attachment Flashcards
discuss infant caregiver interactions- refer to reciprocity and interactional synchrony AO1
attachment- 2 way emotional tie between 2 people that develops overtime
reciprocity- responding to the action of someone with a similar action
interactional synchrony- two ppl interact they tend to mirror what the other is doing- facial and body movements
Meltzoff and moore:
A- investigate interactiona synchrony
P- controlled observation, 4 diff stimuli (1 hand gesture, 3 facial expressions), babies responses observed, recorded and watched in real time, slowmo and frame by frame, noted any instance of protrusion, watched tapes twice
F- 12-27 days old could imitate both facial and manual gestures
C- interactional synchrony allowed interactions between infant and caregiver
discuss infant- caregiver interactions AO3
(+) results of study= reliable- behaviour recorded, watched twice, watched in slow mo, normal time, and frame by frame so no behaviour missed- facial expressions can be analysed in detail, also controlled observation- so no extraneous variables affecting infants behaviour
(-) controlled observation- lacks ecological validity as doesnt reflect real life conditions- not the infants natural behaviour
(-) issues with testing infant behaviour- dificult to distinguish between infants general activity and imitated behaviours- infants mouthed are always moving - results might not be as accurate as they seem
(-) individual diffs- not all babies show same level of interaction, depends on how secure attachment is between infant and caregiver
cultutral variations AO1
Van Ijzendoorn and kroonenburg
meta analysis to assess cultural variations and look at proportions attachment styles across range of countrys
P- used 32 studies of attachment using the strange situation.
conducted across 8 countries
compared and analysed
F- secure was the most common across all countries
individualist countries- 2nd most common= insecure avoidant
collectivist cultur- 2nd most common= insecure resistant
C- secure attachments are norm in all countries- supports that attachments are innate
BUT different child rearing practices do influence attachment type
cultural variations AO3 (2 strengths, 2 weaknesses)
(+) ethically sound- meta analysis so didnt involve the collection of new data (secondary data only) so no more children had to go through the potentially traumatic strange situation
(+) real life application- 1st large scale comparative analysis on attachment studies across cultures- developed knowledge on how child rearing practices differ across cultures and how these child rearing practices affect attachment types
(-) issues with strange situation procedure- developed in america based on american social norms, therefore possibly only generalisable to western cultures
(-) not truly representative- van ijzendoorn only looked at small numbers of studies (e.g. 1 in china but 18 in america) may not be generalisable
describe and evaluate the stages of attachment identified by schaeffer AO1
1) asocial stage- 0-6 weeks- similar responses to objects and people, dont prefer specific people to others
2) indiscriminate stage- 6wks-6months- more socialable, prefer human company, no stranger anxiety
3) discriminate stage- 6-12months- seperation anxiety, preference to primary caregiver, stranger anxiety
4) mulitle attachments- 10/11months- secondary attachments towards sevreal ppl e.g. father, siblings
SCHAFFER
A- development of attachments
P- longitudinalstudy, 60 glaswegian babies, monthly intervals until 1, then again at 18 months, stduied in home, carers interviewed and infant-caregiver interactions observed- looking for seperation and stranger anxiety
F- 25-32 weeks 50% babies had seperation anxiety, 40 weeks- 80% babies had specific attachment and 30% had multiple
C- attachments most likely to form w those who responded accurately to the babies signals
describe and evaluate stages of attachment identified by schaeffer AO3 (2 strengths, 2 limitations)
(+) longtiudinal study- studied over long period of time at regular intervals so monitor changes, multiple methods of assessment (interviews, observations) improves reliability as consistent
(+) own home- natural behaviour, high ecological validity BUT lack of control so possible extraneous variables- decreases validity of findings
(-) sample bias- small sample- 60 babies, all glaswegian- culture bias, set when mothers typicaaly stayed at home and fathers were the breadwinner- lacks temporal validity
(-) interview is self report- social desirability affects, more likely t lie so results may be less valid
describe and evaluate the role of the father and multiple attachments AO1
1) father as primary caregiver
found that primary caregiver fathers can adopt typical behaviours of primary caregiver mothers
FIELD: filmed 4 month old babies interactions w primary caregiver mothers and fathers and secondary fathers
found that primary caregiver mothers and fathers spent more time holding, imitating and holding the infants than secondary caregivers- this was more important in forming an attachment
therefore level of responsiveness more important in building attachment rather than gender
2) parent-infant attachment
most researchers typically focus on the mother as primary attachment figure
SCHAFFER AND EMERSON:
majority of babies did form attachment to mother first
after primary attachment formed then secondary attachment formed (e.g. father)
75% infants had formed attachment w father by18 months- determined by infants protesting when father left the room- sign of attachment
3) role of father
GROSSMAN:
longtiduinal study- looked at the parents behaviour and its relationship with the childrens attachment in their teens
found that mothers and not fathers attachment had an impact on the attachment in adolesence
found that father had more of a role in play and stimulation rather than nurture.
