attachment Flashcards
1
Q
what is attachment
A
a strong, enduring emotional and reciprocal bond between two. mainly an infant and caregiver.Bonds leads to proximity seeking behaviour
2
Q
3 demonstrations of attachment in humans
A
- proximity
- separation distress
- secure base behaviour
3
Q
reciprocity
A
two way or mutual
infant and caregiver are both active contributors
4
Q
what is interactional syncrophy
A
interaction is rhythmic and includes mirroring behaviour
5
Q
who gave evidence of reciprocity in humans
A
- Jaffe et al (demonstrate the importance of reciprocity. infant wants to coordinate actions so they take turns)
- Brazleton (helps to build more complex communications and form basis of attachment)
- Fieldmann and Eidelman (reciprocity begins as young as 3 months. suggest importance in making relationships and attachments)
6
Q
who gave evidence of interactional synchrony
A
- meltzoff and Moore (children as young as two weeks copy gestures. repeated it with children 3 days old. suggest imitation behaviour is innate. it isn’t replicable)
- condon and sander (analysed frame by frame video recordings of infants. found from day 1 infants coordinated actions to caregiver. support Meltzoff and Moore)
7
Q
who gave evidence against Meltzoff and Moore’s study of interactional synchrony
A
- koep et al (couldn’t replicate any of meltzoff and Moore’s experiments. question validity of study)
- piaget (believed true imitation can’t happen until children are one year, so meltzoff and Moore couldn’t have studied true imitation
8
Q
variation in infants support
A
- Isabella et al ( the more attached, the more synchrony in 1st year)
- heimann (high level of synchrony from birth have better quality relationships at 3 months)
9
Q
le vine et al, variation in infants against
A
- le vine et al (demonstrate that interactional synchrony isn’t universal
- Kenya mother’s had low interactional synchrony, but high secure attachment
- suggest interactional synchrony isn’t necessary for attachment formation)
10
Q
method of Schafer and Emerson study?
A
- described how attachment develops
- studied 60 infants from working class in Glasgow
- infants aged 5-23 weeks and were observed upto 1st birthday
- visited mothers every 4 weeks and they reported how the child reacted to being separated
11
Q
aim of Schafer and Emerson study
A
study whether there was a pattern of formation of attachment common to infants
12
Q
results of Schafer and Emerson study
A
- around 7 months, 65% showed desperation anxiety to mothers
- by 18 months, 87% had multiple attachments
- 39% of infants prime attachment figure wasn’t main carer
13
Q
conclusion of Schafer and Emerson
A
- attachment development starts at same age in all infants, so process is biological
- attachments are easier with those who display sensitive responsiveness
- multiple attachments are the norm
14
Q
stages of Schafer and Emerson attachment stages
A
- stage 1 - asociat
- stage 2 - indiscriminate attachment
- stage 3 - discriminate attachment
- stage 4 - multiple attachments
15
Q
stage 1 of Schafer and Emerson’s attachment stages
A
- birth to 2 months
- interested equally in people and objects
- believe the infants know people are more important but it’s very hard to measure
16
Q
stage 2 of Schafer and Emerson’s attachment stages
A
- infants prefer people to objects
- doesn’t discriminate between adults, and can be comforted by anyone
- infant doesn’t show separation or stranger anxiety
17
Q
stage 3 of Schafer and Emerson’s attachment stages
A
- by 7 months, infant shoes distinct preference for one primary attachment figure (PAF)
- Infant shows separation anxiety when split from PAF
- infant will show stranger anxiety
- 60% of infants have attachment to mother
- 39% of infants have attachment to mother and one other
18
Q
stage 4 of Schafer and Emerson attachment stages
A
- infant forms wider circle of attachments e.g. father, grandparents, siblings
- roughly by 12 months, 78% of infants have multiple attachments
19
Q
Schaffer and Emerson evaluation
A
- not clear if primary attachment figure is more important than other attachments
- Butler 1995 all attachments are equal
- Bowlby believed children have one prime attachment. believed other attachments are minor
20
Q
Carpenter et al evaluation against schaffer theory of attachment
A
- against Schaffer
- present baby with unfamiliar and familiar voices and faces
- found two weeks old babies look at familiar faces paired with voices for longer
- infant became distressed at mums face and another voice
- suggest baby are interested in their mums from a very early age
21
Q
role of the father
A
- some researchers think men aren’t equipped to form attachments physiologically and socially
- others think fathers aren’t ‘caregivers’ and they have playmate role
- however, others argue fathers demonstrate sensitive responsiveness
22
Q
how was the role of the father changed
A
- historically fathers would work and provide whilst mothers took care of children
23
Q
forming attachments with father
A
- different hormones than women - women have oestrogen
- social expectations for women to care for child - child rearing is ‘feminine’
