attachment Flashcards
what is an attachment ?
a 2 way emotional bond between 2 induvial in which each individual sees the other as essential for their own emotional security
- it is a reciprocal relationship
what 3 behaviours can show attachment ?
proximity
separation distress/ anxiety
secure-base behaviour
what does proximity mean ?
we want to stay close to people who we are attached too
what is separation distress/ anxiety ?
we get angry, upset when we are separated from our attachment figure
what is a secure-base behaviour ?
we like to keep regular contact almost like an invisible piece of string
why are caregiver and infant studied ?
as they give us insight into the type of nature of attachment
what are the 2 types of caregiver-infant interactions in humans ?
reciprocity
interactional synchrony
what is reciprocity ?
describes how 2 people interact with one another
what does reciprocity explain ?
it means 2 way so it explains how the mother and baby respond to each others signals
what is the ‘alert phase’ ?
babies have this it is when there alert in between lots of sleep and its the signal babies are ready for an interaction
- mothers mainly responds to this alertness around 2/3 of the time
when does the ‘alert phase’ get more frequent ?
gets more frequent from approx. 3 months
why is reciprocity important (2things) ?
- teaches the child how to communicate
- allows the parents to care better as learns to detect cues from the baby as to what the baby needs
what 2 studies are used to reciprocity ?
- Brazelton et al (1975)
- Feldman (2007)
what is interactional synchrony ?
an interaction that mother and baby have is co-ordinated meaning they do it in a synchronised way it is like looking in a mirror
- interactions between mother and infant are ‘mirrored’ between the 2
when does interactional synchrony begin ?
2 weeks old
why is interaction synchrony important (2 things) ?
- difficult to form attachments without between mother and baby
- can also lead to better communication when child gets older with parents
what are the 2 studies used for interaction synchrony ?
- Isabella et al (1989)
- Meltzoff and Moore (1983)
what is the primary attachment figure ?
this is the person a baby first becomes attached to
who tends to be the PAF ?
the mother
what is the secondary attachment figure ?
refers to who the baby becomes attached to after the primary attachment figure
who is usually the SAF ?
the father
how long does it take for babies to make there 2nd attachment figure ?
a few months
what percent of infants at 18 months have a SAF as a farther ?
75%
what protest do babies show when fathers leave the room ?
separation protest
what study is used to support the role of the farther ?
Grossman (2002)
how can the fathers become the PCG/ PAF according to Field (1974) ?
if they take on behaviours which are normally expected by the mother
what are the 3 behaviours which are important in building attachments with the baby ?
- smiling
- holding
- imitating
as it is all about how u respond to the baby rather then the gender
what is a stage theory ?
one which explains how behaviour develops over time
who created the stages of attachment using an experiment ?
Schaffer and Emerson
(1964)
what 2 things did Schaffer and Emerson want to measure ?
- separation anxiety
- stranger anxiety
what is stranger anxiety ?
display of anxiety when a stranger approaches
What are the 4 parts to Schaffer’s stage theory ?
- asocial stage
- indiscriminate attachment
- specific attachment
- multiple attachment
what is the asocial stage ?
birth to 2 months
-start to recognise carers and form bonds
- prefer someone then alone
- some preference w adults
- behaviour w objects and humans r similar
what is the indiscrimate attachement stage ?
2 to 6 months
- tends to accept cuddles from any adult
- recognise and prefer any adults
- prefer people over objects
- no separation or stranger anxiety
- not bothers who comforts them
what is the specific attachment stage ?
7 to 12 months
- displays anxiety to strangers
- anxious when separated from a specific figure
- it is offers most interactions then the specific attachment even if they don’t spend the most time w them
what is the multiple attachment stage ?
around 12 months
- can be anyone like extended fam as well
- most have secondary attachments
- start attached to other adults
what is the % for forming a SAF within a month of forming a PAF ?
29%
what are the 2 animal studies used in attachment ?
- Lorenz
- Harlow
what animals did Lorenz use ?
goslings
what animals did Harlow use ?
Rhesus monkeys
what was Lorenz’s conclusion ?
attachment is innate and programmed genetically
what was Harlow’s conclusion ?
early maternal deprivation leads to emotional damage
what are the 2 strength to caregiver interactions ?
- research involves controlled observations
- suggests caregiver interactions are innate
what are the 2 weakness to caregiver and infant interaction ?
- difficult to interpret infant behaviour
- there is methodological problems with observational methods
what are the 2 strengths to role of the fathers ?
- there is evidence that fathers can form strong bonds with infants
- some research is longitudinal studies
what are the 2 weakness to the role of the farther ?
