Attachment Flashcards
Define attachment
A two way bond between 2 individuals. In this context it is between a parent and child
What behaviours show attachment
-proximity
-separation distress
-secure base behaviour
Define proximity
The way that infants try to maintain physical contact or be close to their attachment figure
Define separation distress
When child is left alone by familiar caregiver, it becomes unhappy and shows distress
Define secure-base behaviour
-behaviour that promotes security, confidence, compliance and resilience. Caregiver offers a reliable base from which to explore
What is reciprocity?
The idea that attachments are interactional and that mothers and infant initiate and respond to each other in a meaningful way. Both get something out of the interaction, for example pleasure, comfort, security and so on
What did Feldman(2007) say about reciprocity?
From around 3 months, reciprocal interaction tends to be increasingly frequent and involves close attention to each other’s verbal signals and facial expressions
Sensitive responsiveness
-caregiver pays attention to infants behaviour ajd pucks up and responds to their signals
-suggests it lays strong foundation for attachment to develop later between the caregiver and infant
Whay did Brazelton et al(1975) describe sensitive responsiveness as a dance?
When a couple dance, they respons to one another’s movements and rhythms
What is interactional synchrony?
-When people are interacting they tend to mirror what is happening in terms of their emotions and their facial or body movements. It is described as synchrony as they are both moving in the same way ot similar pattern
-This interaction serves to sustain communication between the 2 individuals
Describe the Meltzoff and Moore study
-used a controlled observation
-videotaped 12 babies aged 21 days
-babies watched an adult experimenter perform different expressions. There were 3 different ones
–child’s response was identified by blind observers who had no idea what infant had seen
-dummy was removed from babies mouth and child’s expression was filmed
-BABY showed similar expressions as adult
What did Meltzoff and Moores study show?
Interactional synchrony is innate as child was young yet continued to mimic the gestures of the adults
What did Koepke et al(1983) find about Meltzoff and Moores study?
-Found it difficult to replicate findings and more research support was required to validate it
-LACKS ecological validity-experiment should be in natural conditions
-LACKS generalisibility-cannot generalise all babies
What did Piaget(1962l believe that went against Meltzoff and Moore’s ideas?
-believed that true imitation only develops towards the end of the first year and anything before this is ‘response training’
-shows interactional synchrony isn’t innate but babies do it to reap the rewards
Summary of Isabella et al(1989)
-believed that synchrony provides the necessary foundation for mother infant interaction which can be built upon in subsequent years
-Isabella et al observed 30 mothers and infants together and assessed degree of synchrony and quality of mother infant attachment
-it was found that high levels of synchrony were associated with better quality attachment
How did Tronick et al find research supporting reciprocity
-ASKED mothers who had been enjoying a dialogue with their baby to stop moving and remain static
-babies would try tempt mother into interaction by smiling and would feel distressed when their smile didn’t provoke usual response
How did Tronick et al research show importance of sensitive responsiveness and reciprocity?
-showw that without it, children will become distressed which is bad for their development
Why is controlled procedures a strength?
-there are well controlled standardised procedures so fine details can be recorded
-this has control over extraneous variables
Why is it a weakness to know what is happening when observing infants?
-what is being observed is merely hand movements or changes in expression
-not easy to analyse and it is subjective
What did Feldman(2002) talk about the research?
-synchrony is robust phenomena but they don’t state the purpose of it however research has shown it is important for baby’s development
Why is research into mother-infant interactions socially sensitive?
-perception of mothers will become negative
-challenges women’s liberation
-offensive to single dads and same sex marriages
What is contradictory evidence for role of I traditional synchrony( Le Vine et al 1994)
-found that Kenyan mothers who have little physical contact or interactions with their infants still have infants with a high proportion of secure attachments so interactional synchrony isn’t linked to security of attachment in all cultures therfore research over emphasises the role of caregiver infants interactions
What are the biological factors that affect the tole of father?
-female hormone oestrogen underlies caring behaviour therfore, women are more orientated towards interpersonal goals than men. The lack of oestrogen in men is why they are unable to form a close attachment
What are some social factors that affect the role of fathers?
-cultural expectations and sex stereotypes affect male behaviour
What research shows that primary attachment is with mothers and not fathers
Schaffers and Emersons(1964)
What research shows that fathers are more likely to be secondary attachment figures?
Schaffer and Emerson(1964)
What research shows that fathers can be primary caregivers?
Field et al(1978) filmed parents during face to face interactions with 4 month old babies and found primary caregiver fathers spent more time smiling than secondary caregiver fathers. Father can in fact be more nurturing