Attachment

Question 1

What did Meltoff and Moore study?

Answer 1

Interactional synchrony.

Question 2

Give a definition for reciprocity

Answer 2

Both the mother and infant respond to each others signals and each elicit a response from each other. Two way.

Question 3

What did Schafer and Emerson study

Answer 3

They studied how infants attachments develop over time.

Question 4

What did Meltoff and Moore conclude?

Answer 4

That infants as young as 2 to 3 weeks old imitated specific facial and hand gestures like opening their mouth and that there was a strong association between the adults and infants expression (behavioural response is innate).

Question 5

Outline Meltoff and Moore study on interactional synchrony

Answer 5

Observation using adult models who demonstrated one of three expressions or hand movements i.e opening mouth, closing mouth or tongue protrusion.

Question 6

Give disadvantages of Meltoff and Moore study on interactional synchrony.

Answer 6

Infants mouths are in constant motion.
Failure to replicate.

Question 7

Outline Schafer and Emerson study

Answer 7

Conducted a longitudinal study in 60 Glasgow infants on regular intervals for 18 months in their own home. Interactions with careers were observed. The mother was asked to keep a diary of the infants responses to everyday situations such as being left alone in a room.
Researchers also undertook direct observations when they approached him (stranger anxiety).

Question 8

Give a definition of interactional synchrony

Answer 8

When the mother and infant reflect both actions and emotions of the other in a co - ordinated way (synchronised)

Question 9

What did Schafer and Emerson find?

Answer 9

Attachments develop in the following sequence:
Asocial attachement 0 - 8 weeks - show similar response to all objects.

Indiscriminate 2-7 months - prefer people over inanimate objects. Accept comfort from any adult.

Specific 7 - 12 months- Stranger anxiety. Specific attachment with primary attachment figure become distressed when left alone by them.

Multiple 1 and onwards - attachment behaviour towards others who are familiar. - Secondary attachment.

Main attachment was the mother in 65% only 3% the father.
By 18 months the infant had formed multiple attachments 31%.

Question 10

Evaluate Schafer and Emersons study on how attachment develops.

Answer 10

Unreliable data - social desirability from mothers filling out behaviours.

Unrepresentative - middle class and in Glasgow. Only 60 participants - cannot generalise.

Question 11

Outline the role of the father.

Answer 11

Until recently - breadwinners.
Playmates.

Question 12

Why is the mother usually the primary attachment and not the father.

Answer 12

Expected to be breadwinners.
Social policies - no paternal leave.
Biological factors - Men lack emotional sensitivity.

Question 13

What did Schafer and Emerson conclude?

Answer 13

Common attachment pattern suggests some biological control. Attachment develops in stages.

Question 14

Give the definition of imprinting.

Answer 14

An innate readiness to develop a strong bond with the mother which happens usually hours from birth/hatching and if it doesn’t happen at that time then it probably never will leading to issues in adulthood.

Question 15

What study supports reciprocity?

Answer 15

Tronick. Allowed the infant and mother to engage.
The mothers puts on a still face and the infant becomes distressed.
The mother re - engages.

Showing interaction is vital for growth and needed for attachment.

Question 16

Give advantages of Meltoff and Moore study on interactional synchrony.

Answer 16

Real world application - relationships.
Recorded and asked an observer to identify behaviour increasing internal validity.
Lab study.

Question 17

Outline Lorenz study on imprinting.

Answer 17

Divided geese eggs in two 2 halves.
One half left to hatch with the mother (control group) and the other half in an incubator where the first thing they saw move being Lorenz. Behaviour was recorded.

Question 18

Outline Harlows findings

Answer 18

All the monkeys regardless of food attached to the cloth mother.
When afraid mothers clung to comfort mother.
They would use the cloth mother as a secure base.

Question 19

Give research to support the role of the father.

Answer 19

Schaffer and Emerson - 3% of the children has an initial attachment with their fathers. In proceeding months 75% were the secondary attachment.