- evidence that fathers aren’t biologically equipped
- research is inconsistent
what is a strength to the stages of attachment theory ?
- it contains a mix of self report and observational techniques
what are the 2 weakness to the stages of attachment theory ?
- psychologist disagree that we form multiple attachments
- separation and stranger anxiety is hard to observe
what is a strength to Lorenz study ?
- research provides useful info that can applied with caring for orphaned animals
what is a weakness to Lorenz study ?
- difficult to apply a study about geese to humans
what are the 2strength for Harlow’s study ?
- it helps understand attachment in the real world
- ethical issues can be justified as it helped provide valuable insight into development if attachment in social behaviour
what are the 2 weakness’s for Harlow’s study ?
- there is serious ethical issues involved
- limited value to help understand maternal deprivation in human infants
what is the learning theory ?
where attachments can be learned
in what 2 ways is attachment learnt ?
- classical conditioning
- operant conditioning
what can the learning theory be called potentially ?
the ‘covered love’ theory
what is the ‘covered love’ theory ?
a baby gets attached to the person who feeds them
why is the learning theory sometimes called the ‘covered love’ theory ?
as it emphasis food
what is classical conditioning in attachments ?
learning through association
- food is the UCS when a baby is fed
- the food provides the infant with pleasure (UCR)
this a natural response so it isn’t learnt
what happens for the CG to go from the NS to the CS in classical conditioning ?
- the NS is ‘paired’ with the food
- overtime caregiver is associated with having the food
- so when infant sees CG they expect the food
- so now becomes the CS
as at the sight of the CG baby experiences pleasure (CR)
why doe babies cry for comfort ?
as their only way they can communicate
what happens when they cry ?
the CG responds
how is a positive reinforcement made from a CG to the infant ?
- a baby cries to get the CG to respond
- if the CG provides correctly then it is PR and the baby learns to do it again
- so the baby directs their crying at the person most likely to give them positive reinforcement ( eg. the food)
why is reinforcement a 2 way process for OC ?
as at the same time as the baby is receiving PR the caregiver receives NR because the baby stops crying
- they’re escaping something unpleasant
what does OC being a 2 way process do to the CG and infant ?
strengths the attachment
what considers drive reduction ?
learning theory
what is a drive ?
something we are motivated to do
what are humans
motivated to do ?
we are motivated to eat as it is a basic need to keep us alive
what does a baby recognise about drive reduction ?
the baby generalises this drive reduction to the CG thus feels attached
what reduces a babies hunger drive ?
food
who created the learning theory ?
Dollard and Miller (1950)
what are the 2 weaknesses in the learning theory ?
- counter evidence to suggest food isn’t important in attachment
- ignores the quality of attachment being important
what are the 2 strengths in the learning theory ?
- based on scientific principles
- have some value in explaining attachment
why dos Bowlby reject the learning theory ?
as argued that children do not just get attached to the person who feed them as attachment is innate
what does innate mean ?
natural
what does Bowlby believes attachment promotes ?
survival
what do the main beliefs in Bowlby’s evolutionary theory help explain ?
- monotropy
- critical period
- social releases
what is monotropy in Bowlby’s theory ?
that infants will form 1 very special attachment which usually is the mother
who type of CG does Bowlby believe an infant will form the 1 special attachment too ?
- responds more sensitively to the infants social releases
- especially if more consistent and reliable in supporting the infants needs
what does Bowlby believe secondary attachments are important for ?
emotional development
- a ‘safety net’
what is the critical period in Bowlby’s theory ?
babies will form an attachment with a CG during this time
what is the length of time the infant has to form an attachment ?
2 1/2 years
what will the infant suffer if the attachment is broken or not formed within the critical period ?
they will suffer and this is an irreversible, long term consequence
what are social releases in Bowlby’s theory ?
the characterizes infants are born with
what does social releases ‘unlock’ for infants ?
the innate tendency of adults to care for them
what are the 2 types of social releases ?
- physical
- behavioural
what are physical social releases ?
- typical ‘baby face’ features
- body proportions
what are the behavioural social releases ?
- crying
- cooing
what does social releases provide for the infant ?
protection so it enhances the survival
what is the internal working model in Bowlby’s theory ?
when an infant forms an attachment with a PG then the infant forms an internal working model
what does the internal working model involve for the infant ?
a cluster of concepts about relationships and what to aspect from others
what does the internal working model create a link between for the infant ?
early attachments and future relationships in adulthood
what are the 2 strengths of Bowlby’s theory ?
- supporting evidence from bailey et al
- evidence for monotropy is universal
what are the 2 weaknesses to Bowlby’s theory ?
