Attachment Flashcards
Define attachment
A close emotional bond between two people characterised by mutual affection
What’s indiscriminate attachment
2-7 months
Baby shows little difference in their response to a stranger compared to a familiar career
What’s the evolutionary theory (bowl by)
Nature: the desire to form attachments has evolved as it helps the infant to survive
What is the learning theory
Nurture: attachments are learned through interaction with caregivers who provide food, warmth and comfort
What is Bowlbys internal working models
Mental representations of the world and relationships which influence how we feel and behave
- our early attachments effect our later relationships
What do we mean by culture
The rules, beliefs moral values and customs that are common to certain groups of people
What is the definition for separation
Short term, temporary separation from an attachment figure
When a child is left with a babysitter or in a nursery
What is disruption of attachment
When an attachment has formed between the caregiver and the child- but the attachment has been broken either temporarily or on a more permanent basis
What is institutional care
Residential (24 hours) care in an orphanage children’s home or other unit with other children and paid members of staff
What is institutionalisation
The negative effects on children of being placed in an institution
These effects may be on the child’s cognitive, emotionally nap or social development
What is the definition of privation
When a child has been prevented from forming any kind of attachment in their early years
What is despair in MDH
Eventually the child stops struggling, not engaging with others, cannot be comforted by others
But child may show signs of comforting themselves- rocking or sucking their thumb
What is detachment in MDH
The child starts to respond to others but in a superficial or rather unemotional way
If the parent returns at this point they may not be responded to with any interest or may even be rejected
Define reciprocity and give an example
When babies and caregivers mutually respond to each other’s behaviour
If the baby cries the caregiver responds by picking the baby up and the baby repos do by stopping crying
What’s discriminate attachment
7-9 months
Baby shows a clear attachment to one or two people
Baby cries if separated from the person they are attached to
What’s multiple attachment
9+ months
Baby begins to show clear attachments to other people
87% attached to more than one person by 18 months
What is the strange situation
- child is alone with career. The career sits and the child is free to explore the toys in the room
- career leaves the room
- stranger comes into the room to interact with the child
- stranger leaves the room
- career returns
In the strange situation what do secure children do
- explore the room using the career as a safe base
- shows moderate distress when the career leaves room
- moderate stranger anxiety
- on reunion they are easily comforted
In the strange situation what do insecure-avoidant children do
- explores with little interaction with career
- little distress when career leaves the room
- low stranger anxiety
- does not notice career when they come back
In the strange situation what does a insecure-resistant child do
- does not explore the room
- severe distress when career leaves the room
- high stranger anxiety
- hard to comfort in reunion
What is classical conditioning
Learning theory
Occurs when a response that would occur naturally in response to a stimulus becomes associated with another stimulus
Takes place when a child is being fed because the child learns to associate the parent with the pleasure of being fed
Attachments formed as baby has positive feelings towards the mother
What is operant conditioning
- food satisfied a baby’s hunger and makes the baby feel comfortable again
- food- primary reinforcer
- persons who feeds the baby- secondary reinforcer
- baby seeks out that person because they are rewarding
Evaluate Bowlbys learning theory of attachment
- food IPS not the primary reinforcer of attachment- Schaffer and Emerson
- children were attached to someone who doesn’t feed them
The career is responsive and sensitive of the baby’s need so must play some role in the attachment development
What is the maternal deprivation hypotheses
Disruption of attachment bond with the mother leads to serious permanent damage to emotional and intellectual development