- might deter males from taking rearing role
24
Q
factors affecting father child relationships
A
- degree sensitivity - tiny cues about child needs
- marital intimacy - how close husband and wife sre
25
Geiger study for role of father
- found fathers play interactions were more exciting
- research providing support for father being playmate
26
Hrdy 1999 study for role of the father
- fathers were less able to detect low levels of distress, compared to others
- don't show sensitive responsiveness
27
Belsky et al for role of father
- males with high marital intimacy also had secure father - infant attachment and vise versa
28
Lamb 1987 study of role of father
- children find father when wanting interaction and play
- find mother when in distress and in need of comfort
29
importance of good relationship with dad
- better peer relationship, fewerr behaviour issues,
- evidence that suggests children, mainly boys, who grow up without a dad do less well at school and take more risks
- Pederson says research is only about single mums from poor backgrounds
30
what are animal attachment studies used for
- used to look at formation of very early bonds in non humans and their offspring
31
benefit of animal attachment studies
- can ethically separate the offspring after birth
- it's ethically wrong in humans
32
disadvantage of animal attachment studies
- different species
- might not be accurate for humans
33
what did Lorenz do for animal attachment studies
- took a large clutch of goose eggs
- 1/2 of eggs with Goode mum and the other by Lorenz
- when they hatched, he imitated mother goose and the chicks followed him
- others followed mum
34
what did Lorenz find
- chicks follow the first moving object they seem during critical time of first 12-17 hours. this is called imprinting
- attachment is innate
- if there is no attachment within 32 hours, unlikely any attachment will develop
35
ethologists definition
- researcher who promoted the use of naturalistic observation to study animal behaviour
- focus on importance of innate capacities and adaptiveness of behaviours
36
research supporting lorenzs study
- Guiton 1966
- found leghorn chicks who were exposed to rubber gloves during feeding then imprinted on those gloves
37
research against lorenze findings for imprinting
- Hoffman
- imprinting isn't life long attachment
- effects can be reversed
38
Harlow's procedure
- 16 monkeys were separated from mother immediately after birth
- put in caves with two surrogate mothers, one wire and one cloth
- 1/2 got milk from cloth mother and the other from wire mother
- studied for 165 days
39
findings of Harlows study
- both monkey groups spent more time with cloth mum even if she didn't feed them
- they used cloth mum as a safe base
- baby monkey would explore more with cloth mum present and went to her when scared
- supports evolutionary theory of attachment and that comfort/security are more important than feeding
40
long lasting effects of Harlows study
- continued to study monkeys as they grew older
- they were socially and sexually abnormal
- if they had no attachment before 3 months, they struggled to develop appropriately
41
how much time did monkeys spend with each mum in Harlows study
- 16-18 hours with cloth mum
- 1 hour with wire mum
in the condition when wire mum was feeding them
42
issues with using animals for research
- questionable if it can be generalised for humans
- you can't get consent from animals
- don't know what animals are thinking
- don't have a right to withdraw
- unlikely that the clinging to cloth mum reflects emotional connections humans have
43
evaluation of Harlows study
- justified as providing valuable insight into development of attachment and social behaviour
- there was a strong belief at the time of the study that attachment was due to food not physical care
44
usefulness of Harlows monkey study
- this study can't be applicable to human behaviour as it doesn't reflect humans emotions
45
reliability of Harlows monkey study
- can be replicated due to ethics
- hasn't had any further research and the previous research had different outcomes
46
validity of Harlows monkey study
- the faces of the mothers were very different so it could be argued that the monkey might have been attracted to the more realistic features
47
ethical issues of Harlows monkey study
- severe and long term distress to monkeys in terms of attachments
- they didn't have a right to withdraw
48
learning theory for attachment
- explanation of attachment
- behaviour is learnt and explained through experience
- we are born as blank slates
- the learning theory has classical conditioning, operant conditioning, social learning theory
49
Pavlov - learning theory as explanation of attachment
- before conditioning : food (UCS) leads to salivation (UCR)
- during conditioning : bell (NS) and food (UCS) leads to salivation (UCR)
- after conditioning : bell (CS) leads to salivation (CR)
- learning theory in dogs
- show how through repeatedly pairing UCS and NS you get a CR
50
mother and baby - learning theory as explanation of attachment
