Attachment Flashcards
What is attachment?
Each individual sees the other as essential for their own emotional security.
What behavior indicates a secure attachment?
People try to stay physically close to whom they are attached.
What is proximity in the context of attachment?
The tendency to stay physically close to the attachment figure.
What is secure-base behavior?
The ability to make regular contact with the attachment figure while being independent.
What is reunion behavior?
The emotional response displayed when reunited with those they are most attached to.
What is separation distress?
The emotional distress experienced when separated from the attachment figure.
How long are human newborns immobile?
About 8 months.
Why is the formation of a protective bond crucial for newborns?
It allows them to survive by providing warmth, food, and protection.
True or False: Secure attachment includes emotional responses upon reunion.
True.
Fill in the blank: The behaviors indicating attachment include _______.
Proximity, separation distress, secure-base behavior, reunion behavior.
What role does the caregiver play in attachment?
The caregiver provides emotional security and support for survival.
What is interactional synchrony?
When a caregiver and infant interact, they tend to mirror what the other is doing in terms of their facial and body movements
Interactional synchrony includes imitating emotion as well as behaviors.
How do adults and babies sustain communication?
By responding in time to each other’s signals
This is crucial during early stages of infant development.
What is the main function of caregiver-infant interactions?
Attachment formation
Meaningful social interactions with caregivers are vital for development.
What does reciprocity in caregiver-infant interactions refer to?
Responding to the action of another with a similar action
It is a two-way/mutual process where each party responds to the other’s signals.
Give an example of reciprocity in caregiver-infant interactions.
The caregiver may smile at the infant, and in response, the infant may reach out their arms towards the caregiver
This demonstrates turn-taking in interactions.
Who is Meltzoff and what is his contribution to the understanding of infant development?
An American graduate of Harvard University and an expert on infant and child development, known for his discoveries about infant imitation
His work has revolutionized the understanding of early cognition, personality, and brain development.
What is the definition of interactional synchrony according to the mark scheme?
Adults and babies respond in time to sustain communication
This concept emphasizes the timing and mirroring in interactions.
What is an essential aspect of early communication between caregivers and infants?
Non-verbal communication
This is crucial as young babies cannot communicate using spoken language.
What was the aim of Meltzoff and Moore’s (1977) study?
To investigate how early infants are able to mirror adults
The study focused on infants aged 12 to 21 days.
What method was used in Meltzoff and Moore’s (1977) study?
Six infants were shown three facial gestures and one manual gesture, with responses videotaped and scored by observers
Observers were unaware of the gestures shown to the infants.
What were the findings of Meltzoff and Moore’s (1977) study?
Infants were able to mirror all four gestures
This suggests that synchronized behaviors are innate.
What concept does interactional synchrony relate to?
The ability of infants to mirror caregivers’ gestures and expressions
Supported by research indicating this ability is innate.
What does the research on interactional synchrony suggest about infants’ abilities?
Infants’ ability to mirror gestures is innate
This supports the validity of the theory of interactional synchrony.
What was the aim of Brazelton et al’s (1974) study?
To investigate reciprocal social interactions between mothers and their young infants
The study involved 12 mother-infant pairs.
Describe the method used in Brazelton et al’s (1974) study.
Mothers interacted with their infants for 3 minutes, then left for 30 seconds, followed by another 3-minute interaction
Mothers were instructed to show both positive expressions and sometimes an unresponsive face.
What were the findings of Brazelton et al’s (1974) study?
Infants exhibited smooth, circular movements during interaction and became jerky and motionless when mothers were unresponsive
This highlights the importance of reciprocal behaviors.
What conclusion did Brazelton et al (1974) draw from their study?
Reciprocal behaviors are crucial to attachment formation
The study emphasizes the role of interaction in developing attachment.
True or False: The study by Meltzoff and Moore supports the idea that interactional synchrony is learned behavior.
False
The findings suggest that interactional synchrony is innate.
Fill in the blank: A strength of interactional synchrony is that it is supported by _______.
[research]
Research indicates a significant association between infants’ gestures and caregivers’ gestures.
What does reciprocity refer to in the context of caregiver-infant interactions?
The mutual exchange of behaviors and responses between caregivers and infants
This is crucial for developing attachment.
How did infants respond when caregivers stopped interacting in Brazelton et al’s (1974) study?
Infants’ movements became jerky, they averted their gaze, and eventually lay motionless
This indicates a strong reliance on reciprocal behaviors for engagement.
What is a practical application of research into caregiver-infant interactions?
Antenatal classes
These classes encourage parents to interact with their babies, aiding healthy attachment formation.
How does interaction with infants in early life impact later relationships?
It often continues throughout life and extends to later relationships
This can reduce welfare and social services benefits and mental health care costs.
What is a strength of the research regarding caregiver-infant interactions?
Well controlled procedures
The interactions are filmed from different angles, allowing for detailed analysis.
