attachment

Question 1

what is a strength of brazleton et al?

Answer 1

it was a controlled observation with high internal validity as the babies facial expressions were even filmed from different angles, so high level of accuracy and detail

Question 2

define attachment

Answer 2

a strong reciprocal bond between infant and primary caregiver

Question 3

what were the stages of attachment created by schaffer and emerson?

Answer 3

-Asocial (0-6 weeks) baby responds to people and objects similarly, however may respond to face and eyes
-Indiscriminate (6 weeks-6 months) they develop responses to human company but have no preference over people and can be comforted by anyone
-Specific (7 months+) the infant prefers one carer specifically and seeks comfort and protection from them, they also start to show stranger anxiety
-Multiple (10-11 months) multiple attachments form and comfort is seeked from multiple people, as well as seperation anxiety

Question 5

what study supports schaffers stages of attachment?

Answer 5

Schaffer and Emerson

Question 6

what was the aim of schaffer and emerson (1964)?

Answer 6

to identify stages of attachment between infants and mothers

Question 7

what type of study was schaffer and emerson?

Answer 7

longitudinal, lasted 18 months
they visited the infants on a monthly basis

Question 8

what is a reciprocal attachment

Answer 8

2 way attachment, the caregiver and infant have to bond for the attachment to form successfully.
They must both be contributing to the relationship and able to generate a response, e.g. copying eachother facial expressions
allows the caregiver to be more attentive to the babys needs

Question 9

how do the caregiver and infant interact in interactional synchrony?

Answer 9

very similarly, they match their facial expressions as well as tone of voice and pitch to mirror eachother
this has been found to lead to better communication

Question 10

what was the method of schaffer and emersons study?

Answer 10

They analysed the interactions between infants and mothers
-the mothers were interviewed
The mothers had to keep a diary tracking the following things:
- Stranger anxiety (how much anxiety the infant presented when a stranger appeared)
-Seperation anxiety (how much anxiety the baby had when the mother left the room)
-Social referencing (how often the baby looked back at the mother to respond to something new)

Question 11

what is a limitation of interactional synchrony and reciprocal attachment?

Answer 11

because the studies have been done on infants, it is hard to know whether the mirroring actions were intentional and meaningful

Question 12

who were the participants in schaffer and emersons study?

Answer 12

60 babies from glasgow
from working class families
small sample size
(therefore lacks population validity)

Question 13

what is interactional synchrony?

Answer 13

when the infant and caregiver become synchronised in their interactions, brazleton et al showed that children copy facial expressions

Question 14

what were the findings of schaffer and emersons study

Answer 14

-babies of parents who had ‘sensitive responsiveness’ (more sensitive to babys signals) were more likely to have formed an attachment
-sensitive responsiveness was more important than time spent with the baby.
-the parents who didnt respond to their infants had very weak attachments

Question 15

what is the order of schaffer and emersons stages of attachment?

Answer 15

-Asocial
-Indiscriminate
-Specific
-Multiple

Question 16

what study supports reciprocal attachment?

Answer 16

brazleton et al, children as young as 2 weeks attempt to copy their primary caregiver

Question 17

What age is asocial attachment according to schaffer and emerson?

Answer 17

0-6 weeks

Question 18

why does schaffer and emersons study lack internal validity?

Answer 18

-self reporting method which can be unreliable due to social desirability bias e.g. the carers wanting to portray themselves positively
-also parents are busy and may not have noticed everything, had time to report everything

Question 19

what age is indiscriminate attachment according to schaffer and emerson?

Answer 19

6 weeks to 6 months

Question 20

what did schaffer and emersons study find about the role of the father?

Answer 20

75% of the infants had formed secondary attachments to their father by 18 months
the father is important, but unlikely to be the first person the baby develops an attachment to

Question 21

what is the indiscriminate stage according to schaffer and emerson?

Answer 21

6 weeks to 6 months
can form attachments with anyone and have no preference

Question 22

who suggested that it is possible for the father to become the primary caregiver?

