachments straight away rather than one specific attachment
Strength of Bowlby’s monotropic theory - evidence for social releases
Tronick
Babies distressed when mothers no longer responded to their actions
Social releases vital for forming relationships
Limitation of Bowlby’s monotropic theory - Czech twins
“Discovered” at age 7
Locked up and isolated from outside world and abused by stepmother since birth
Had no language ability
After loving care from two sisters, by age 14, twins showed normal social and intellectual functioning and were able to form meaningful attachments
Counterpoint Bowlby’s monotropic theory - Czech twins
Made each other primary attachment
Limitation of Bowlby’s monotropic theory - socially sensitive
Fathers don’t play important in child’s life
Lead to fathers being treated unfairly in custody cases
What is the learning theory of attachment?
Classical conditioning
Before conditioning:
- UCS (food) –> UCR (happy baby)
- NS (caregiver) –> NR (no response)
During conditioning:
- NS (caregiver) + UCS (food) –> UCR (happy baby)
After conditioning:
- CS (caregiver) –> CR (happy baby)
Limitation of learning theory - animal studies
Lorenz’s geese - imprinted on first moving object they saw
Harlow’s monkeys - attached to soft surrogate in preference to wire one with milk
Imprinting/attachment didn’t develop as result of feeding
Limitation of learning theory - counter evidence
Schaffer and Emerson
- many babies main attachment wasn’t person who fed them
Isabella et al
- interactional synchrony (unrelated to feeding) predicted attachment quality
Strength of learning theory - some elements of conditioning may be involved
Unlikely that associated with food
But could be associated with warmth and comfort
What is institutionalisation?
Being raised within an institute (hospital, orphanage) without any family members
What was the procedure of Rutter’s Romanian orphans study?
165 Romanian orphans adopted to Britain
Physical, cognitive and emotional development was tested at 4, 6, 11, 15
Compared to 52 British children who were adopted at same tim
What were the findings of Rutter’s Romanian orphan study?
1/2 orphans showed intellectual development when came to UK
Average IQ for UK = 100
Adopted before 6 months = mean IQ of 102
Adopted between 6 months-2 years = mean IQ to 86
Adopted after 2 years = mean IQ of 77
Differences continued to be apparent at 16
Disinhibited attachment apparent in children adopted after 6 months but rare in children adopted before 6 months
What is disinhibited attachment?
Clinginess
Attention-seeking
Indiscriminate affection to strangers
Strength of Rutter’s Romanian orphans - practical application
Improving institutions
One or two key workers per child
Strength of Rutter’s Romanian orphans - research support
Bucharest early intervention project
Used Strange Situation to assess attached in 95 Romanian children aged 12-31 months who’d spent most of their lives in institutional care
Compared to control group of 50 children who’d never experienced institutional care
19% of institutionalised group securely attached (74% of control)
44% of institutionalised group had disinhibited attached (20% of control)
Limitation of Rutter’s Romanian orphans - situational variables
Romanian orphans orphanage was unique situation
Lacked intellectual stimulation, poor standards of care and poor relationships
Not generalisable
Strength of Rutter’s Romanian orphans - extraneous variables
Previous research had focused on orphans who’d experienced loss or trauma
Meant researcher couldn’t be sure if it was institution or trauma which caused attachment behaviour (lacks internal validity)
Romanian orphans hadn’t had any trauma
Who were the researchers that developed the Strange Situation?
Ainsworth and Bell
What does proximity seeking/secure base?
How close babies stay to caregiver/exploration
What is stranger anxiety?
How the baby reacts to a stranger
What is separation anxiety?
How the baby reacts when caregiver leaves
What is response of union?
How the baby reacts when caregiver returns
What was the method of Strange Situation?
Proximity seeking = caregiver and baby in same room
Stranger anxiety = added stranger
Separation anxiety = caregiver leaves
Reunion behaviour = caregiver returns
Measured by watching reaction
What were the three types of attachment?
Secure
Insecure avoidant
Insecure resistant
How does a baby with a secure attachment react to each of the Strange Situation tests?
Secure base/proximity seeking –> = / wandered but came back
Separation anxiety –> = / moderate
Stranger anxiety –> = / moderate
Reunion behaviour –> wants comfort
How does a baby with a insecure avoidant attachment react to each of the Strange Situation tests?
Secure base/proximity seeking –> + / wandered and didn’t come back
Separation anxiety –> - / low
Stranger anxiety –> - / low
Reunion behaviour –> avoids comfort
How does a baby with a insecure resistant attachment react to each of the Strange Situation tests?
Secure base/proximity seeking –> - / clingy
Separation anxiety –> + / high
Stranger anxiety –> + / high
Reunion behaviour –> resists comfort
Why would a child be secure?
