Attachment

Question 1

Explain attachment

Answer 1

-Attachment is a strong, enduring emotional relationship between two poeple(especially an infant and caregiver)
-A two way process that is characterised by a desire for closeness and a feeling of security when the attachment figure is present

Question 2

What are the two learning theories of attachment

Answer 2

Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning

Question 3

Explain classical conditioning for the learning theory of attachment

Answer 3

-Food is the UCS and being fed gives a feeling of pleasure which is the UCR
-Caregivers starts as the NS - child has not learned to react to them in anyway
-When the same caregiver(NS) provides food(UCS) over a long time, the caregiver becomes associated with food
-After learning, the mother (CS) starts producing the response of pleasure(CR) by themselves
-According to the learning theory, fhd baby has become attached to the caregiver

Question 4

Explain operant conditioning(based on negative reinforcement) for the learning theory of attachment

Answer 4

-In operant conditioning, behaviour is repeated due to reinforcement
-In the case of attachment, hunger acts as a drive(a feeling of discomfort that motivates behaviour)
-This leads to babies crying as a desired behaviour
-This may lead to the child being fed which will reduce the hunger and lead to drive reduction
-The food which is the reward is the primary reinforcer as it is the actual object reducing the drive
-The mother is the secondary reinforcer as it is the person who provides the food
-As the process repeats, the child becomes attached to the mother as she is the agent of drive reduction and source of reward

Question 5

Bowlbys theory name
What did he believe all humans had?
He thought forming attachments had an…
Whats the acronym for this process

Answer 5

Bowlby monotonic theory of attachment
All humans have an intrinsic tendency to form an attachment and it I’d not something that is merely learnt
He thought forming attachments had an evolutionary value/advantages
ACSMI

Question 6

Explain ACSMI for Bowlby Monotropic theory of attachment

Answer 6

ADAPTIVE AND INNATE serves an important survival function for infants, infants who are well protected are likely to survive. Also, forming an attachment ensures that the offspring survives so it ensures to parents that their genes can be passed on to next generations
CRITICAL PERIOD This innate drive to form an attachment has a special limited time period for its development which in humans is 0-2 years
Children who do not have the opportunity to form an attachment during the critical period have difficulty forming attachments later on
SOCIAL RELEASERS
During the critical period, the quality of attachment is determined by their parents sensitivity to their social releases
Social releasers are behaviours like crying, smiling, cooing that elicit caregiving responses from the carer
The tendency of demonstrating social releasers is innate and done to capture the attention of the carer
MONOTROPY
The child will form a monotropic attachment with the caregiver who is most responsive to their social releasers
Monotropic attachment is when an infant forms one special, emotional bond which is a primary attachment
This is often the biological mother, but that is not always the case
INTERNAL WORKING MODEL
The first monotropic attachment formed provides a template for future relationships and forms a concept of what to expect our of future, intimate relationship. This is called internal working model
This led to development of the continuity hypothesis
Individuals who had secure relationships in infanct have positive templates, they continue to be socially and emotionally competent abs bave secure relationships with others in the future
Difficult relationships in infancy create negative templates, more likely to have the same difficulties in adult relationship

Question 7

What is the strengths, limitations and one alternative for Bowlbys Monotropic theory of attachment

Answer 7

STRENGTH: Research support for continuity hypothesis, Practical applications
LIMITATION: Refuting evidence for the concept of critical period
Refuting evidence for the concept of monotropy

Question 8

One strength of Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment is there is research support for continuity hypothesis

Answer 8

One strength of Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment is there is research support for continuity hypothesis
The minnesota parent child study followed participants from infance to late adolescence and found continuity between the quality of early attachment and late emotional and social behaviour ghat the person engaged in. Participants who has secure attachments at infancy were highest rated for social competence in childhood, were less isolated, more popular and more empathetic
This is a strength as it is consistent with the continuity hypothesis as those with strong attachments in infancy go on to be more socially and emotionally competent than those who lacked strong attachments during infancy
Therfore this increases the validity of Bowlby’s theory

Question 9

One strength of Bowlby’s theory of attachment is it has practical applications for the care of adoptive children

Answer 9

One strength of Bowlby’s theory of attachment is that it has practical applications for the care of adoptive children
For example, Bowlby’s stated that children form attachments during the critical period and this has led to adoptive agencies to ensure that children are adopted from 0 to 2 years or at the youngest possible age
This is a strength as it gives the children the best possible chance to form an attachment with their new caregiver so they will go on to form good relationships in the future as the theory states
Therefore, Bowlby’s theory I’d not purely theoretical as jt has been applied and is useful in improving the lives of adopted children

Question 10

One limitation of Bowlby’s theory is there is Refuting evidence for the concept of the critical period

Answer 10

One limitation of Bowlby’s theory is there is Refuting evidence for the concept of the critical period
Tizard and Hodges found that attachment does generally happen in starting years of life. They studied orphanage children’s who have been adopted at the age of 3 and 4 and found that they were still capable of forming new attachments with their new adoptive parents at that age
This is a problem as Bowlby stated that children can only form an attachment during the critical period which is 0 to 2 years, howver this study suggests that close attachments can still be formed outside the critical period
This refutes the existence of a strict critical period so reduces the validity of Bowlby’s theory

Question 11

One limitation of Bowlby’s theory of attachment is there is Refuting evidence of the concept of monotropy