Answer 22

Tiffany Field
she obsevered interactions between infants and primary caregivers and found that primary caregivers, male or female, were able to form an equal bond when they spent time interacting with the baby

Question 23

what is an explanation for primary caregivers being the mother 75% of the time in schaffer and emersons study

Answer 23

-the mother being the primary caregiver could be due to societal expectations
-women have more oestrogen and less testerone so women would biologically be expected to be more caring and sensitive

Question 24

what is imprinting?

Answer 24

the concept that animals will attach to the first moving thing they see after birth

Question 25

what was lorenzos geese study

Answer 25

Lorenz studied a clutch of goose eggs, half of them followed him as the primary attachment figure as they were the first thing they saw after birth imprinting appears in a critical period, first 30 months

Question 26

how does learning theory explain attachment?

Answer 26

-children are born as blank slates, as suggested by learning theory -because everything we know is learnt, the baby has to learn to form an attachment with its mother -attachments are formed through classical and operant conditioning -'cupboard love' is we learn attachment from the caregiver providing food -states hunger is a primary drive and attachment forms as a result of it

Question 27

how does a baby form an attachment through classical conditioning? (according to learning theory)

Answer 27

- the mother is the neutral stimulus, baby forms an attachment between the mother (NS) and being fed (unconditioned response) -Because the mother is present everytime the baby feels comforted by food (assuming the mother is the one feeding), the baby learns to associate comfort with the mother who becomes a conditioned stimulus -baby feels happy when the mother is near, so learns an attachment -harlows monkeys is contradictory evidence to this theory

Question 28

Bowlbys monotropic theory-ASCMI

Answer 28

A-adaptive, attachments are a survival adaptation, keeps child safe, warm and fed S-social releasers-the baby smiling, unlock innate tendency to care for the baby because of mammalian attachment system C-critical period-time it takes for an attachment to form, i.e. 2.5-3 years, if an attachment doesnt form by this period, it never will. Supported by 44 juvenile theives study where maternal deprivation was associated with emotionless psychopathy M-monotropy-baby can only form 1 main attachment, it is stronger than other bonds I-internal working model-mental schema where information that allows you to know how to behave around people is stored. those who have dysfunctional internal working model will seek out dysfunctional relationships

Question 29

what is the C in ASCMI of bowlbys monotropic theory

Answer 29

critical period

Question 30

what is the A in ASCMI of bowlbys monotropic theory

Answer 30

adaptive

Question 31

what was the aim of mary ainsworths strange situation study?

Answer 31

to see how securely attached a child was to its caregiver, and if not attached, which type of insecure it was

Question 32

what was the procedure for the strange situation?

Answer 32

1. Caregiver enters room with infant, places infant on floor, and sits on a chair, does not interact with infant. 2. A stranger enters the room, talks to the caregiver, then approaches the child with a toy. 3. Caregiver exits room. If child plays with the toy, the stranger observes and doesnt interact. If they show distress then the stranger attempts to comfort them. 4. Caregiver returns, while the stranger then leaves 5. Once infant is playing, caregiver may leave the room, leaving the child alone to play. 6. Stranger enters again and acts same as before, observing, engaging if needed. 7. Stranger leaves, caregiver returns.

Question 33

what did mary ainsworth identify as the 3 types of attachment?

Answer 33

Secure, insecure resistant, insecure avoidant

Question 34

what was the secure attachment type identified by mary ainsworth?

Answer 34

most popular attachment type. infant showed some seperation anxiety but was easily soothed when caregiver returned. It is securely attached and able to play independently, but uses parent/caregiver as a safe way to explore new environments. 65% of infants

Question 35

what is insecure resistant attachment style

Answer 35

infant becomes distressed when caregiver leaves and they may try to follow them when the caregiver returns they switch from distress to wanting comfort from the caregiver. less inclined to explore new environments

Question 36

what is insecure avoidant attachment style

Answer 36

the infant shows no seperation anxiety or stranger anxiety. may show anger and frustration towards their caregiver and avoid interaction with them. will play independently, no matter who is with them.