- evidence for monotropy is mixed
- socially sensitive
what was Ainsworth aim in her experiment called the strange situation ?
to measure children’s quality and type of attachment with their caregiver
what are the 5 behaviours that are observed in the ‘strange situation’ ?
- separation anxiety
- stranger anxiety
- response to reunion
- secure base and exploration behaviour
- proximity seeking
what is proximity seeking ?
closeness to CG
what is exploration and secure-base behaviour ?
infant ability to explore away from the CG
what is stranger anxiety ?
the level of anxiety for an infant when a stranger approaches
what is separation anxiety ?
the level of anxiety for an infant when the CG leaves and the amount of protest
what is the response to reunion ?
how the infant responds to the CG
what is the first stage in the ‘strange situation’ ?
the mother and infant entering the room then the infant being encouraged to explore
- exploration and secure base behaviour
what is the second stage in the ‘strange situation’ ?
a stranger enters the room and potentially try’s to interact with the infant
- stranger anxiety
what is the third stage in the ‘strange situation’ ?
the CG leaving the room and leaving the infant with the stranger
- stranger and separation anxiety
what is the fourth stage in the ‘strange situation’ ?
the CG enters and the stranger leaves
- response to reunion
what is the fifth stage in the ‘strange situation’ ?
the mother leaves the infant alone
- separation anxiety
what is the sixth stage in the ‘strange situation’ ?
the stranger reuturing and again attempting to interact with the infant
- stranger anxiety
what is the seventh stage in the ‘strange situation’ ?
the mother returning and the stranger leaving
- response to reunion
what are the 3 main attachment styles ?
- insecure avoidant (type A)
- secure (type B)
- insecure resistant (type C)
what is the insecure avoidant in the ‘strange situation’ resemble ?
- no distress when CG leaves
- no difference when stranger around
- little interest when CG returns
- comfort from stranger and CG is equally accepted
what is the secure in the ‘strange situation’ resemble ?
- distress when CG leaves
- avoids stranger but friendly if CG in the room
- accepts comfort and happy at reunion
- uses the mother as a safe base when exploring
what is the insecure resistant in the ‘strange situation’ resemble ?
- intense distress when CG leaves
- avoids stranger and shows the fear
- approaches CG upon return but can resit and push away
- explores least
- cries most
what is the strength for the ‘strange situation’ experiment ?
gathered a large amounts of data in reliable way
what are the 2 weaknesses for the ‘strange situation’ ?
- conducted in a setting the infant isn’t familiar with
- some critics believe it can’t measure attachment for different cultures
how do different cultures raise there children ?
in different ways
what does the way a culture raises their child impact ?
the type of attachment they show
what does culture refer too ?
the shared values
rules
normal customs
and practices
a group of people have
what does culture variations refers ?
the differences between these different cultures
what is a collective culture ?
one which emphasis family and work goals above induvial needs and desires
- there is a high degree of interdependence between people
what is a individualist culture ?
one that emphasis personal independence and achievement at the expense of group goals
- results in a strong sense of competition
what are the 2 strengths for Van Ljzendoorn and Kroonenberg ( 1989) research into cultural variation in attachment ?
- meta analysis used
- research to support from the Efe tribe
what are the 2 weaknesses for Van Ljzendoorn and Kroonenberg ( 1989) research into cultural variation in attachment ?
- strange situation was devised for Americans
- strange situation is in a situation which the infant isn’t familiar with
what is deprivation ?
to be deprived of something is to lose something/someone
- you lose the emotional care which is normally produced by the CG
what is maternal deprivation ?
a prolonged separation from the mother which causes severe damage to a child’s emotional and intellectual development
what 3 characteristics should a relationship between a CG and a child include ?
warm
loving
continuous
- essential form normal psychological development
who created the Maternal deprivation theory ?
Bowlby
what is separation in an MD context ?
being away from the PC which is usually temporary
what is deprivation in MD context ?
it happens when a child loses an element of care
is brief separation fine ?
brief separation is fine but being away for a long period of time causes deprivation
what is the critical period for MD ?
2 1/2 years
- potential ongoing risk until age 5
how can MD be avoided if the infant has been separated from their biological mother ?
if a substitute mother is available to provide continuous emotional care
- can be female or male
what are the 2 long term consequences ?
- emotional maladjustment
- mental health problems
what was Bowlby’s research for MD called ?
44 thieves study
how many thieves experienced early prolonged separation from the mother by age 2 ?
17
how many thieves were classed as affectionless psychopaths ?
14
- 12 had endured prolonged separation
how many non-thieves were classed as affectionless psychopaths ?
