Attachment

Question 1

What is attachment in developmental psychology?

1) The emotional bond formed between any two people
2) The bond between an infant and their primary caregiver characterized by proximity and comfort
3) The biological connection between parent and child
4) The learned behaviours formed through reinforcement

Answer 1

The bond between an infant and their primary caregiver characterized by proximity and comfort

Question 2

Why are human infants born in a vulnerable state?

1) Their brains are fully developed but their bodies are immature
2) Their brain development is incomplete at birth
3) They lack physical strength compared to other species
4) They do not form attachments until later stages of life

Answer 2

Their brain development is incomplete at birth

Question 3

What evolutionary trait is linked to elongated childhood in humans?

1) Early sexual maturity
2) Larger brain-to-body proportion
3) Higher reproductive rates
4) Independent care from birth

Answer 3

Larger brain-to-body proportion

Question 4

What is Bowlby’s primary argument about attachment?

1) Attachment forms only to satisfy basic needs like feeding
2) Attachment is an evolutionary urge beyond feeding needs
3) Attachment is a learned behaviour through conditioning
4) Attachment forms only in the presence of biological parents

Answer 4

Attachment is an evolutionary urge beyond feeding needs

Question 5

What is the significance of Bowlby’s “internal working model of attachment”?

1) It represents a cognitive map for navigating attachment behaviours
2) It defines the physiological responses to attachment bonds
3) It is only applicable to mother-infant relationships
4) It exclusively predicts short-term emotional reactions

Answer 5

It represents a cognitive map for navigating attachment behaviours

Question 6

What distinguishes Mary Ainsworth’s contribution to attachment theory?

1) She introduced the evolutionary basis of attachment
2) She developed the Strange Situation Procedure to assess attachment
3) She focused on the neurobiological mechanisms of attachment
4) She rejected Bowlby’s framework for attachment theory

Answer 6

She developed the Strange Situation Procedure to assess attachment

Question 7

What characterizes a secure attachment style in Ainsworth’s framework?

1) Indifference to separation and reunion
2) Distress during separation and avoidance during reunion
3) Distress during separation but quick recovery upon reunion
4) Inconsistent and bizarre responses to separation and reunion

Answer 7

Distress during separation but quick recovery upon reunion

Question 8

What is a key feature of the avoidant attachment style?

1) Seeking proximity but resisting interaction
2) Ignoring or turning away from the caregiver upon reunion
3) Excessive crying during separation
4) A complete absence of distress during separation

Answer 8

Ignoring or turning away from the caregiver upon reunion

Question 9

What attachment style did Mary Ainsworth add later to her original three?

1) Secure attachment
2) Avoidant attachment
3) Ambivalent attachment
4) Disorganised attachment

Answer 9

Disorganised attachment

Question 10

What is the universality hypothesis in attachment theory?

1) Most infants form attachment only in secure environments
2) Infants form attachment with at least one caregiver in all cultures
3) Attachment behaviours differ significantly across cultures
4) Secure attachment is the least common across cultures

Answer 10

Infants form attachment with at least one caregiver in all cultures

Question 11

What does the sensitivity hypothesis propose?

1) Attachment security depends on the infant’s temperament
2) Attachment security relies on the caregiver’s responsiveness to signals
3) Secure attachment develops regardless of parental behaviours
4) Cultural practices do not influence attachment security

Answer 11

Attachment security relies on the caregiver’s responsiveness to signals

Question 12

What is the competence hypothesis?

1) Secure attachment is unrelated to developmental outcomes
2) Secure attachment predicts positive child developmental outcomes
3) Insecure attachment predicts superior social skills
4) Competence is determined solely by environmental factors

Answer 12

Secure attachment predicts positive child developmental outcomes

Question 13

Which of the following outcomes is associated with secure attachment?

1) Higher internalizing behaviours at age 3
2) Enhanced problem-solving skills at age 2
3) Lower empathy levels at age 5
4) Increased social withdrawal at age 3

Answer 13

Enhanced problem-solving skills at age 2

Question 14

What is the primary limitation of cross-cultural attachment research?

1) Lack of a standardized framework for studying attachment
2) Insufficient data from large parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America
3) Attachment behaviours are inconsistent across cultures
4) Attachment theory is not applicable outside Western contexts

Answer 14

Insufficient data from large parts of Africa, Asia, and Latin America

Question 15

What is the focus of the normativity hypothesis?

1) Secure attachment is rare in high-risk environments
2) Most infants are securely attached in non-threatening contexts
3) Attachment styles are culturally determined
4) Normative attachment behaviours are unpredictable

Answer 15

Most infants are securely attached in non-threatening contexts

Question 16

Which attachment style is linked with seeking proximity but resisting interaction?

1) Secure
2) Avoidant
3) Ambivalent
4) Disorganised

Answer 16

Ambivalent

Question 17

What does Bowlby’s attachment theory suggest about early childhood experiences?

1) Early attachment has no impact on future relationships
2) Early attachment forms a stable internal model for future relationships
3) Early attachment is primarily influenced by external environment
4) Attachment representations cannot be revised in adulthood

Answer 17

Early attachment forms a stable internal model for future relationships

Question 18

What evidence supports Bowlby’s competence hypothesis?

1) Secure attachment correlates with increased externalizing behaviours
2) Social competence is unrelated to early attachment security
3) Secure attachment predicts empathy and social confidence
4) Attachment has no long-term significance

Answer 18

Secure attachment predicts empathy and social confidence

Question 19

What is an important criticism of maternal sensitivity in attachment theory?

1) It assumes universal behaviours across all cultures
2) It focuses too much on biological mothers
3) It fails to account for the role of fathers in attachment
4) It overemphasizes the importance of genetic factors

Answer 19

It assumes universal behaviours across all cultures

Question 20

What does cross-cultural research suggest about the universality of attachment?

1) Secure attachment is highly culture-specific
2) Most infants form attachments regardless of cultural context
3) Attachment behaviours do not exist in non-Western cultures
4) Attachment theory cannot be applied cross-culturally

Answer 20

Most infants form attachments regardless of cultural context