attachment Flashcards
attachment
close two way emotional bond between individuals.
reciprocity
mutual exchange of responses between infant and caregiver
study for reciprocity
Feldman (2007)
after 3 months frequency of reciprocity (facial expressions and noises) increased
interactional symphony
caregiver and baby mirror each others facial expressions or movement in a coordinated manor.
study for interactional synchrony
Meltzoff & moore (1977)
found association between infant and adult behaviour.
suggest that this behavioural synchrony is innate.
strength of caregiver infant interaction
P= Research contains filmed observations in labs.
E= Observayions can be recorded and analysed without missing key interactions. Can establish inter-observer reliability. Babies dont know theyre being observed so no chnage in behaviour
T= Data should contain reliability and validity.
One weakness of caregiver infant intercation
P= Its hard to interpret babies behaviour.
E= Babies facial expressions are contantly changing, difficult to be sure whether a baby is reciprocity as baby could twitch
T= Reduce validity
One weakness of caregiver infant interaction
P= Observing behaviour doesnt tell us why its important
E= Observing reciprocity and intercational synchrony shows the patten but not the importance in development in babies
T=Observation alone can not tell us why reciprocity is important.
stages of attachment
Schaffer’s aim
to investigate what age infants become attached and who to
asocial stage
age: first few weeks
description: babies’ behaviour towards human and non human objects is quite similar.
show some preference for individuals, and some social stimuli.
stages identified by schaffer
- asocial
- indiscrimination
- specific attachment
- multiple attachment
indiscriminate
age:
description: become more socialble, can distinguish people, prefering to over objects, no stranger or seperation anxiety.
specific attachment
age: 7-9 months
description: begin to show anxiety towards strangers and when seperated from caregiver, formed specific attachment. bond with person who is most sensitive to needs.
multiple attachments
age: approx 10 months
description: begin to show attachment to other adults, called secondary attachments
role of father
anyone who takes on the role of main male caregiver
Schaffer and Emerson
role of father (1964)
-By 18 months, 75% of infants had formed an attachment to their father.
-Fathers were usually secondary attachment figures, but still important.
Grossman research on
role of the father (2002)
-longitudinal study, found that fathers have a play quality, provided unique role in stimulation and risk taking rather than nurturing.
Field’s research into role of
the father (1978)
-primary caregiver fathers like mothers engaged in nurturing behaviours
-attachment depends on responsiveness than gender.
factors affecting fathers role
- biological factors- hormones like oestrogen make mothers naturally more nurturing
- cultural expectations- fathers are expected to be providers rather than caregivers
- economic and work demands- the amount of time a father spends at work can impact their level of involvement.
One weakness of role of the father
P= Lack of clarity over questions being asked
E= Some researchers want to know fathers role as secondary attachment figure, some want to know as first attachment figure.
T= Makes it difficult for simple answer for ‘role of father’
A weakness of the role of the father
P= The importance of the father figure varies
E= Grossmans study shows fathers habe important role based of play and risk taking, however if fathers role was distictive, how come children with single mothers or lesbian parents dont turn out differently.
T= Question remains
C= Ftahers typically take on role is heterosexual families, but in single. mother or lesbian parents adapt.
A strength of role of the father
P= Knowledge may be used in the wide world to support parents and parental anxiety
E= Mothers may feel pressured to stay at home due to steryotypical views on role of father, whilst father beleieves he should provide for the family.
T= Support for families, shows real world application.
Animal study of attachment
Konrad Lorenz
- wanted to look into imprinting (attaching to the first moving thing we see)
*see if imprinting was fixed and irrevesible. - identified critical period (the time in which imprinting needs to occur within species, then or never)
Greylag goose egg experiment
Lorenz (1935)
Group 1- hatched naturally with mother (control)
Group 2- hatched in incubator, away from mother, first thing they saw was Lorenz.
Each duckling was marked then recorded, placed both under box and when the box lid was removed he found that
Group 1- followed the mother
Group 2- followed Lorenz
Animal study of attachment
Harry Harlow
wanted to see if we attach for food or comfort
study of baby monkeys
Rhesus monkey study
Harlow (1958)
16 monkeys were seperated at birth, placed in cage with ‘wire mother’ which had a feeding bottle on and ‘comfort mother’ which was in felt.
measured the amount of contact time each ‘mother’ got.
monkeys had extreme preference for comfort soft other, spending over 16 hrs per day on it.
comfort is more important than feeding, bonds are resulted from comfort and tactile contact
consequences of Harry Harlows study
maternal deprivation was permanent, monkeys with wire monkeys were most dysfunctional but both groups were aggressive and not sociable.
unskilled at mating and often neglected and killed their yooung.
shows long term impacts negitive attachments have.
contact comfort
innate need that an infant has for emotional support, and something to touch and cling to
critical period
specific time in which an infant needs to form an attachment for healthy social development
Strength of Lorenz’s study
P= There is research support into concept.