Answer 11

One limitation of Bowlby’s theory of attachment is there is Refuting evidence of the concept of monotropy
Studies have shown the babies’attahcment to the first figure is not necessarily special or unique
Schaffer and Emerson studied 60 Glasgow babies and found that jt was the norm to have multiple attachments
Around the age of 10 months, 30% of the babies had multiple attachments
Furthermore, Bowlby implied that the main attachment is likely to be with the mother but the study found that a third of the babies were strongly attached to their fathers
This is a limitation as Bowlby underestimated children’s potential of forming attachments with their fathers and also contradicts the idea that children only form one special bond
This therefore reduced the validity of Bowlby’s theory

Question 12

JUST READ THIS

Answer 12

ALTERNATIVE EXPLANATION OF BOWLBY’S MONOTROPIC THEORY OF ATTACHMENT
A weakness of Bowlby’s theory of attachment is that he failed to acknowledge the role of learning in the attachment process. According to learning theory, attachments are formed when infants associate the primary caregiver with the pleasure they experience from tbe food they provide of recognise that the caregiver has a role in removing the unpleasant experience of hunger. This indicated Bowlby’s explanation of attachment is too narrow and that he focused too much on the innate mechanisms involved in the formation of attachments and failed to acknowledge the role of learning and consequences. Therefore, Bowlby’s theory of attachment can be considered an incomplete explanation of attachment

Question 13

What is one strength, 2 limitations and one alternative for the learning theory of attachment

Answer 13

STRENGTH: Practical applications
LIMITATIONS: Refuting evidence from animal research, Refuting evidence from human research

Question 14

One strength of the learning theory is there are practical applications

Answer 14

One strength of the learning theory is there are practical applications
The learning theory explains that feeding behaviour forms attachments(e.g. through associating the caregiver with pleasure provided by food). This can be utilised to allow both parents to form an attachment with the infant. For the father, this can be achieved by feeding the infant expressed milk or formula milk.
This is a strength as it means both parents can look after the infant which creates a lot more flexibility in the household in terms of childcare and parental leave
Therefore, it is not purely theoretical and it increases the utility of the explanation

Question 15

What are the two animal studies of attachment

Answer 15

Lorenz’s Goslings
Harlow’s monkeys

Question 16

What do animal studies of attachment look into
Why is this behaviour of interest to psychologists

Answer 16

Animal studies have looked into formation of early bonds between non human parents and their offspring
We can learn more about attachment behaviour in humans by observing it in other species

Question 17

Define imprinting

Answer 17

Animal forms a special bond with the first moving thing it sees after birth

Question 18

LORENZ’S GOSLINGS
Procedure
Findings
Conclusion

Answer 18

PROCEDURE: Lorenz investigated the idea of imprinting. He took a clutch of goose eggs and divided them into two groups. The cotton geoup was left with their natural mother while in the experimental group, eggs were placed in an incubator. When these eggs hatched, the first living thing they saw an had contact with was Lorenz. Lorenz then interacted with the goslings and observed their behaviour
FINDINGS The incubator group followed Lorenz everywhere whereas the control group followed the mother group. Furthermore, Lorenz goose showed no recognition of their natural mother. Lorenz claimed that a young animal will form an attachment to a moving object it observes during its critical period (up to 2 days). Lack of an object will mean a primary attachment is not formed. He also claimed that animals (especially birds) will chosoe to mate with the same kind of animal they were imprinted and this is called sexual imprinting
CONCLUSION Animals form attachments through imprinting and have ab evolutionary need to form attachments to improve their survival chances

Question 19

HARLOW’S MONKEYS
Procedure
Findings
Conclusion

Answer 19

PROCEDURE: Harlow placed monekys(that were raised in isolation until they were eight months old) in cages with two ‘surrogate’ mothers. One was made of wire with a monkey like head that dispensed milk for the monkeys. The other was made from a wooden block covered in a soft towel which provided comfort to the monkeys
FINDINGS It was found that baby monkeys cuddled the towel mother more than the wire mother to seek comfort. When they were frightened, they always went to the towel mother. This shows that contact comfort is more important than food when forming attachments
Harlow did a follow up on the monkeys and found that later in life, even those that did have contact comfort developed abnormally as they all showed abnormal social interactions and mating behaviours with other monkeys. Harlow concluded that this may be due to them not forming healthy attachments during the critical period(up to 90 days after birth)
CONCLUSION: Food does not form attachments, contact comfort and social interaction is the key factor to forming attachments. Any theory that states that attachments forms through providing food is too simplistic.

