attachment

Question 1

attachment

Answer 1

is an emotional bond between two people. it is a two-way process that endures over time. it leads to certain behaviours such as clinging and proximity-seeking and serves the function of protecting an infant

Question 2

caregiver

Answer 2

any person who is providing care for a child, such as a parent, grandparent, sibling, other family member, childminder and so on

Question 3

interactional synchrony

Answer 3

when two people interact they tend to mirror what the other is doing in terms of their facial and body movements. this includes imitating emotions as well as behaviours. this is described as a synchrony- when two (or more) things move in the same pattern

Question 4

reciprocity

Answer 4

responding to the action of another with a similar action, where the actions of one partner elicit a response from the other partner. the responses are not necessarily similar as in interactional synchrony

Question 5

multiple attachment

Answer 5

having more than one attachment figure

Question 6

primary attachment figure

Answer 6

the person who has formed the closest bond with a child, demonstrated by the intensity of the relationship. this is usually a Childs biological mother, but other people can fulfil the role- an adoptive mother, a father, grandmother and so on.

Question 7

separation anxiety

Answer 7

the distress shown by an infant when separated from his/her caregiver. this is no necessarily the Childs biological mother

Question 8

stranger anxiety

Answer 8

the distress shown by an infant when approached or picked up by someone who is unfamiliar

Question 10

imprinting

Answer 10

an innate readiness to develop a strong bond with the mother which takes place during a specific time in development, probably the first few hours after birth/hatching. if it doesn’t happen at this time it probably will not happen

Question 12

classical conditioning

Answer 12

learning through association a neutral stimulus is consistently paired with an unconditioned stimulus so that it eventually takes on the properties of this stimulus and is able to produce a conditioned response

Question 13

learning theory

Answer 13

the name given to a group of explanations which explain behaviour in terms of learning rather than nay inborn tendencies or higher order thinking

Question 14

operant conditioning

Answer 14

learning through reinforcement

Question 15

social learning theory

Answer 15

learning through observing others and imitating behaviours that are rewarded

Question 16

continuity hypothesis

Answer 16

the idea that emotionally secure infants go on to be emotionally secure, trusting and socially confident adults

Question 17

internal working model

Answer 17

a mental model of the world which enables individuals to predict and control their environment. in the case of attachment the model relates to a persons expectations about relationships

Question 17

critical period

Answer 17

a biologically determined period of time, during which certain characteristics can develop. outside of this time window such development will not be possible

Question 18

monotropy (mono tropic)

Answer 18

the idea that the one relationship that the infant has with his/her primary attachment figure is of special significance in emotional development

Question 19

social releaser

Answer 19

a social behaviour or characteristic that elicits caregiving and leads to attachment

Question 19

insecure-avoidant

Answer 19

a type of attachment which describes those children who tend to avoid social interaction and intimacy with others

Question 20

insecure-resistant

Answer 20

a type of attachment which describes those infants who both seek and reject intimacy and social interaction, i.e. resist

Question 21

secure attachment

Answer 21

this is a strong and contented attachment of an infant to his or her caregiver, which develops as a result of sensitive responding by the caregiver to the infants needs. securely attached infants are comfortable with social interactions and intimacy. secure attachment is related to healthy subsequent cognitive and emotional development

Question 22

strange situation

Answer 22

a controlled observation designed to test attachment security

Question 23

cultural variations

Answer 23

the ways that different groups of people vary in terms of their social practices, and the effects these practices have on development and behaviour

Question 24

deprivation

Answer 24

to be deprived is to lose something. in the context of child development deprivation refers to the loss of emotional care that is normally provided by a primary caregiver

Question 25

institutionalisation

Answer 25

the effect of institutional care. the term can be applied widely to the effects of an institution but our concern focuses specifically on how time spent in an institution such as an orphanage can affect the development of children. the possible effect include social, mental and physical underdevelopment. some of these effects may be irreversible

Question 26

internal working model

Answer 26

a mental model of the work which enables individuals to predict and control their environment. in the case of attachment the model relates to a persons expectations about relationships