- before conditioning : food (UCS) leads to happy baby (UCR)
- during conditioning : food (UCS) and mother (NS) leads to happy baby (UCR)
- after conditioning : mother (CS) leads to happy baby (CR)
51
cupboard love - classical conditioning
- child will form attachments on the basis of primary care provision
- attachment should increase through life
- strong attachments with those who provide care
52
operant conditioning - learning theory as an explanation of attachment
- theory suggests learning is through reinforcement and punishment
- drive reduction theory
- can explain why a baby cries for comfort
53
what is drive reduction theory
- when an animal is uncomfortable this creates a drive to reduce the discomfort
54
what is positive reinforcement
something that rewards behaviour
55
what is negative reinforcement
- when a response stops something unpleasant
- e.g. feeding to stop a crying baby
56
attachment as a secondary drive
- hunger is a primary drive
- sears et al - as a caregiver provides food to relieve hunger, this feeling of relief is then associated to them
57
social learning theory studies
- Bandura - show it's learned through observing and imitating others
- Dale Hay and Jo Vespo - children observe and imitate their parents behaviour
58
evaluation of the learning theory (beviourist) approach to explaining attachment
- Harlow- against - found monkeys went to cloth mum for comfort even if wire mum was feeding
- too simple - behaviours it's think you can generalise animal studies to humans
- behaviourists lack validity as they present oversimplified views
- it might be attention and responsiveness which forms attachments (good)
59
evaluation of drive reduction theory
- only explains a limited number of behaviours (some behaviours don't reduce discomfort)
- doesn't explain how secondary reinforced (e.g. money) work to reduce discomfort
60
what did bowlby do for his evolutionary theory
- observed and interviews children and family who'd been separated after WW2
- theory based on evolution
- nature (bowlby) Vs nurture (learning theory)
61
bowlbys monotropic attachment theory
- infants are born with characteristics which elicit care giving e.g. crying. these are called social releases
- said attachment is a behaviour that has evolved because of its survival value
62
what are social releasers
- infants are born with characteristics which elicit care giving e.g. crying
63
monotropic definition
- term used to describe Bowlbys theory
- indicates that one attachment (mother) is different from other attachments and has central importance to child development
64
internal working model definition
- our mental representation of our world and our future adult relationships
65
critical period definition
- the time within which attachment will form.
- if they don't form, then they never will
- within 12 months for humans, and if not they will be permanently damaged
66
adaptive attachment definition
- attachments enable us to effectively adapt to our environment
67
sensitive period definition
- outside the time, it is more tricky for attachments to develop, but they still could
68
studies supporting Bowlbys monotropic theory of attachment
- Rutter et al - critical period is actually a sensitive period. children can form attachments after this period
- sroufe et al - continuity hypothesis. studies ppt from infant to teen.
69
Rutter et al study supporting Bowlbys monotropic theory of attachment
- critical period is actually a sensitive period
- children could form attachments outside this time, as supported by their study
70
Schaffer and Emerson against Bowlbys monotropic theory of attachment
- suggest all our attachments work together to form out internal working model
71
continuity hypothesis definition?
- emotionally secure infants become emotionally secure adults
72
sroufe et al study supporting Bowlbys monotropic theory of attachment
- continuity hypothesis
- studied ppts from infants to teenagers
- found highly attachment infants get rated as high emotional competency as adults
73
kagan study against Bowlbys monotropic theory of attachment
- temperament explains attachment behaviour, not the primary attachment figure sensitivity
- easy temperament means they become strongly attachment
74
studies against Bowlbys monotropic theory attachment
- schaffer and Emerson - multiple attachments are important
- kagan - temperament explains attachment, not PAF sensitivity
75
jaffe et al study giving evidence of reciprocity in humans
- demonstarte the importance of reciprocity
- infants want to coordinate actions so they take turns
76
brazleton study giving evidence of reciprocity in humans
- suggest it helps to build more complex communications
- it forms the basis of attachment
77
fieldmann and eidelman study evidence of reciprocity in humans
- reciprocity begins as young as 3 months
- suggests reciprocity is importancfe in making relationships and attachments
78
meltzoff and moore study giving evidence of interactional synchrony
- 1st study - studies children 2 weeks old. found children as young as two weeks old copy gestures
- 2nd study - repeated it with children 3 days old.