How does controlled observation contribute to the validity of caregiver-infant interaction research?
It allows several researchers to re-watch video clips multiple times
This ensures that all behaviors are accurately recorded.
What is a limitation of observational research in testing caregiver-infant interactions?
Problems with testing infants’ behaviours
It is difficult to reliably test due to observer bias and frequent chance occurrences.
What challenge does observer bias present in research on caregiver-infant interactions?
It complicates distinguishing between general activity and specific behaviours
This leads to interpretation issues regarding infants’ actions.
How did Meltzoff and Moore enhance the internal validity of their findings?
By measuring infant responses through video observation without revealing adult behaviour
This approach strengthened the validity of claims about imitation.
What is a criticism of the population validity in research on caregiver-infant interactions?
Low population validity due to small sample sizes
Meltzoff and Moore studied six infants, and Brazelton et al studied twelve mother-infant pairs.
Why does a small sample size affect the validity of findings in caregiver-infant interaction research?
It may not be representative of all infants
This limits the generalizability of conclusions regarding imitation and reciprocity.
What do the findings about caregiver-infant interactions suggest?
Caregivers and infants communicate via interactional synchrony and reciprocity
However, low external validity may challenge this claim.
What was the aim of Schaffer & Emerson’s 1964 study?
To investigate the age at which attachment forms, including the intensity of the attachment relationship and the person it was with.
What was the sample size of the Schaffer & Emerson study?
60 babies (31 male and 29 female).
What was the demographic of the families involved in the Schaffer & Emerson study?
Working class families based in Glasgow, UK.
How often were the babies and their mothers visited during the study?
Every month for the first year and again at 18 months.
What types of anxiety were assessed in the Schaffer & Emerson study?
Separation anxiety and stranger anxiety.
At what age did most babies start to show separation anxiety according to the study?
By 6-8 months.
What percentage of babies formed their first attachment with their mother?
65%.
What percentage of babies formed their first attachment with their fathers?
3%.
What percentage of babies formed joint first attachments?
27%.
What was the percentage of babies who had at least 2 attachments by 18 months?
Around 87%.
Fill in the blank: By 18 months, 31% of babies were attached to _______ or more people.
5.
According to Schaffer & Emerson, what is the rule regarding multiple attachments?
Multiple attachments seem to be the rule rather than the exception.
What did Schaffer & Emerson conclude about the main attachment figure?
The mother is not always or necessarily the main attachment figure.
What criteria did Schaffer & Emerson identify as important in forming attachments?
Sensitivity and responsiveness rather than time spent or feeding.
What type of observation method was used in Schaffer & Emerson’s study?
A mix of self-report and observation.
In what way was the Schaffer & Emerson study considered naturalistic?
Observations took place in the infants’ own homes.
Why could the Schaffer & Emerson study be described as an overt observation?
Data on separation anxiety was gathered from the mothers themselves.
What is a strength of the stages of attachment identified by Schaffer?
Supported by research.
What did the findings of Schaffer & Emerson’s study demonstrate about attachment behaviors?
Babies demonstrated attachment behaviors associated with each stage.
True or False: Schaffer & Emerson found that all of a child’s attachments are of equal strength.
False.
What is a strength of Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) study regarding its duration?
It was carried out longitudinally over 18 months.
Longitudinal research allows for observing changes and developments over time.
What is a key feature of the participants in Schaffer and Emerson’s study?
Participants were babies from working-class families in Glasgow.
This demographic may influence the generalization of findings to other populations.
What does high ecological validity in a study imply?
Findings can be generalized to real-life settings.
In this study, observations were made during ordinary activities, enhancing ecological validity.
What is a limitation of Schaffer and Emerson’s study related to population validity?
The sample consisted only of babies from working-class families in Glasgow.
This may not represent the experiences of middle-class families.
What type of data collection method was used in Schaffer and Emerson’s study?
Self-report data from mothers.
This method can lead to biased responses due to social desirability.
What is a concern about the validity of conclusions drawn from Schaffer and Emerson’s study?
Conclusions may not be valid due to potential biases in mothers’ reports.
Some mothers might underreport or misinterpret their infant’s attachment behaviors.
What is one cultural bias identified in Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment?
The stages may not apply to collectivist cultures.
Van Ijzendoorn et al (1993) found that babies in collectivist cultures often form multiple attachments from the outset.
True or False: Schaffer and Emerson’s research is strong evidence to support that attachment develops in the same four stages for all children.
False.
The study’s findings may not be applicable across different cultural contexts.
What is the implication of having high internal validity in a study?
Findings are less likely to be affected by confounding variables.
Schaffer and Emerson’s study minimizes individual differences among participants.
Fill in the blank: The findings of Schaffer and Emerson’s study may be difficult to generalize due to low _______ validity.
external validity.
The specific demographic of the sample limits the generalizability of the results.
