Attachment Flashcards
What is attachment?
An intense, emotional bond between an infant and their caregiver that is long-lasting
Seeing attachment in infancy- selective
proximity seeking
provide comfort and security
distress on separation
What deepens the attachment between an infant and their caregiver?
Interactional synchrony- baby is ‘in tune’ with mother and ‘mirror’ each other
What can also be known as turn-taking?
Reciprocity- the baby repeats its mother’s action to get a response
Criticisms of caregiver interactions
Not universal- Kenyan mothers have little interactions with infants but have secure attachments- may be a cultural norm
Observations of hand movements/expressions- difficult to see from infant perspective as could be accidental- certain interactions have special meaning
Observer bias- researchers may record more than others- may record interactions showing stronger attachments to support their hypothesis
A strength of caregiver interactions
Isabella’s research on future relationships- assessed degree of synchrony in 30 mothers and infants, high levels= good attachment
Research on infants 2-3 weeks old show they mimic adults facial expressions and hand movements so it is an innate ability and creates foundation for future relationships
Name 4 of Schaffer’s stages of attachment
Pre-attachment
Indiscriminate
Specific
Multiple
Explain the pre-attachment and indiscriminate phase
Pre-attachment- 0-3mths
-recognise the difference between objects and people
-smiles at faces
Indiscriminate- 3-7/8mths
-distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar faces
-smile at known people
-will allow strangers to hold them
Explain the specific and multiple attachment phase
Specific- preference for primary attachment figure
Will not allow strangers to hold them
Stranger and separation anxiety
Multiple- infants form attachments to other caregivers
Primary remains strongest
Evaluate Schafer’s stages of attachment
Evidence to support from interviews in Glasgow with 60 mothers
1 month after primary attachment, 29.9% babies formed a secondary attachment The stages are in order
The research lacks temporal validity
1960s- mum at home, dad at work
Present day- dad may be main caregiver
Not applied to attachments in modern day
Interviews with mothers may be biased- they may suggest healthier relationships than they have (social desirability bias)
ethnocentric- Glasgow children assumed representative where some cultures multiple is before specific due to shared breastfeeding or differing parent roles
Outline classical conditioning as a learning theory of attachment
Learning via association of a natural stimulus with a neutral stimulus
UCS (milk) = UCR(happy baby)
UCS(milk) + NS(mum)= UCR(happy baby)
Occurs many times to form association
CS(mum) = CR(happy baby)
Outline operant conditioning in attachment
Via reinforcement
Baby= positive reinforcement- The baby cries so is fed milk which encourages it to cry of milk (addition of crying)
Mum= negative reinforcement- Mum feeds baby so stops crying which encourages mum to feed it (removal of crying)
Evaluate learning theory using animal studies
Evidence against, Harlow- monkeys valued contact comfort over food, monkeys should have learned to associate their food mother with attachment instead
Evidence against, Lorenz- attachment is innate as infants too young to have learned anything, newborns imprint on first moving object they see
Schaffer + Emerson- infants not always attached to who fed them and attached to interactions with people
scientific as can explain how humans develop many behaviours in response to environment eg phobias when associate with danger
African tribe in Efe- tradition for infants to be breastfed by other mothers and theory suggests we attach to who feeds
What are the 6 things Bowlby said in his monotropic theory?
Attachment is adaptive
Attachment in innate
Babies have social releases eg crying
We have a critical period (6mths to 2 1/2 years)
We have a monotrophic bond- one special which affects future attachments
An internal working model is formed as a template for future attachments leading to a continuity hypothesis
Evaluate Bowlby’s monotrophic theory
Support from Lorenz
Geese imprint on first moving thing
Part of an adaptive function
Attachment is innate
Criticism from Schaffer and Emerson
Infants in Glasgow had many attachments
Father as main attachment
Against importance of one special bond
Love quiz support- self report about child and romantic attachments = string correlation with types of attachments - internal working model
Efe tribe fed by multiple women, 6mths babies have primary attachment to bio mother regardless of other mothers
critical period criticism- negative attachments overcome- Romanian adopted in UK had less long-term impacts- SENSITIVE PERIOD NOT CRITICAL
What are key factors to describe the role of the father?