Question 20

What is one strength and 3 limitations of animal research

Answer 20

STRENGTH: Research support for imprinting
WEAKNESSES: Problems extrapolating findings to humans
Imprinting effects are not fixed
Ethical issues

Question 21

One strength of animal research is there is research support for imprinting

Answer 21

One strength of animal research is there is research support for imprinting
Mamy studies have shown support for Lorenz’s research and the concept of imprinting in animals. Guiton exposed leghorn chicks to yellow rubber gloves used to feed them and the chick’s became imprinted to the gloves. Guiton also found that male chickens later tried to mate with the gloves.
This shows the impact of imprinting as young animals are not brkn with innate ability to imprint to specific species, they imprint on amy moving thing they observe during their critical period
This shows the strength of imprinting in forming attachments in animals
Imprinting also affects characteristics of the desired mate
This therefore, increases the validity of Lorenz’s research

Question 22

One limitation of animal studies of attachment is there are problems extrapolating the findings to humans

Answer 22

One limitation of animal studies of attachment js there are problems extrapolating the findings to humans
It is clear that human infants are significantly more complex than animals (e.g. showing much greater emotional attachments to animals). Additionally, the critical period is significantly different in human infants (0-2 years - Bowlby) compared to monkeys(90 days) and geese (up to 2 days).
This means it is difficult to generalise Lorenz’s and Harlow’s findings directly to humans as attachment behaviour is more complex and the critical period is very different between animals and humans.
Therefore, it is too problematic to apply animal findings to humans

Question 23

One limitation of the learning theory is there is Refuting evidence from animal research

Answer 23

One limitation of the learning theory is there is Refuting evidence from animal research
For example, Harlow showed that feeding does not lead to forming attachments as the monkeys sought contact comfort and formed lasting attachments with the towel mother rather than the food providing wire mother. Also Lorenz found that geese imprinted with the first moving object they saw regardless of whether that object provided them with food. This shows animals don’t form attachments with those that feed them so it actively refutes the role of food based pairing and drive reduction in the formation of attachments
Therefore, this reduces the validity of the learning theory as an explanation of forming attachments

Question 24

A limitation of the learning theory is there is Refuting evidence from human research

Answer 24

A limitation of the learning theory is there is Refuting evidence from human research
Schaffer and Emerson did a study where they found that attachments tended to be stronger with caregivers who was most interactive and sensitive to the infants needs, and not the person who fed them the most. In fact some of the children also had multiple attachments, energy though the mothers may have done more of the feeding
This is a problem as it further solidifies the notion that food is not the most important factor in forming attachments in humans
Therfore, this reduces the validity of the learning theory as an explanation for forgetting attachments

Question 25

One limitation of animal research is the effects of imprinting are not as permanent as Lorenz believed

Answer 25

One limitation of animal research is the effects of imprinting are not as permanent as Lorenz believed
Imprinting is a ‘plastic’ or flexible mechanism. Guiton found that he could reverse the imprinting in chickens who tried to mate with gloves by making them spend time with their own species and he found that they were able to engage in normal sexual behaviour with other chickens
This suggests that the impact of imprinting on mating behaviours is not fixed and can be changed with experiences
This suggests that Lorenz overestimated its effect of the development of sexual and attachment behaviour
Therefore, this decreases the validity of animal research as an explanation to the formation of attachments

Question 26

ANIMAL RESEARCH A limitation of Harlow’s research is there are ethical issues

Answer 26

A limitation of Harlow’s research is there are ethical issues
Monkeys suffered both physically(self mutilation) and emotionally due to the procedures of the experiment
This species is considered very similar to humans so suffering can be considered quite serious too
The damage caused was also long term as many of the moneys struggled to engage in normal sexual and social behaviour when older
Overall, this shows Harlow’s research causes significant psychological and physical harm to monkeys
Therefore, this reduces the credibility of Harlows research

Question 27

JUST READ THIS
Alternative explanation for Learning Theory (Bowlby’s theory)

Answer 27

A limitation of the learning theory of attachment is there is an alternative explanation of attachment such as Bowlby’s theory, which explains why attachments have formed, not just how. Attachment has an evolutionary function. Infant-increases chances of survival. Parent-ensures genes are passed on to next generations. Bobby states that attachments form when a caregiver responds to social releasers of infants during a critical. Social releasers can be sings of care needs not just feeding related behaviours. Therefore, Bowlby’s theory is a more rounded and powerful explanation of attachment whereas the learning theory only provides a partial explanation

Question 28

READ THIS
What animal studies tell us about human attachment

Answer 28

1. Critical period for imprinting (Lorenz)/Attachment (Harlow), informs is that we have a limited window of opportunity for human attachments to form, otherwise it has long term negative effects, this idea was taken up by Bowbly in the monotropic theory
2. Evidence from Harlow on importance of contact comfort helped shale theories of human attachment as researchers turned away from learning theory as food was no longer seen as a key factor is forming attachments
3. Showed damaging effects of poor early attachments. Harlow claimed problems with social relationships and mating sbaled tbe idea of iwm in humans and had negative effects on attachment in future relationships
4. Problems with extrapolation as humans are more complex(form stronger emotional attachment) and cp is different
5. Idea of critical period not relevant to humans, human attachments occur in a sensitive period, early problems with attachment puts children at risk of negative consequences later in life, but evidence shows recovery can happen(Rutfeds evidence on memal redordation/koluchava twins)

Question 29

Explain caregiver and infant
What are the two mechanisms involved within these social interactions and when do they occur

Answer 29

From an early age, babies have social interactions with their caregivers. These interactions form the basis of the caregivers infant attachments.
Interactional synchrony- First weeks of life
Reciprocity - around 3 months

Question 30

CAREGIVER AND INFANT
Explain interactional synchrony

Answer 30

-When the child and parent are synchronised as they engaged in the same actions in unison
-It is believed that interactional synchrony is important for the development of mother infant attachments
-Isabella et al looked at the quality of mother infant attachments and levels of synchrony and found that higher levels of interactional synchrony was associated to better quality mother infant attachments