Question 20

What did Harlow study?

Answer 20

The effects of attachment and privation.

Question 21

What did Lorenz conclude?

Answer 21

The process of imprinting is restricted to a short definitive period of the goslings life called a critical period. If the young gosling is not exposed to a moving object in this time it will not imprint.

Question 22

Outline Lorenz findings on imprinting.

Answer 22

Control group followed the mother. Second group followed Lorenz.

He let the goslings out (both groups) where each gosling went to its “mother figure” (Lorenz or the actual mother) Lorenzs group showed no recognition of their actual mother.

Question 23

Outline disadvantages of Harlows Rhesus Monkeys.

Answer 23

Ethical issues - protection from harm after 90 days some monkeys killed their offspring in later life.
Generalisability.

Question 24

What is privation?

Answer 24

Failure to form an attachment.

Question 25

Outline Harlows procedures.

Answer 25

8 infant monkeys brought up in complete isolation from birth in a controlled environment.
In each cage there was 2 surrogate mothers 1 of wire mesh supplying food and 1 of comfort.

Question 26

Outline evaluations of Lorenz study on imprinting.

Answer 26

Cannot fully generalise birds to humans.

Question 27

What is the critical period for Rhesus monkeys?

Answer 27

3 months. Monkeys that didn’t form an attachment by this point (privation) experience issues in mating and having children of their own in later life.

Question 28

Outline advantages of Harlows Rhesus monkeys.

Answer 28

Practical applications - neglect effects.
High control - done in a lab.

Question 29

Outline the conclusion of Harlows study on the effects of attachment and privation.

Answer 29

Rhesus monkeys have an innate need for comfort and contact.

Question 30

Give evaluations of Bowlbys evolutionary theory of attachment.

Answer 30

Schaffer and Emerson - Found children can have multiple attachments - goes against monotropy.

Lorenz - Montropy geese only attach to Lorenz

Harlow - Internal working model after the 90 day critical period Rhesus monkeys struggle in adult like and may kill their offspring.

Practical application - children have key workers.

Fathers are given parental leave to create an attachment.

Question 31

What is an unconditioned stimulus?

Answer 31

A stimulus that causes an unlearned response.

Question 32

What is a conditioned response?

Answer 32

A learned behaviour that comes from classical conditioning.

Question 33

What is cupboard love?

Answer 33

That children attach to their caregivers because they give them food.

Question 34

What is the classical conditioning diagram?

Answer 34

unconditioned stimulus - unconditioned response

Unconditioned stimulus - neutral stimulus - unconditioned response

conditioned stimulus - conditioned response

Use this to associate the caregiver with food and happy back up the learning theory and cupboard love.

Question 35

What is classical conditioning?

Answer 35

Learning through association

Question 36

What is the learning theory?

Answer 36

Argues we are born a blank slate and states that attachment is a set of learned behaviours learnt through operant and classical conditioning.

Question 37

Outline operant conditioning.

Answer 37

Learning by consequences. Positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement.

Question 38

Outline disadvantages of the learning theory.

Answer 38

Learning theory is based on research with animals making it oversimplified and hard to generalise.

Lorenz goes against as goslings imprint immediately - they don’t learn it.

Question 39

What does Bowlby suggest in Bowlbys theory of attachment?

Answer 39

That attachment is an innate process that serves an important evolutionary function

Question 41

Outline Bowlbys key features.

Answer 41

Monotropy - There is one main attachment figure.
Innate - Attachment is pre - programmed not learned.
Survival - Attachment is adaptive and necessary for survival.
Social releasers - The infant has innate social releasers (like smiling) to unlock the adults caring behaviour.
Critical period - Attachment must have formed by 2 and half years or they will be life long negative consequences.
Reciprocal - Attachment is a two way bond.
Internal working model - The monotropic attachment is the blueprint for all future attachments.
Evolutionary - Attachment is an evolved social behaviour.