- suggests imitation behaviour is innate
- however their study hasn't been replicated
79
condon and sander study giving evidence of interactional synchrony
- analysed frame by frame video recordings of infants
- found that from day 1, infants coordinated their actions to the caregiver
80
koep et al study against interactional synchrony
- couldn't replicate any of meltzoff and moores experiments
- makes us question the validity
81
piaget study against interactional synchrony
- believed true imitation cant happen until children are older, one year
- if Piaget is right, Meltzoff and Moore couldn't have studies true imitation
82
isabella et al study supporting variation in infants
- the more attached, the more synchrony in the first year
83
heimann study supporting variation in infants
- those who have high level of synchrony from birth have better quality relationships at 3 months
84
le vine et al study against variation in infants
- demonstrate that interactional synchrony isn't universal
- Kenyan mother's had low interactional synchrony, but high secure attachment
- suggest interactional synchrony isn't necessary for attachment formation
85
butler 1995 evaluations Schaffer and Emerson stages of attachment
- all attachments are equal
86
bowlby evaluation schaffer and emerson stages of attachment
- monotropic theory
- belived children have one prime attachment
- believed other attachments are minor
87
harlow study against behaviourist (learning theory) approach to explaining attachment
- found monkeys went to cloth mum for comfort even if wire mum was feeding them
88
what is the strange situation - learning theory as an explanation of attachment
- structured lab observation
- uses a two way mirror
- 8 stages
- 4 behaviour categories
89
participants in strange situation
- 106 middle class US infants
- ages 5-18 months
90
4 behaviour categories in strange situation
1 - willingness to explore
2 - stranger anxiety
3 - seperation anxiety
4 - reunion behaviour
91
method of strange situation
- mother and infant go into a room, mother sits and baby is free to explore
- stranger enters and talks to mum
- stranger tries to engage with infant through play and talk
- mother leaves room so infant is alone with stranger who tries to comfort baby and try to play
- mother returns and baby leaves
- mother leaves so infant is alone
- stranger returns to comfort/play with baby
- mother returns and stranger leaves
92
different types of behaviour in strange situation
- stranger anxiety
- seperation anxiety
- infants behaviour towards mother
93
how many infants in strange situation showed secure attachment
- 66%
94
how many infants in strange situation showed insecure avoidance
- 22%
95
how many infants in strange situation showed insecure resistant
- 12%
96
secure attachment in strange situation
- 66%
- willing to explore - due to mum being secure base
- high stranger anxiety
- high seperation anxiety from mother
- seeks proximity in reunion - help to calm down quickly
97
insecure avoidant in strange situation
- 22%
- willing to explore - doesn't use primary attachment figure as a safe base
- lower stranger anxiety
- low/no seperation anxiety when PAF leaves
- avoid proximity on reuinion
98
insecure resistant in strange situation
- 12%
- will not explore - stay close to primary attachment figure
- high stranger anxiety
- distressed when PAF leaves
- seeks and rejects on reunion - not calm when hugged, might push PAF away
99
conclusion of strange situation
- attachment differences depended on the sensitivity of the mother
- i.e. how well she could read her infant's feelings and moods
100
reliability evaluation of strange situation (Main and Solomon
- Main and Solomon 1981
- watched videos of Ainsworth's study and agreed with all 3 attachment types
- added one more type, insecure disorganised
- as they could agree with all 3 types it supports the reliability
101
validity evaluation of strange situation (Main and Weston)
- Main and Weston 1981
- AGAINST Ainsworth's study
- found that strange situation only measures the attachment type between the infant and their mother
- behaviour changed depending on the parent they were with
- suggest that strange situation was only measuring one relationship at a time and not the infant's general attachment type
102
Predictive validity evaluation of strange situation - Hazan and Shaver 1987)
- found that the childhood attachment type predicted the attachment style found in adult relationships
- strange situation has predictive validity due to it being valid over time and can predict future outcomes
103
predictive validity evaluation of strange situation - Main et al 1985
- ALL infants who identified as having secure attachment before 18 months were still securely attached at age 6
- 75% who identified as having insecure avoidant were still attached at age 6
104
ecological validity evaluatation of strange situation (Brofenbrenner)
- Brofenbrenner 1979
- found infants attachment behaviour is stronger in a lab than at home - strangeness of environment
- strange situation is an artificial way of assessing attachment and is far removed from everyday situations
