Attachment

Question 1

Definition.

Answer 1

According to Shaffer, an attachment is “a close emotional relationship between two persons, characterised by mutual affection and a desire to maintain proximity.”

Question 2

Who has an attachment?

Answer 2

Nearly all children have an attachment to somebody else (even if they have been abused) what differs is the TYPE of attachment.

Question 3

Maccoby (1980) identified four key behaviours of SECURE attachment:

Answer 3

1) Seeing closeness to a primary caregiver.
2) Distress on separation.
3) Pleasure when reunited.
4) General orientation of behaviour towards primary caregiver.

Question 4

What are a child’s needs?

Answer 4

Warmth, love, food and security.

Question 5

Shaffer and Emerson’s three stages of attachment.

Answer 5

1. Asocial (0-6 weeks)(none discriminant)
2. Indiscriminate attachment (6 weeks to 7 months)(Discriminant between toys and career givers)
3. Specific attachments (7-11 months) (from specific bonds)

• Used a naturalistic observation (every four weeks) Attachment was measured using separation protest and stranger anxiety.
• High in mundane realism

Question 6

Findings of Shaffer and Emerson’s stage Theory.

Answer 6

Stage theory is generally correct. Small infants can be comforted by anyone but as they get older they experience separation anxiety and stranger anxiety.

Question 7

Mary Ainsworth and the Strange Situation.

Answer 7

• In order to determine the type and strength of attachment that babies have to their parents, Mary Ainsworth devised a CONTROLLED OBSERVATION “Strange Situation”
• Positive - Secure
• Negative - Insecure

Question 8

Ainsworth.

Answer 8

-Studied 106 middle class US infants.

Question 9

The Strange Situation - 8 Stages.

Answer 9

1. Observer takes mother and infant into a room, then leaves (30 sec)
2. Mother allows baby to explore - stimulates play if necessary (3 mins)
3. Stranger
   - Enters room, stranger is silent (1 min)
   - Converses with Mother (1 min)
   - Approaches Baby (1 min)
   - Mother leaves
4. Stranger’s behaviour geared to Baby (3 mins - or less if Baby becomes distressed).
5. Stranger leaves, Mother returns and greets and/or comforts baby - settles Baby - settles Baby in play - leaves, saying “bye-bye” (3 mins - more if needs to settle)
6. Baby is alone (3 mins - less if distressed)
7. Stranger enters - (3 mins - less if distressed)
8. Mother enters, greets and picks up baby - stranger leaves (3 mins).

Question 10

Secure Attachmet

Answer 10

Separation Anxiety
- Distressed when mother leaves

Stranger Anxiety
- Avoidant of stranger when alone but friendly when mother present.

Reunion behaviour
- Positive and happy when mother returns

% of Infants
- 70%

Question 11

Insecure Resistant Attachment

Answer 11

Separation Anxiety
- Infant shows sighs of intense distress

Stranger Anxiety
- Infant avoids the stranger - shows fear of stranger

Reunion Behaviour
- Child approaches mother but resists contact, may even push her away

% of Infants
- 10%

Question 12

Insecure Avoidant Attachment

Answer 12

Separation Anxiety
- Infant shows no sign of distress when mother leaves

Stranger Anxiety
- Infant is okay with the stranger and plays normally when stranger is present

Reunion Behaviour
- Infants shows little interest when mother returns

% of Infants
- 20%

Question 13

Secure Attachment (70%) Type B

Answer 13

• Children given a positive working model

- Carer who is emotionally available, sensitive and supportive

Question 14

Insecure Avoidant Attachment (20%) Type A

Answer 14

• Children have a working model of themselves as unacceptable and unworthy
• Carer who is rejecting

Question 15

Insecure Resistant Attachment (60%) Type C

Answer 15

• Children have a negative self-image and exaggerate their emotional responses to gain attention
• Carer who is inconsistent

Question 16

Schema

Answer 16

Packet of knowledge (basic knowledge of certain things)

Question 17

Finding of The Strange Situation

Answer 17

• The strange situation showed that Mothers who were most sensitive to their baby’s needs had more securely attached infants.
• The better the care the better the attachment.

Question 18

Key Issue is Sensitivity of the Caregiver.

Answer 18

• In Securely Attached children the caregiver will be sensitive to the infant’s needs (Ainsworth’s Maternal sensitivity hyposthesis)
• In Insecure Resistant children the caregiver is often interested in the child, but misunderstood the needs
• In Insecure Avoidant children, the caregiver is often uninterested and rejecting of the child

Question 19

Evaluation - Stage Situation. (Part One)

Answer 19

Weaknesses:

• Cultural Bias, cannot be applied to other cultures lower in ecological reliability.
• CONTROLLED OBSERVATION so could produce DEMAND CHARACTERISTICS (lowering internal validity)
• e.g. The mother may have responded to the situation by changing their behaviour and becoming more attentive to please the researcher. This could lead to their child changing their behaviour.