Parents sensitive to needs
Why would a child be insecure avoidant?
Parents avoid and ignore their needs
Why would a child be insecure resistant?
Parents are inconsistent in responding to needs
What were the results of the Strange Situation?
Majority of children securely attached = 60-75%
Insecure avoidant next most common = 25%
Normally 10% or lower are insecure resistant
Limitation of Strange Situation - missing attachment type
Main and Solomon
Missed the disorganised attachment type
Mix between ISA and ISR
Disorganised attachment children self-soothe by rocking
Limitation of Strange Situation - cultural bias
Caregivers and a child’s upbringing depends on culture
Takahashi
- repeated Strange Situation on Japanese babies
- most ISR because of upbringing
Strength of Strange Situation - inter-rater reliability
High inter-rater reliability
When two or more observers collect the same information and give same results
Bick
- 94% of trials observers agreed on attachment classification
Strength of Strange Situation - good predictive validity
McCormick
- secure babies typically have greater success at school
ISR associated with worse outcome
- bullying (Kokkinos)
- adult mental health wards (Ward)
Who investigated cultural variations in attachment?
Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg
What was Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg’s procedure?
Looked at proportions of S, ISA and ISR attachments across countries
Found 32 STUDIES of attachment where Strange Situation used (conducted in 8 COUNTRIES, 15 IN USA)
1990 children in studies
Data META-ANALYSED and results combined and weighted for sample size
What were the results of Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg’s study?
Secure attachment most common
Individualistic cultures = ISR under 14%
Collectivist cultures = ISR above 25% and ISA reduced
Variations between results of studies WITHIN same country 150% GREATER than BETWEEN countries
Which country had the highest percentage of secure attachment?
75% Britain
Which country had the lowest percentage of secure attachment?
50% China
Which country had the highest percentage of insecure-resistant attachment?
30% Israel
Which country had the lowest percentage of insecure-resistant attachment?
3% Britain
Which country had the highest percentage of insecure-avoidant attachment?
Germany
Which country had the lowest percentage of insecure-avoidant attachment?
Japan
Strength of Strange Situation
Covert - reduced demand characteristics
Controlled - reduced extraneous variables
Non-participant - easier to take notes
Limitations of Strange Situation
Missing attachment types
Limitation of cultural variations in attachment - imposed etic
Used Strange Situation to assess attachment types which was created by an American researcher to assess American children
May not be applicable to assess other cultures
In Germany, lack of pleasure on reunion is classed as independence rather than avoidance
Need to adapt procedure to assess cultural difference
Strength of cultural variations in attachment - use of indigenous researchers
Indigenous researchers - those from same cultural background as participants
Grossmann - Germans working with German participants
Aids communication between researchers and participants
Helps prevent misunderstandings
How does having a secure relationship with the caregiver as a baby affect future relationships?
Secure friendships
Secure romantic relationships
What study is used to test adult relationships?
Love Quiz
What was the procedure of the love quiz?
Analysed 620 Love Quiz responses printed in an American newspaper
First section assessed responses current/most important relationship
Second section assess general life experiences
What were the results of the Love Quiz study?
56% = securely attached
25% = insecure-avoidant
19% = insecure attachment
What are the romantic relationships like someone who is securely attachment?
Long-term
Few
Very trusting
Very open with emotions
What are the romantic relationships like someone who has an insecure-avoidant attachment?
Short-term
Few
Trusting
Very independent
Doesn’t share emotions
What are the romantic relationships like someone who has an insecure-resistant attachment?
Short-term
Many
Not trusting
Very open with emotions
Limitation of Love Quiz - self-report
Demand characteristics
Social desirability (however anonymity reduces this)
Restricted answers
Strength of influence of early attachment of later relationships - research support
Bailey et al
Tested 99 mothers and their relationships with their own mothers
Type of attachment mirrored in mother’s relationship with their own children
Limitation of influence of early attachment of later relationships - association not causation
Zimmerman
Rejected IWM
Found little similarity in infant attachment type and adolescent attachment type
What study was used to test childhood attachment?
Smith et al
What was the childhood study?
Peer relationships, bullying
Secure = make friendships easily, trusting
ISA = few friendships, doesn’t try and make friends, bullying victims
ISR = bullies, desperate for friendships, not trusting
What is maternal deprivation?
Lack of mother care
What was Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation?
All children needed continuous care from their mother to have “normal deprivation”
If separated from their mothers, would be serious damage to child’s emotional and intellectual development
What was a disruption to a maternal relationship result in?
Abnormal development
What are the consequences of maternal deprivation?