105
ethics of strange situation
- it deliberately stresses the infant to get their reaction
- however, it could be said that this stress in similar to that of an unfamiliar babysitter
106
law of continuity (Bowlby's monotropic Theory)
- more constant and predictable a child's care, the better quality their attachment
107
law of accumulated separation (Bowlby's monotropic theory)
effects of every seperation from the primary caregiver adds up and the safest dose is 0
108
what are the two types of culture
individualistic
collectivist
109
individualistic culture
emphasise personal independence and achievement
110
collectivist culture
emphasise family goals above the individual needs
111
who completed the meta analysis for strange situations
Van Ijendoorn
112
what did Van Ijendoorn do for his meta analysis
- reviewed 32 strange situations, with 1,990 children
- looking for intercultural (between) and intracultural (within) differences/similarities
- US, china, Japan, Israel, Sweden, Netherlands, UK, West Germany
113
most common type of attachment according to Van Ijendoorn meta analysis of strange situation
Secure attachment
114
which country had the lowest secure attachment according to Van Ijendoorn s meta analysis of strange situation
China
115
which country had the highest secure attachment according to Van Ijendoorn meta analysis of strange situation
UK
116
which country had the highest insecure avoidant according to Van Ijendoorn meta analysis of strange situation
Germany
117
which country had the lowest insecure avoidant according to Van Ijendoorn meta analysis of strange situation
Israel
Japan
118
results of van Ijendoorn meta analysis of strange situation
- cultural variations were small
- secure attachment was most common 50-75%
- next was insecure avoidant, except Israel and Japan
- intracultural differences were 1.5 X more than intercultural
- attachment varies more in a country
119
meltzoff and Moore study for interactional synchrony
- children as young as 2 weeks copy gestures (stick out tongues, open mouth, pout)
- 1983, repeated it with children 3 days old and found the same results
- suggest imitation behaviour is innate
120
German culture results in Van Ijendoorn meta analysis of strange situation
- German culture is individualistic
- they are insecure avoidant as they showed low separation anxiety as they are encouraged to be independent
121
Japan culture results in Van Ijendoorn meta analysis of strange situation
- Japan is collectivist culture and babys are never left alone with a stranger
- insecure resistant because high separation anxiety as rarely separated from mother
122
conclusion of van Ijendoorn meta analysis of strange situation
- bowlby seems correct that attachment is innate, but there are cultural differences
- van Ijendoorn suggests similarities are due to attachment being innate
123
evaluation of van Ijendoorn meta analysis of strange situation
- limited number of studies with 18/33 from USA and only 1 from UK
- Tronick et al (efe tribe)
- Grossmann and Grossman (German children)
- Takahashi (Japanese children. 90% didn't finish due to stress)
- imposed etic (designed in USA and UK where child rearing is different so it can't be used in other countries AGAINST)
- reliability (clear standardised steps which can be easily replicated FOR)
124
what is separation according to Bowlbys theory of maternal deprivation
distress when physically separated for a relatively short period of time
125
what is deprivation according to Bowlbys theory of maternal deprivation
when a bond that's formed is broken and an element of care is taken
126
what is privation according to Bowlbys theory of maternal deprivation
failure to form an attachment
127
what is Bowlbys theory of maternal deprivation based on
- the idea that deprivation would have long term consequences on emotional development
- he suggested that substitute maternal care was essential
128
critical period in Bowlbys theory of maternal deprivation
- if a child suffers deprivation before the age of 2/2.5 years with no substitute mother care, it will have the most impact
129
what is affectionless psychopathy
lack of affection, lack of guilt and lack of empathy for victims
130
aim of Bowlbys 44 thieves study
this study examined links between affectionless psychopathy and maternal deprivation
131
procedure of Bowlbys 44 thieves experiment
- 44 delinquent teens assessed for affectionless psychopathy and any early separation from mothers
- control of 44 non criminal teenagers with emotional problems where assessed to see if maternal deprivation occured in non-criminals
132
results of Bowlbys 44 thieves experiment
- 14/44 of the thieves are affectionless psychopaths
- 12/14 had maternal deprivation
- 2/44 from the control group had maternal deprivation
133
evaluation of Bowlbys maternal deprivation, 44 theives
- poor quality evidence (Bowlby interviewed them and therefore was subject to bias)
- Rutter 1981 (privation)
134
Rutter 1981 study against Bowlbys 44 theives
- Bowlby didn't determine whether the children had a bond previously.