Question 31

CAREGIVER AND INFANT
Explain reciprocity

Answer 31

-Two way process of communication between infant and caregiver
-Each party responds to the others signal to sustain the interaction
-The behaviour of each patty elicits a response from the other
E.g. mother smiling leads to the infant smiling back
-This basic rhythm is an important precursor to later communications
-If the infants signals are regular, it allows the caregiver to anticipate the infants behaviour and respond accordingly
-If there is effective back and forth interactions, the infant delvops a healthy attachment

Question 32

What are 2 strengths and 2 limitations of Caregiver infant interactions

Answer 32

STRENGTHS: Supporting evidence for the role of interactional synchrony and reciprocity in infant carer interactions
Supporting cross cultural evidence
WEAKNESS: Studies don’t tell us exact purpose of interactional synchrony and reciprocity
Often difficult to form meaningful and valid observations to measure infants behaviour

Question 33

One strength is there is supporting evidence for the role of interactional synchrony and reciprocity in infant caree interactions

Answer 33

One strength is there is supporting evidence for the role of interactional synchrony and reciprocity in infant carer interactions
Murray and Traverthan asked mother to interact with their two month old infants through live video chat in real time. In the next part of the study, the infant saw a video of the mother interacting. Since this was a pre recorded video, the mother didn’t not respond to the infants facial and bodily gestures. The results showed that this led to acute distress as infants tried to gain their mothers interest but could not.
This shows reciprocity and interactional synchrony are important as a lack of them can lead to the infant showing distress so it possibly harms the deployment of infant caregiver interactions and attachments. Therefore, this supports the notion that both of these processes are likely to lead to better attachments

Question 34

A strength is there is supporting cross cultural evidence for the role of interactional synchrony

Answer 34

A strength is there is supporting cross cultural evidence for the role of interactional synchrony
Gratier studied the timings of spontaneous vocal interactions of 30 mothers and their 2 to 5 month old infants from India, France and US. She found that mother’s and infants from India, France and US coordinate their spontaneous vocalisations to eachother. This shows infants and carers from different cultures engage in interactional synchrony during social interactions. Therefore, it is a universal behaviour so it might be a fundamental part of forming attachments between the mother and infant. Therefore, it increases the validity of understanding caregiver infant interactions

Question 35

A limitation of research into caregiver infant interaction is that it does not tell us the purpose of interactional synchrony and reciprocity

Answer 35

A limitation of research into caregiver infant interaction is that it does not tell us the purpose of interactional synchrony and reciprocity
Fieldman points out that synchrony simply described behaviour between parent and child occurring at the same time. While these are obvious behaviours that cab be easily observed, our understanding of it may be useful as it does not tell us their purpose
This is a limitation as while we understand that it does occur within parental interactions but we do not know exactly the mechanism of how it affects the quality of future attachments. This gives us a shallow understanding. This is a weakness of our understanding of caregiver interactions as it may be considered incomplete.

Question 36

A weakness of caregiver interactions is it is often difficult to form meaningful and valid observations that measure infant behaviour

Answer 36

A weakness of caregiver interactions is it is often difficult to form meaningful and valid observations that measure infant behaviour
For example, infant’s mouths are in constant motion and they constantly make and change their expressions(e.g. yawn, smile). This is an issue as this makes it difficult to distinguish between general activity which a child engages in and special direction expressions as part of a conversation
This leaves data open to interpretation so we question the validity of the observations
Research and understanding of infant caregiver interactions is based on such observations, the theory that relies on such research may lack validity too

Question 37

What are the two roles of fathers

Answer 37

Role in play and stimulation
Role as a primary caregiver and nurturing attachment figure

Question 38

ROLE OF FATHERS IN PLAY AND STIMULATION
What was the method, findings and conclusion

Answer 38

METHOD: Grossman carried out a longitudinal study where he looked at the influence of parental behaviour on attachment
FINDINGS: The quality of father’s play with infants and not their security of attachment with the infant was related to the quality of early adolescent attachments with the father
CONCLUSION: This suggests that the father’s Role is to do with play and stimulation and this can impact the infants later attachments in adolescence

Question 39

ROLE OF FATHERS AS A PRIMARY CAREGIVER AND NURTURING ATTACHMENT ROLE
What was the method, findings and conclusion

Answer 39

METHOD: Field observed 4 month old infants interact face to face with either their primary caregiver father, mother or secondary caregiver father.
FINDINGS: Primary caregiver fathers, like mothers, spent longer smiling, imitating and holding the infant than secondary caregiver fathers
CONCLUSION: This suggests that the father can play a nurturing role for the infant just like a mother can

Question 40

What is one strength and 2 weaknesses of role of fathers

Answer 40

STRENGTHS Practical applications
WEAKNESSES Refuting evidence for fathers influence
Refuting evidence from learning theory

Question 41

One weakness of role of fathers is there is Refuting evidence for the fathers influence

Answer 41

One weakness of role of fathers is there is Refuting evidence for the fathers influence
For example, MacCallum and Golombok have found that children growing up in a single or same sex family may not develop any differently from those in two parent heterosexual families
This suggests that the role of fathers as an attachment figure is mot critical for a child’s development and fathers do not have a unique as an attachment figure
Therefore, this reduces the validity of our understanding of the father’s role in attachment