2
- had endured prolonged separation
what is a strength to Bowlby’s study on the 44 thieves ?
practical application
what is a weakness to Bowlby’s study on the 44 thieves ?
investigator effects
what affect does MD have on intellectual development ?
if during the critical period then they suffer ‘intellectual disability’ where they have a low IQ
what is Goldfarb (1947) find out about children that were adopted or fostered VS the ones that stayed in institutions ?
that if adopted or fostered then they had a higher IQ that those in institutions
what affect does MD have on emotional development ?
leads to an increased likelihood of an affectionless psychopath
what are the 2 strengths to Bowlby’s MD theory ?
- supporting evidence from Bowlby
- important practical application
what are the 2 weakness to Bowlby’s MD theory ?
- supporting evidence is poor and may be flawed
- Bowlby’s term ‘critical period’ has been criticised
what is one place where deprivation can be studied ?
institutions
what are examples of institutions ?
hospitals
care home
orphanage
what care did institutions use to only provide ?
physical care and not emotional care
why were so many people places in Romanian orphanages ?
the dictator at the time wanted too boost the population so banned abortion and encouraged large families
- but parents couldn’t afford the costs of a child
what did Ruttler et al (2011) study ?
the English and Romanian adoptee studies
what happened to the orphans at the age of 4 if adopted before 6 months ?
they were doing well like the British adopted children
- in terms of physical and cognitive development
what happened to the orphans at the age of 6 if adopted after 6 months ?
showed disinhibited attachment
what happened to the orphans at the age of 11 if adopted after 6 months ?
54% still showed disinhibited attachment
what is the mean IQ for those adopted before 6 months ?
102
what is the mean IQ for those adopted after 6 months ?
86
what happens if the child is institutionalised for a long period of time ?
the longer, the more damaging it is for their development
what is Zeneah et al (2008) study for ?
to show the Bucharest early intervention project and the attachment styles for children in institutions
how many children had a disorganised attachment ?
65.3%
how many children had a secure attachment ?
18.9%
how many children had a little behaviour attachment ?
12.6%
how many children had a secure attachment in the control group ?
74%
what is disorganised attachment ?
a child that shows inconsistent and disorganised behaviours to caregiver
- they have no strategy to copying with separation
what are the 4 effect of institutionalisation ?
- disinhibited attachment
- intellectual development
- physical underdevelopment
- poor parenting
what is disinhibited attachment ?
they are equally friendly with someone they have just met to someone they know
- because have had to adapt to many different carers
what is physical underdevelopment ?
the physical care in institutions are usually small
what care can cause ‘deprivation dwarfism’ ?
the lack of emotional care rather than physical care
what is poor parenting from institutions ?
that they lead to poor parenting
what did Quinton (1984) find ?
found 50 women from institutions found it difficult to be a mother
what are the 2 strengths to Romanian orphanages studies on effects in institutions ?
- real life application
- studies were longitudinal
what are the 2 weaknesses to Romanian orphanages studies on effects in institutions ?
- Romanian orphanages may not be ‘typical’ of other orphanages
- Rutler’s study isn’t randomly allocating them to conditions as it is a natural experiment
what does early attachment do for future relationships ?
it formulates the basis of future relationships
- also correlates with romatic relationships
what does ‘good’ childhood attachments mean for a individuals future ?
they will later seek out healthy and functional relationships which are loving and behave in a functional way
what does ‘bad’ childhood attachments mean for a individuals future ?
tend to bring these bad experiences into future relationships
they may bring there attachment type qualities into relationships
what was the ‘love quiz’ by Hazen and Shaver for ?
to develop and expand the attachment theory and how early attachment links to views on love
how many people responded to the ‘love quiz’ ?
620
- 205 men
- 415 women
what was the range of ages that replied to the love quiz ?
14 - 82
how many people who responded to the ‘love quiz’ were married ?
42%
how many people who responded to the ‘love quiz’ were dating ?
31%
what was the % of each attachment style ?
secure= 56%
avoidant= 19%
insecure= 25%
what have childhood relationships been linked too ?
the early attachments
- includes how children behave with other children their age and others
what were securely attached infants rated in school ?
-rated highest for social competence
- less isolated
-more popular
- more empathetic
what was found about securely attached infants ?
went on to form the best quality childhood friendships
what did Myron-Wilson and smith find out about each attachment type and bullying ?
secure= not involved
avoidant= victims
insecure= bullies
what is another thing early attachment type can be linked too ?
parenting
what did bailey et al (2007) do ?
found 99 mothers had the same attachment classification for their babies and their own mothers
what is a strength to influence on early attachment on later relationships ?
- most studies use ss o asses the type of attachment in childhood
what are the weaknesses to influence on early attachment on later relationships ?
- research is mixed evidence
- evidence is correlational
