Attachment Flashcards
Reciprocity
definition, example
behaviour being responded to and matched
e.g. mother clapping and the baby laughing
Interactional synchrony
behaviour becoming in unison and mirrored
e.g. baby smiling back at their mother
Reciprocity research - Fieldman + Eidelman
Found that mothers pick up and respond to their babies alertness as they play close attention to eachother
Reciprocity research - Brazelton
He described their interaction as a dance like when they respond to their partners movements
Interactional synchrony research - Meltzoff and Moore
They observed children from 2 weeks old and found that when an adult made 3 facial expressions, the baby mirrored these
Interactional synchrony research - Isabella et al
She found that a caregiver and infant with higher interactional synchrony have a more secure attachment
Schaffer + Emerson Aim
Identify the early stages of attachment
Schaffer + Emerson Procedure
60 babies from Glasgow from working class families
Schaffer + Emerson findings
4 stages of attachment
- Asocial stage
- 0-2 months
- Behaviours between humans and inanimate are similar
- Can tell familiar adults apart
- Indiscriminate stage
- 2-7 months
- Babies show preference for humans
- No stranger/separation anxiety
- Specific stage
- 7+ months
- Show separation/stranger anxiety
- Attachment to primary care giver
- Multiple attachment
- 1 year +
- Begin to form multiple attachments with familiar people (secondary attachments)
- Almost 1/3 of multiple attachments happen within a month of specific attachment
Role of the father
(Schaffer and Emerson) +
They believe that even though the primary attachment is usually with the mother, shortly after a secondary attachment with the father happens
Role of the father
(Field) +
He argued that fathers can be more nurturing if required. The key is to be more attentive, babies don’t see a gender
Role of the father
(Grossman) +
He argues that fathers play a greater role in playing with the baby.
The mother and father play different roles
Roles of the father
(MacCallum and Golombok) -
Found that children growing up in single parent families or same sex families don’t become any different suggesting that fathers don’t have a vital part in attachment
Roles of the father -
Mothers already have a biological advantage from having more oestrogen and oxytocin and also breastfeeding
Harlow animal testing AIM
To investigate contact comfort and whether attachment is learned or innate
Harlow animal testing PROCEDURE
Harlow raised 16 baby Rhesus monkeys with 2 substitute mothers.
- Mother 1 was wire and provided food
- Mother 2 was cloth and provided no food
- Monkeys were frightened with loud noises to see what mother provided more comfort
Harlow animal testing - FINDINGS
- Monkeys do not attach for food but instead for comfort
Harlow animal testing - CONCLUSION
Attachment concerns emotional security rather than food. THEREFORE food is not enough for forming an attachment