Question 42

A strength of role of fathers is it has practical applications

Answer 42

A strength of role of fathers is it has practical applications
Research that shows infants form attachments with fathers during early development suggests rearing responsibilities can be divided more evenly between the mother and father. This allows the mother to return to work quickly after giving birth and gives the father a more significant role rearing infants during early life. To aid this process, more and more societies are giving fathers paternity leave after birth. For example, in Sweden, fathers get 90 days paid paternity leave to give them time to help with childcare. This shows that research into the role of the father had helped to reduce the burden on the mother for childcare and there is more flexibility in terms of providing childcare
Therefore, this research is not purely theoretical and can be applied to improve the lives of families

Question 43

One limitation of the role of father is there is Refuting evidence from the learning theory

Answer 43

One limitation of the role of father is there is Refuting evidence from the learning theory.
According to the learning theory, attachments are formed when the infant forms an association betweeb the mother and the pleasure that comes from feeding. When infants are very young, they are often breastfed and fathers play no real part in this process.
This suggests that a infants attachments may be formed with the mother and the father will play a minimal role in development of early attachments
Therefore, since research on the role of father may exaggerate their influence on attachment behaviour, this reduces the validity of our understanding of the father’s role

Question 44

STAGES OF ATTACHMENT
What was the method and findings and what did they come up with based on the information gathered from the research

Answer 44

SCHAFFER AND EMERSON
METHOD: They studied 60 babies from Glasgow and the majority were from skilled working class families. The babies and their mothers were visited every month for a year and the mothers were asked questions about the child’s response in everyday separation anxiety related situations

FINDINGS - 25 TO 32 WEEKS OF AGE
-50% of the babies showed signs of separation anxiety towards an adult, usually the mother
-Attachments was formed with the person who was most sensitive to infants signals and expressions, not with the person that spent the most time with them
BY THE AGE OF 40 WEEKS
-Most of the babies had formed specific attachments tp an adult, nearly 30% had formed multiple attachments

Based on the information gathered from the research, Schaffer and Emerson came up with their stages of attachment which show that attachments develops over four stages

Question 45

What are the 4 stages of attachment according to Schaffer and Emerson and what ages are each for

Answer 45

STAGE 1 - ASOCIAL STAGE (0 to 6 weeks)
STAGE 2 - INDISCRIMINATE ATTACHMENT (6 weeks to 6 months)
STAGE 3 - SPECIFIC ATTACHMENT (7 months onwards)
STAGE 4 - MULTIPLE ATTACHMENTS (11 months onwards)

Question 46

Describe STAGE 1 of Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment theory

Answer 46

ASOCIAL STAGE
-Infant is beginning to form a bond with its carers
-But the infant’s behaviour towards humans and non human objects is similar
-Show preference for familiar adults as they are more easily soothed

Question 47

Describe STAGE 2 of Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment theory

Answer 47

INDISCRIMINATE STAGE
-Clear preference for people compared to objects
-Recognise familiar adults
-Accept comfort from all adults as there is typically no separation/stranger anxiety
-Attachment is indiscriminate so not only towards one specific person

Question 48

Describe STAGE 3 of Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment theory

Answer 48

SPECIFIC ATTACHMENT(DISCRIMINATE)
-Majority start displaying anxiety towards strangers and feel anxious when separated from one adult(mother is most cases)
-forms a specific attachment with the person who responds to their signals and expressions and not who they spend the most time with

Question 49

Describe STAGE 4 of Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment theory

Answer 49

MULTIPLE ATTACHMENTS
-After showing attachments fk one adult, they extend attachments behaviour to multiple adults, individuals who they spend the most time with, this is called secondary attachments
-Majority of infants formed attachments by one year

Question 50

What is one strength and three weaknesses of the Schaffer and Emerson’s theory of attachment

Answer 50

STRENGTHS: Longitudinal design
WEAKNESSES: Lacks temporal validity, evidence is difficult to interpret, Refuting evidence on multiple attachments

Question 51

One strength of the theory of stages lf attachment is it is supported by a study that is longitudinal in design

Answer 51

One strength of the theory of stages lf attachment is it is supported by a study that is longitudinal in design
For example, S+E observed infants and their mothers regularly; every month for a year and then again at 18 months
This is a strength as it allows for rich, indepth data on the ppts and it allows us to see chnaged in attachment Overtime
This provides more validity than a one off observation that only gives a snapshot of attachments
Therefore, as the study supporting the theory is valid, this increases the validity of the theory of stages of attachment

Question 52

One limitation of S+E’s theory of stages of attachment is it lacks temporal validity

Answer 52

One limitation of S+E’s theory of stages of attachment is it lacks temporal validity
The sample was from 1960s and parental care has changed since then. Parents now are more likely to place their child in day care if they both work and are no longer likely to have one parent dedicating their time to them (traditionally the mother). For example in 2013, the Office for National Statistics reported that the rate of women employment has increased from 53% in 1971 to 67% in 2013.
Therefore, the findings from S+E on the stages of attachment may not be applicable to modern era due to chnages in child rearing practices
Therefore, this reduces the validity of the research

Question 53

A limitation of S+E’s research is it relies on evidence that is difficult to interpret

Answer 53

A limitation of S+E’s research is it relies on evidence that is difficult to interpret
For example, babies that ate very young have poor coordination and are generally immobile(especially those in the asocial stage), so it is difficult to make judgements about them simply by observing their behaviour
This is an issue as observation, particularly those from the asocial stage is heavily reliant on researchers interpretation
Therefore, they lack objectivity and may not be valid