- according to Rutter, privation is the most damaging to a child
135
what is institutionalisation
organisation dedicated to a particular tasks e.g. looking after children awaiting adoption
136
Romanian orphanage context
- contraception/abortion illegal
- law that every women had to have at least 5 children
- state couldn't cope wiht population growth
- in 2001, there were 57,000 children in orphanages
- staff had no training (immense neglect)
- civil war made the conditions worse
- when conditions were made public, UK and USA couples adopted children
137
Rutter ERA study aim
to investigate what happened to the adopted
- 'Can good quality aftercare make up got poor early experience?'
138
Rutter ERA study participants
- 165 Romanian orphans
- compared to 52 british orphans who were also adopted
139
rutters ERA study procedure
- children tested in 3 conditions
- adopted before 6 months
- adopted between 6 months and 2 years old
- adopted after 2 years
140
Rutters ERA study findings
- 50% were delayed in cognitivie functioning and most were underweight
- 4 years old - lots of improvements
- lost adopted before 6 months were same as British control group
141
evaluation of Rutter ERA study
- Le mare and Audet (support)
- Zeanah et al (support)
142
Le mare and Audet study supporting Rutter ERA
- studied 36 Romanian orphans who were adopted by Canadian couples
- physically smaller than Canadian control groups
- by age of 10.5 there was no differences
- suggest some effects of institutionalization can be overcome
143
Zeanah et al study supporting Rutter ERA
- Romanian orphans were more likely to display disinhibited attachment than age matched children who weren't in an institution
- at age 11, less showed disinhibited attachment
144
Hazan and Shaver study for how childhood attachment influences adult relationships
- delveoped love tests to test the internal working model
- published the love quiz in American small scale publication
- 620 responses (205 men and 415 women)
145
results of hazan and shaver stud for how childhood attachment influences adult relationships
- 56% were secure
- 25% were avoidant
- 19% were resistant
- they found a positive correlation between attachment type and love experiences
146
McCarthy study findings for how childhood attachment influences adult relationships
- secure attached had best adult friendships and romantic relationships
- insecure resistant had problems maintaining friendships
- insecure avoidant had struggles with intimacy and romantic relationships
147
scroufe et al study for how childhood friendships affect adult relationships
- Minnesota parent-child study
- securely attached infants become rated highly in social competence later in life, are more popular, less isolated, more empathetic
- securely attached children also have higher expectations that people are friendly and trusting which leads to better relationships
148
Myron-Wilson and Smith study for how childhood attachment affects bullying behaviour
- they had a questionnare study for 196 children aged 7-11 from London
- securely attahced = very unliekly to be involved in bullying
- insecure avoidant = most likely to be the victim
- insecure resistant = most likely to be the bully
149
evaluation for how childhood attachment affects adult relationships
- correlation doesnt mean causality (Kagan)
- low correlation (Zimmerman et al, Hamilton, Kirkpatrick and Hazan)
150
Kagan study evaluating how childhood attachment affects adult relationships
- infants are born with personality types which will affect their attachment and friendships later on
151
Zimmerman et al study evaluating how childhood attachment affects adult relationships
- found little correlation between attachment style at 12-18 mnths and the quality of later relationships
152
Hamilton study evaluating how childhood attachment affects adult relationships
- suggests the lack of correlation could be explained by the influence of life events being more important
153
Kirkpatrick and Hazan study evaluating how childhood attachment affects adult relationships
- relationships breakups could change someone who was a securely attached infant to show signs of insecure attachment characteristics