Secondary attachment figure
Mother is primary
Spend less time due to work
Less sensitive
More playful and risk taking
Encourages communication with other children
Can be primary caregiver if single parent
Evaluate the role of the father
Crucial for child’s development
Absence=poor school performance
Prevents negative outcomes
Equal role to mothers
Research affected the economy
Need paternity pay
Fathers go to work if secondary attachment figure
Impact on wider economy
studies done on single mother families so confounding variables eg poor socio-economic status and may not be due to absence father
father as secondary attachment- Grossman- longitudinal study into teen attachments- mother more important but quality of play for father
roles are unequal- Lamb- children need mothers for emotional support and dad when excited so caregiver differs for children needs
Explain Ainsworth’s Strange Situation
Assesses individual differences in attachment
Overt, controlled, non-participant observation
12-18 month children
8 episodes where mother and stranger individually enter, interact, leave
Separation anxiety, Reunion behaviour, Stranger anxiety, Exploration behaviour
Findings- 66% secure, 22% insecure avoidant, 12% insecure resistant
Conclusion- sensitivity of caregiver = impact on type
Evaluate the strange situation
Easy to replicate cross culturally (Japan) due to same methodology and controlled
Shows variations within and between cultures
Shows relationship with mother not father
Inaccurate view on attachment type, insecure with mum/secure with dad
Not generalised to other types
lacks external validity-children may perform different in lab vs at home so not gerneralised
ethical issues- ep 6 20% cried showing distress, however Ainsworth says no more disturbing than real life
classification doesn’t fit all infants, added Disorganised Attachment for inconsistent babies eg cries first time but not second
What are the signs of maternal deprivation?
Intellectual damage= mental retardation
Goldfarb- lower IQ in institutionalised children
Emotional damage= affection less psychopathy (no guilt/remorse, criminality)
What did Bowlby propose for maternal deprivation?
Prolonged emotional deprivation leads to long term consequences for healthy child development
Brief separations = do not have impact
In critical period = damage is inevitable
Evaluate Bowlbys Maternal deprivation theory
Effects of privation reversible- Czech twins study, locked up for 7 years by stepmother and could not talk, looked after by twin sisters and had above average IQ by 20
Negative impact on economy- women prevented from working due to the need to spend time with children, talented women not working
44 stealing teens and control of non-criminal- 14/44 affection less psychopaths, 12/14 had prolonged separation from mother in critical period= emotional damage
Genie case study- locked in room until 13 1/2 years, physically underdeveloped, couldn’t talk and never recovered, maternal deprivation is permanent
Rutter criticised critical period- not impossible to form attachments outside window, should be called sensitive period
Explain Harlows animal study
Harlow’s Rhesus monkeys- learning theory on food
8 baby monkeys with two wired mothers- one with milk, one with cloth and no milk
Observed for 165 days
8 monkeys spent most time with cloth mother
Playing with new objects = 1 foot on cloth for reassurance
Contact comfort and emotional security > food
Explain Lorenz’s imprinting study
Grey lag geese - Formation of attachment
1/2 geese eggs under mother/ in incubator
Incubator eggs hatched and followed Lorenz as first moving thing (after 4.25 hrs)
Lorenz marked geese and they divided to natural mother and Lorenz
Animals imprint mental image of first moving object= instinctive
Evaluate animal studies
High control, lab, time with each monkey controlled, high internal validity- can be critiqued for different face on monkey
Difficult to generalise to humans, physiologically different, humans have conscious decisions, more research needed
Research into leghorn chicks- fed with yellow rubber glove and imprinted- can be on any moving thing not predisposition
Ethical issues- monkeys had lasting emotional harm, psychological stress
Prac apps- mothers encouraged to give skin to skin after birth