Question 54

One limitation of S+E’s research js there is Refuting evidence when multiple attachments are formed

Answer 54

One limitation of S+E’s research js there is Refuting evidence when multiple attachments are formed
For example, cross cultural research has shown that when multiple caregivers are the norm, babies form multiple attachments from the outset(Van ljendoorn et Al, 1993). Collectivist cultjres often have an emphasis on children raised in groups where different families share child rearing responsibilities rather than just the mother (e.g. kibbutz community in Israel)
This is a limitation as the theory does not take such cultures into account where multiple attachments are being formed much earlier than the digested in their stages of attachment theory
Therefore, his theory may not be a complete explanation of how multiple attachments form

Question 55

What is the strange situation

Answer 55

The strange situation is a controlled observation designed by Mary Ainsworth that aims ti measure the quality and security of attachment that a child displays towards fhe caregiver

Question 56

Describe the procedure of Ainsworth’s Strange situation

Answer 56

The study took place on 100 middle class American mothers and their children. The observation takes place in a controlled space, with a one way mirror through which psychologists observe the infant over 8 episodes (each which lasted three minutes) and measured the infant’s reaction to a stranger approaching/leaving and their caregiver approaching/leaving

Question 57

In Ainsworth’s strange situation, what were the 5 infant behaviours used to judge the attachment and explain them

Answer 57

People
Eat
Sugary
Sweets
Regularly

Proximity seeking-Whether or not the child seeks to stay fairly close to the caregiver
Exploration and secure base behaviour - how confident a child feels to explore, using their caregiver as a secure base which is a point of contact that makes them feel safe
Stranger anxiety - How the infant displays signs of anxiety when a stranger approaches
Seperation anxiety - Signs of anxiety displayed when seperated from caregiver
Reunion behaviour - Infants reaction when the caregiver returns after a short period of seperation

Question 58

FINDINGS
Ainsworth found that there were three patterns I which infants generally behaved. What were the three key rhles of attachment she found and what type were they and in what proportions

Answer 58

Type B - Secure attachments 60%
Type A - Insecure avoidant 30%
Type C - Insecure resistant 10%

Question 59

AINSWORTH STRANGE SITUATION
Explain Type B - Secure Attachements

Answer 59

-Children have cooperative interactions with their caregiver
-Tend to explore happily but also regularly go back to their caregiver as they treat them as a secure base
-They show mild distress syringe seperation and moderate stranger anxiety
-They require and accept comfort from caregiver during reunion stage

Question 60

AINSWORTH STRANGE SITUATION
Explain Type A - Insecure Avoidant

Answer 60

-Do not seek Proximity and do not show secure base behaviour
-Children explore freely but avoid interaction and intimacy with others
-They show little to no reaction when their caregiver leaves and make little effort with the caregiver when they return
-Free to interact with strangers and show little stranger anxiety

Question 61

AINSWORTH STRANGE SITUATION
Explain Type C - Insecure Resistant

Answer 61

-Seek greater proximity than others
-Explore much less
-seek and resist intimacy and social interactions
-Show extreme stranger anxiety and extreme seperation anxiety but they also resist their carer when they are reunited
-Also known as ambivalent attachment due to the unknown nature of the child’s reaction

Question 62

What was Ainsworth’s strange situation conclusion?

Answer 62

There are 3 main types of attachments and most Amerixan children are securely attached
There is an association between the mother’s behaviour and the infants attachment
If mother is sensitive towards child’s needs, the child will be securely attached
If mother is not sensitive towards child’s needs, the child will not be securely attached

Question 63

What is one strength and 3 weaknesses of the strange situation

Answer 63

STRENGTHS: Observations have high reliability
WEAKNESSES: Culturally bound test which does not apply well to non Western cultures
Ainsworth did not account for the key forth type of attachment
Different attachments with different caregivers

Question 64

One strength of the strange situation is the observations have high reliability

Answer 64

One strength of the strange situation is the observations have high reliability
For example, Ainsworth found an almost perfect agreement when rating exploratory behaviour of the infants during the observation with a .94 agreement between the raters.
This shows there was an almost unanimous agreement among the observers about the behaviour of infants
Observations such as strange situation can be subjective but Ainsworth did an objective study as there is high inter observer reliability which is crucial for valid results

Question 65

A limitation of the strange situation is is argued to be a culture bound test, which does not apply well do non western cultures

Answer 65

A limitation of the strange situation is is argued to be a culture bound test, which does not apply well to non western cultures
For example, Takahashi noted that the test does not work in Japan because Japenese mothers are rarely seperated from their children. In Japan, a mother leaving her child with a stranger js not a realistic day to day scenario
In fact, infants were so distressed by being left alone that for 90%, the seperation phase had to be stopped
Since strange situation reflects norms of the American culture and does not considered differences in rearing practices it can be considered culturally biased
Therefore, it is not appropriate to judge the attachment types cross culturally using strange situation so it reduces the effectiveness of this as a tool for measuring attachments

Question 66

One limitation of the SS is Ainsworth did not account for the key forth type of attachment