describe and evaluate the role of the father and multiple attachments AO3
(-) socially sensitive- by implying that the mother attachment is more significant than the father- could affect single parent fathers / same sex relationship fathers- also could affect the mother thinking that she is vital- may discourage her from returning to work which also has negative economic implications
(-) not focused- all researchers who look at the role of the father find different results- there is not one fixed role - inconsistent
(+) typical role can be exp[lained by gender stereotyping
(+) can also be explained by biological processes- mothers have more oestrogen hormones than fathers- nurture hormone
discuss animal studies into infant attachments AO1
HARLOW-
A- investigate the behaviour of infant monkeys seperated from their mothers at birth and assess the affects on their behaviour in later life
P- 16 rehus monkeys seperated from their mothers at birth
Discuss animal studies into infant attachments AO3
• +/- Humans & Monkeys are similar
- (+) On a biological level at least, all
mammals (including rhesus monkeys)
have the same brain structure as
humans > improves the accuracy of the
study
- (-) however, the number of attachment
connections may differ between
monkeys & human behaviour
• + Important practical applications
- Harlow’s research has profound
implications for childcare
- Due to the importance of early
experiences on long-term development,
it is vital that all of children’s needs are
catered for; taking care of a child’s
physical needs alone is not sufficient
• - Results cannot be generalised to humans
- It is questionable whether findings and
conclusions can be applied to complex
human behaviours as humans have
higher cognitive function
- It is unlikely that observations of
goslings following a researcher or rhesus
monkeys clinging to cloth-covered wire
models reflects the emotional
connections and interaction that
characterises human attachments
• - Research is unethical
- The use of animals in research can be
questioned on ethical grounds.
- It could be argued that animals have a
right not to be researched/harmed
- The pursuit of academic conclusions for
human benefits could be seen as
detrimental to non-human species
Describe and evaluate bowlbys monotropic theory of attachment A01
What was Bowlby’s monotropic theory of
attachment?
- He proposed that attachment can be
understood within an evolutionary
context in that the caregiver provides
safety and security for the infant.
Attachment is adaptive as it enhances
the infant’s chance of survival
• Monotropy
- Central to Bowlby’s theory of
attachment is the notion of
MONOTROPY
- The idea that one particular
attachment is different from all others
and of central importance to the
child’s development (e.g. the mother)
• Critical Period
- Bowlby argues that there is a critical
period in which a child develops an
attachment. After this period, it is very
difficult for a child to develop a
significant primary attachment and
there is likely to be serious
developmental consequences later in
life
- According to Bowlby, the critical
period for attachment is 2 ½ years
• Internal Working Model
- Bowlby argues that the primary
attachment provides a child with an
internal working model or a template
for their future relationships
- E.g. a secure attachment > loving
relationship = a mother & her child
Describe and evaluate bowlbys monotropic theory of attachment AO3
• + Hazan & Shaver – The Love Quiz Study
- Internal working model – supports this
- Found a + correlation between early childhood
experiences and later love experiences
- Clearly shows that early attachment experiences
can affect later adult relationships, through the
internal working model
• + Harlow’s Monkey Study
- The monkeys instinctively went for comfort over
food
- Monkeys reared in isolation from their mother
suffered emotional & social problems in older
age
- The monkey’s never formed an attachment
(privation) and as such grew up to be aggressive
and had problems interacting with other
monkeys
• - Theory underestimates the role of the father
- Bowlby’s theory focuses on the attachment
between the mother and child as being of
primary importance.
- It can be argued that Bowlby overlooked the fact
that a child’s attachment to the father (or in fact
other siblings or caregivers) can be of equal
importance. Schaffer and Emerson’s research
indicates that fathers can be equally important
attachment figures
• - Critical period view has been criticised
- Some researchers argue Bowlby was incorrect in
his view of that there is a critical period in which
attachments have to develop. Research (e.g.
‘Czech Twins’ study) found attachments can
develop outside of the critical period
- It is likely that there is a period in which
attachments should be formed, however, this is
likely to extend beyond the first 3 years. For
example, ‘Genie’ case shows it is very difficult to
develop enduring attachments after age of 13.
Bowlby later revised his notion of critical period
and instead referred to it as sensitive period.
Strange situation- ainsworth AO1
- Aim = to assess the quality of attachment
between the infant and the mother - Procedure
Involves the child experiencing 8 episodes
1. Parent & infant play
2. Parent sits while infant plays (use of
parent as secure base)
3. Stranger enters & talks to parent
(stranger anxiety)
4. Parent leaves, infant plays, stranger
offers comfort if needed (separation
anxiety)
5. Parent returns, greets infant, offers
comfort, stranger leaves (reunion
behaviour)
6. Parent leaves, infant alone (separation
anxiety)
7. Stranger enters and offers comfort
(stranger anxiety)
8. Parent returns, greets infant, offers
comfort (reunion behaviour) - Findings = most common type of attachment
is secure attachment
▪ Secure = 66%
▪ Insecure-avoidant = 22%
▪ Insecure-resistant = 12%
Conclusion:
2 reasons for behaviour
1) depends on behaviour mother shows infant
2) depends on temperament of child
strange situation- ainsworth AO3
(+) controlled- no EVs, easy to replicate to test reliability of results
(-) lab study- lacks ecological validity- articial
(-) ethical issues- no protection from psychological harm for child in potentially traumatic situation
(-) procedure can be criticised- based on american procedures and american social norms- culturally biased
describe and evaluate bowlbys theory of maternal deprivation AO1
monotropy- one particular attachment (usually the mother) is central to all others and has impacts of the devlopment of future relationships
Critical period- there is a period in which this attachment should be made in order to be able to build good relationships in the future- if primary attachment is not made by 2 1/2 years, then it cannot be formed- has long term developmental impacts
internal working model- primary attachment forms internal mental framework for how relationships should be
maternal deprivation- if primary attachment is not made in critical period/is disrupted then a child is maternally deprived. likely to result in negative long term developmental consequences
emotional deprivation is a mental disorder characterised by dificulty in forming relationships, feeling inadequate and oversensitivty to criticism