E= Research by Regolin and Vallortigara exposed chicks to simple shape combinations that moved. Range of shapes were then shown and they followed the origional most closely.
T= Supports that young infants are born with an innate mechanism to imprint on moving objects, increases validity.
Weakness of animal studies of attachment
P= There is issues with extroplation
E= Mammalian attachment is more complex than birds, for example its a two way system of attachment- mother to infant and infant to mother.
Monkeys are more like humans than Lorenz’s birds but human behaviour is still more complex.
T= Reduces generalisability of the studdies to humans
Strength of Harlows research
P= Has real world applications
E= Helps social workers and psychologists undestand the lack of bonding experience may be a risk factor in child development, allowing them to intervene.
Importance of attachment figures for baby monkeys in zoos.
T= Value of Harlows research is theoretical and practical.
Learning theory
aka behaviourism
suggests cupboard love is what forms an attachment
- children learn to love whoever feeds them.
Dollard and Miller (1950)
Classical conditioning infant
-happens when someone makes an association between stimulus and repsoinse.
-milk is neutral stimulus which produces a happiness repsonse (Ucr)
-caregiver doing the feeding is the (IDKKKKKK) which produces no respose.
-after association caregiver is recognised with food
-caregiver becomes conditioned stimulus and infant gives a conditioned response.
Dollard and Miller
Operant conditioning infant
- looked at positive and negative reinforcement
*
Weakness of Learning theory
P= Research against it
E= Lorenz geese imprinted on the first moving thing they saw, rather than if they were associated with food. Harlows monkeys prefered comfort to food.
T= Reduces validity as other factors rather than association with food are more important in forming attachments.
Strength of learning theory
P= Some elements of conditioning are involved
E= Babies may learn through association and reinforcement but it might not be related to food. Feeling comfort may incluence babies chooice of attachment figure.
T= Theory is still useful in undestanding attachments.
Weakness of learning theory
P= It contains reductionism and deterministic
E= Reduces complex human behaviours and emotions to simple associations between stimulus and responce.
Weakness for learning theory
P= Counter evidence from human studdies
E= Schaffer and Emerson found that babies attach to whoever is more repsonsive to their alert phase
T= Other factors rather than food contribute to forming attachments.
Bowlby’s monotropic theory
rejected learnign theory, arguing that biology had more of a role as attachment is innate.
emphasises importance of singular, special attachment figure.
Two principles of monotropy
- Law of continuity- the more constand and predictable the childs care, the better the attachments
2.Law of accimulated seperation- effects of every seperation from mother adds up, so little or no is suggested
Weakness of monotrophy theory
P= Lacks validity
E= Schaffer and Emmerson found significant amounts formed attachments at the same time, suggesting first attachment is stronger not different.
T= Research against Bowlby, proving he may be incorrect.
Strength of monotropic theory
P= Research support
E= Berry Brazzeldon observed babies trigger parents reactions using social releases. When primary attachment figure was ignoring baby, baby became very distressed.
T= Social releases are important in development
Strength of monotrophic theory
P= Support for the internal working model.
E= Bailey found mothers with poor attachment to their primary attachment figure were most likely to have a poor attachment with child.
T= Supports Bowlbys idea that mothers ability to form attachments to their babies is influenced by their IWM (their experiences).
Ainsworths strange situation
investigate individual differences in attachment styles
assessed though: proximity seeking, secure base behaviour, stranger anxiety, separation anxiety, response to reunion.
method
- mother and child enter
2.baby is encouraged to explore- secure base behaviour - stranger enters- stranger anxiety
- caregiver leaves- separation anxiety
- caregiver returns and stranger leaves- reunion behaviour
- caregiver leaves-
separation anxiety
7.stranger returns-stranger anxiety - caregiver returns- reunion behaviour.
secure attachment baby findings
child is easily distressed when mother leaves, comforted upon return
insecure avoidant
child is not distressed, avoid on return
insecure resistant
distressed when parent leaves, angry on return