Answer 66

One limitation of the SS is Ainsworth did not account for the key forth type of attachment
Main and Solomon analysed over 200 strange situation tapes and proposed a type D attachment: Insecure disorganised. This was characterised by a lack of consistent social behaviour attachment. When dealing with stress and seperation, they showed very strong attachment which was suddenly followed by avoidance or looking scared of the caregiver
Since ainsworths research did not account for this attachment, roo narrow and lacks sufficient detail
Therefore, this reduces the validity of Ainsworth’s findings

Question 67

A limitation of measuring attachments with ss is infants may have different attachments with different caregivers

Answer 67

A limitation of measuring attachments with ss is infants may have different attachments with different caregivers
For example, the ss aims to measure the attachment type a child has, however, researchers claim that focusing on one relationship between the carer and infant might give us a limited picture on a child’s attachments behaviour. Main and Weston found that children behaved differently based on which parent they were with
Therefore, while Ainsworths believes she is measuring general attahcmenr types, she may just be measuring the quality of attachment the child has with that one carer
This reduces the internal validity of Ainsworths findings

Question 68

CULUTRAL VARIATIONS IN ATTACHMENT
Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg
Aim
Procedure
Findings
Conclusion

Answer 68

AIM Van ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg conducted a meta analysis of findings from 32 studied where ss was used. These 32 studies were conducted in 8 countries with results for 1990 children. They were also interested in finding out the intra cultural differences in attachment types within the same culture.
FINDINGS
Secure attachment was the most common classification in evey country but some variation was found in the percentage of secure attachments, highest is 75% in Britain lowest 50% in China
Insecure avoidance is highest in Germany and lowest in Japan and Israel perhaps due to German upbringing focus on independence
Insecure resistant highest in Japan and Israel and lowest in Britain

1.5× greater variation eithin each country than variation between countries
E.g one of the Japan simple was more similar to two of the US samples than the other Japanese sample
The Israeli city sample was more like the US sample than it was do the Israeli kibbutzim sample
CONCLUSION: The proportions of different attachment types chnages with cultures but secure attagchemnt is the most common attachment types in all cultures. Variation in attachment types varies more within cultures than it does between them

Question 69

CULTURAL VARIATIONS IN ATTACHMENT
Procedure
Findings
Conclusion

Answer 69

PROCEDURE Conducted the strange situation observation using 60 middle class Japanese infants and their mothers
FINDINGS Found similar dates of secure attachments to what Ainswoth suggested howver japanese infants did not show insecure avoidant attachment and there were high rates of Insecure resistant attachment(32%)
CONCLUSION: Most common attachment type is secure attachments like the US but the proportion of Insecure attachments changes with child rearing practices in different cultures
Mothers in Japan are rarely seperated from their children which explains tbe significant proportion of Insecure resistance

Question 70

What is one strength and two limitations of cultural variations in attachment

Answer 70

STRENGTHS Large sample
WEAKNESSES culture bound test that doesn’t apply well to non western cultures
Imbalance in cultural representation in the studies used in meta analysis

Question 71

A strength of combining the results of cross-cultural attachment studies using the strange situation is that it can result in a very large sample

Answer 71

A strength of combining the results of cross-cultural attachment studies using the strange situation is that it can result in a very large sample
For example Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenbergs meta analysis had a total of 1990 infants and their primary attachment figures
This is a strength as this large sample reduces the impact of anomalous results on overall conclusions (e.g. a one off unusual parent infant behaviour). This increases internal validity of cross cultural research on attachments

Question 72

A strength of combining tbe results of cross cultural attachment studies using the strange situation is that it can result in a very large sample

Answer 72

A strength of cultural variations in attachment is it uses large samples
Combining the results of cross cultural attachment studies using the strange situation can create a large sample.

Question 73

A weakness of cross cultural research using the strange situation is is is argued to be a culture bound test that doesn’t apply well to non western cultures

Answer 73

A weakness of cross cultural research using the strange situation is is is argued to be a culture bound test that doesn’t apply well to non western cultures
For example Takahashi notes that the test does not work in Japan becuase Japanese mothers are rarely seperatwd from their children. In Japan a mother leaving her child with a stranger is not a realistic day to day scenario . 90% of the infants were so distressed the speration oahse had to be stopped for them. Since the strange situation reflects the norms of American culture and does not considered differences in child rearing practices in other cultures it can be considered culturally biased
Therefore it is not appropriate to use the ss to judge attachment types cross cultures
This reduces the validity of cross cultural research

Question 74

A weakness of Van ijzendoorns research is that there’s an imbalance in cultural resperesentarjon in the studies used in meta analysis

Answer 74

A weakness of Van ijzendoorns research is that there’s an imbalance in cultural resperesentarjon in the studies used in meta analysis
For example the sample for Van ijzendoorn and Kroonenbergs study is based towards having a heavily American population. Out of the 33 studies in the meta analysis, 18 were conducted on American ppts and only one conducted on Chinese infants. This is a problem as we can’t draw conclusions about attachment practices in China based on only 25 infant parent pairs when there were hundreds of pairs to draw conclusions for America which has a smaller population. Also conclusions about variation within the culture can’t be applied to the whole of China based on just 1 study. Therefore meta analysis is not fairly representative of all cultures which reduces validity of findings

Question 75

What is maternal deprivation

Answer 75

Maternal deprivation is the speration between a child and their mother or mother substitute during the critical period that disrupts the formation of attachments
Healthy monotropic attachment has benefits for the infant later in life and an absence of this leads to irreversible damage to the infants emotional and intellectual development