No attachment in your critical period
Poor IWM - poor friendships/romantic relationships
Lack of continuity - disruption in attachment
Low IQ
Emotional problems - affectionless psychopath
What was the procedure of Bowlby’s 44 thieves study?
44 criminal teenagers
Interviewed for signs of affectionless psychopathy, characterised by lack of affection, guilt and empathy
Families interviewed to establish any prolonged separation from mothers
Control group = non-criminally, emotionally-disturbed gang of people
What were the results of Bowlby’s 44 thieves study?
14/44 thieves were affectionless psychopaths
12/14 had experienced prolonged separation from mothers in first 2 years of life
Prolonged early separation/deprivation caused affectionless psychopathy
Limitation of 44 thieves - procedure
Researcher bias - Bowlby could affect what answers were given to get what he wanted
Interview - social desirability bias
Limitation of Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation - social sensitivity/economy
Blamed mothers for everything
Mothers should take 2 years off (negatively impacts economy)
Insensitive to fathers (don’t play a role)
Pressure on mothers
Strength of Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation - practical application
Patient-family accommodation
Family stay near/in the hospital to be able to visit children
What was the procedure of Schaffer and Emerson’s study?
60 babies from Glasgow working class families
Tested by psychologists in their own home
Tested every month until first year and at 18 months
Asked mothers questions about separation and stranger anxiety
What were the results of Schaffer and Emerson’s study?
Four main stages of attachment
Change based upon child’s reaction to separation and stranger anxiety levels
What are the four stages of attachment?
Asocial stage
Indiscriminate attachment
Specific attachment
Multiple attachments
When is the asocial stage?
First few weeks
What is the asocial stage?
Behaviour towards and inanimate objects similar (no preference)
When is the indiscriminate attachment stage?
2-7 months
What is the indiscriminate attachment stage?
No separation or stranger anxiety
Preference for humans but attachment is indiscriminate
When is the specific attachment stage?
From around 7 months to a year
What is the specific attachment stage?
Stranger and separation from anxiety when separated from primary attachment figure
When is the multiple attachments stage?
By one year
What is the multiple attachments stage?
29% of babies had formed secondary attachment within a month of primary attachment
Multiple secondary attachments
Limitation of Schaffer and Emerson - self-report design
Demand characteristics
Social desirability bias
Mothers could lie
Limitation of Schaffer and Emerson - sample
Limited sample size
Only working class
Only Glasgow
Can’t generalise
Strength of Schaffer and Emerson - procedure
Good external/ecological validity
Babies were in their own home
Mothers observed babies
AO3 stages of attachment - Van Ijzendoorn
Strength = multiple attachments
Limitation = stages of attachment
Babies have multiple attachments as their first stage
Collectivist cultures share responsibility of baby with all family
More opportunity to develop multiple attachments
What are stereotypical beliefs about the role of the father?
Secondary care givers
- spend most time out of household
- so less time with children
Role of protection and providing
- providing food
- shelter
- money
For cognitive development and discipline
- play
- stimulation
When primary caregiver, fathers adopt emotional role
How does sex of the baby affect the role of the father?
Fathers more involved if child is male as see themselves as role model
How does culture affect the role of the father?
South Africa
- fathers secondary caregivers
- bread winners and providers
Tribe in Papa New Guinea
- women as hunter-gathers
Other cultures have fathers as more significant attachment
Limitation of role of the father - legal implications
Mothers favoured other fathers
Not all fathers have parent responsibility
Can be primary caregiver - Schaffer and Emerson
Additional attachments developed in the proceeding months followed 4th stage
31% of infants displaying 5+ attachments by 8 months
3% had fathers as primary caregivers
Not parent that spends most time, one whose MOST SENSITIVE TO NEEDS
Can be primary caregiver - Grossman
Longitudinal study of 44 families
Compared role of fathers’ and mothers’ contribution to children’s attachment experiences at 6, 10, 16 years
Fathers’ play style linked to fathers’ own IWM
Play sensitivity better predictor of child’s long-term attachment representation than early measures of attachment type that infant had with father
Can be primary caregiver - Field
Compared behaviours of primary caretaker mothers with primary and secondary caretaker fathers
Face-to-face interactions analysed from video footage with 4 month old infants
Fathers engaged more in gameplaying and held infants less
Primary caretaker fathers engaged in significantly more smiling, imitative grimaces and imitative vocalisations than secondary caretaker fathers and these were comparable with mothers’ behaviour
Can be primary caregiver - Brown et al
Investigated father involvement, paternal sensitivity and father-child attachment security at 13 months and 3 years
Involvement and sensitivity influenced father-child attachment security at age 3
Involvement greater predictor of secure attachment when fathers were rated less sensitive
Gender of caregiver not crucial in predicting attachment types/quality, it’s extent of caregiver involvement