Question 20

Evaluation - Stage Situation. (Part Two)

Answer 20

• High levels of inter-observer reliability.
• Also because the test was Developed in USA it may be criticised for being culturally biased meaning that the findings cannot be applied to explain behaviours in other cultures (thus it has low external validity).
• There is also another, important, FUNDAMENTAL flaw with the procedure of the strange situation test which lowers the internal validity

Question 21

Does the test actually test the child’s attachment type or does it test their relationship with their caregiver?

Answer 21

• Main and Weston found that children behaved differently with different parents.
• So, it may be suggested that the strange situation measures the strength of the relationship between mother/carer with child and NOT, as suggested, the child’s attachment type. = Internal Validity.

Question 22

Evaluation

Answer 22

• Main & Solomon (1990) suggested that the use of three attachment types was too simplistic and so they introduced a new attachment style - insecure/disorganised
• This can involve a bizarre set of behaviours on reuniting, including freezing, rocking and a dazed look but not definite.
• This is the most disturbing of the styles, and may be an indicator of abuse.

Question 23

Temperament Kagan (1984)

Answer 23

• Kagan rejected the notion that attachment type was a response to sensitivity and argued that attachment types may be due to innate temperament rather than maternal sensitivity.

Question 24

Evidence of Temperament Hypothesis

Answer 24

Belsky & Rovine (1987)

• Infants that have behavioural instability at birth are less likely to form secure attachments
• It is most likely that attachment is a mixture of the two things (temperament and sensitivity)

Question 25

Cross-cultural variations in attachment

Answer 25

• If attachment is innate then attachment behaviours should be similar around the world.
• Individualistic Cultures (promote independence)
• Collectivist Cultures (collection of people or group)

Question 26

Van Ljzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988)

Answer 26

Analysd numerous studies of the strange situation cross culturally (Western and non Western cultures).

• META ANALYSIS (a study of studies)
• Kroonenberg et al

Question 27

Findings of Van Ljzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988)

Answer 27

Secure attachment was the most common type of attachment in all eight countries. But in Western Cultures the most common insecure type was avoidant, while in non-western cultures it was resistant.

• So there may be universal characteristics that underpin attachment
• As secure attachment seems to be the most common form of attachment.

Question 28

Findings of Van Ljzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988)

Answer 28

• However, Van Ljzendoorn suggested that this may be the result of the mass media which spreads ideas about how to parent across the world - thus establishing standardisation in the way we bring our children up.
• Also Van ljzendoorn found that variation in attachment within cultures was 1 1/2 times greater than variation betwen cultures which makes cross cultural comparisons VERY difficult as different subcultures within Japan could be similar to USA findings while others were completely different (depending on class).
• Meaning that research can lack validity.

Question 29

Variations of the Strange Situation.

Answer 29

• Variations of the Strange Situation have been conducted in US, Israel, Japan and Germany.
• USA - Very similar to UK
• Israel - 62% secure, 33% anxious/resistant (resistance perhaps due to the presence of a stranger)
• Japan - 68% secure, 32% anxious resistant (practically never separated from their mothers - this could have been caused comforting difficulties)
• Germany showed a different pattern with only 40% securely attached, 49% anxious avoidant and 11% anxious resistant - suggesting that German culture requires distance between parents and children - INDEPENDENCE.
• Down to up bringing

Question 30

Fox (1977)

Answer 30

• Studied infants raised in Israeli Kibbutzim
• Infants are cared for in communal children’s home by Metaplet
• Attachment tested using the Strange Situation
• With either Metaplet/Mother

Question 31

Weaknesses of Fox’s Study

Answer 31

1. The problem of IMPOSED ETIC (the use of a technique devised in one culture to study another culture is unfair.)
   - For example, Japanese children were always with their mothers so would be highly distressed when separated making the strange situation an unfair way to test their behaviour. Germans discourage closeness so the test is also unfair to use there.

Question 32

Outline and Evaluate Cultural Differences in attachment.

Answer 32

• Plan
  1. Start by saying cultural variations in attachment have been measured using the Strange Situation.
  2. Say that the Strange Situation involves a controlled observation which assesses a babies reaction when separated from mother, when a stranger approaches and when the mother returns.
• Controlled Observations which asseses a babies reaction
• Describe Van ljzendoorn and Kroonenberg’s findings.
• Outline fidnings in other countries.
• Outline Foxes study and findings.

Question 33

Essay help

Answer 33

• Controlled Observations which asseses a babies reaction
• Essay - 12 Marks, 6 mark - description, 6 marls - evaluations… One strength is.. One weakness is… These are S/W because….