Question 76

Bowlby claimed that maternal deprivation can have serious emotional effects such as lack of an internal working model and affectionless psychopathy later in life
Explain both the emotional effects

Answer 76

LACK OF INTERNAL WORKING MODEL- since child lacks primary caregiver- fail to develop healthy template for what to expect from future relationships - negatively affects emotional and social development
AFFECTIONLESS PSYCHOPATHY - Less likely to feel guilt for their actions or have a sense of shame when doing something wrong
Higher rates of delinquency: misbehaving and commiting minor crimes at young age

Question 77

What are the effects of maternal deprivation on intellectual development

Answer 77

MENTAL RETARDATION
If children experience maternal deprivation for too long during the critical period, more likely to suffer from mental retardation which is characterised by an abnormally low IQ
Golfarb found children who remained in institution (instead of getting adopted) had lower IQ due to lower standard of emotional care

Question 78

What are 2 strengths and 2 weaknesses of maternal deprivation

Answer 78

STRENGTHS: Supporting evidence that maternal deprivation leads to affectionless psychopathy
Supporting research that demonstrates that early maternal deprivation has emotional consequences
LIMITATIONS: Refuting evidence
Effects are reversible

Question 79

One strength of maternal dep theory Is there is supporting evidence that it leads to affectionless psychopathy

Answer 79

One strength of maternal dep theory Is there is supporting evidence that it leads to affectionless psychopathy
Bowlby analysed the case history of children who were diagnosed as maludjusted. 44 of these children had been caught stealing before and 14/44 of them showed no signs of shame or responsibility. Bowlby referred to them as affectionless thieves. 12/14 of them experiences early speration from mothers compared to 5/30 of other theives
This supports the maternal deo theory as it shoes that early speration from a maternal figure cab lead to detrimental emotional effects. This increases tha vkifty of maternal dep theory.

Question 80

One strength of maternal dep theory Is there is supporting research that demonstrates early maternal deprivation has emotional consequences

Answer 80

One strength of maternal dep theory Is there is supporting research that demonstrates early maternal deprivation has emotional consequences
Bifulco et al conducted a study on women who had experienced spweraiton from their mothers either because of speration or maternal death. He found 25% experienced depression or anxiety disorder in later life compared to 15% of those who had no experience of seperation. The mental health problems were much greater in those women whose loss occurred before the age of 6
This shows the loss of attachment causes irreversible damage to emotional development
Also the closer the seperation is to the critical period, fhd worse the effects seem tk be
This increases the validity of Bowlby’s idea of the detrimental emotional effects

Question 81

A weakness of maternal dep theory is there is Refuting evidence

Answer 81

A weakness of maternal dep theory is there is Refuting evidence
Lewis partially replicated the 44 thieves study on a larger scale, with 500 people. In her sample maternal dep did not lead to difficulty in forming relationships or criminality
This is a problem as the effects of maternal deo is not consistent for everyone and there may be other factors that influence the impact of speration on delinquency and criminal behaviour in later life
Therefore, maternal dep is an incomplete explanation of how loss of attachment affects behaviourz this reduces the validity of the theory

Question 82

Whar is an institution

Answer 82

A place like a hospital or am orphanage outside of the family home where children may live for a long continous period of time

Question 83

What are the 2 effects of institutionalisation

Answer 83

Mental retardation and Disinhibited attachment

Question 84

EFFECTS OF INSTITUTIONALISATION
Explain mental retardation
What is the study procedure findings and conclusions

Answer 84

Rutter showed that most of the children from a romanion children showed signs of mental retardation when they arrived to Britain
Demonstrates that being raised without adequate care during the sensitive period cab lead to intellectual deficits
PROCEDURE: Rutter et al followed a group of 165 romanion orphans adopted in Britain to test the extent to which good emotional care can make up for poor early experiences in institutions. Three different groups of orphans were compared, adopted before the age of 6 motnsh, adopted vegeeeb 6 months and 2 years of age, adopted after the age of 2 years, they were compared to children from British institutions that were also adopted around the same age (control group). Physical, cognitive and emotional development was assessed in these children at the age of 4,6,11 and 15 years. Half of the Romanian children showed sings of mental retardation
FINDINGS: The mean iq of children adopted before the age of 6 months was 102 compared to iq of 86 for those adopted betweeb 6 months and 2 years and 77 for those adopted after 2 years, these differences remained till the age of 16
CONCLUSION: A key effect of institutionalisation is it leads to mental retardation which leads to a significantly lowered iq, howver this effect seems to be less significant if the infant is removed from the institution and adopted before the age of 6 months

Question 85

EFFECTS OF INSTITUTIONALISATION
Explain disinhibited attachment
Explain the study procedure, findings, conclusion

Answer 85

Result of being cared by multiple carers during sensitive period, children are as affectionate towards strangers as they are with familiar people
Further symptoms: attention seeking, clinginess and social behaviour towards all adults
PROCEDURE: Zeanah measured attachment in institutionalised children using strange situation
FINDINGS The description of disinhibited attachment applied to 44% of the institution group (compared to less than 20% for the control group)
CONCLUSION Insitutionalisation increases the risk of children developing disihibited attachment due tk being cared for by multiple carers lacking one key attachment figure