Attachment✅ Flashcards
Reciprocity
The interaction of similar behaviour patterns between carer and infant
This helps create the attachment between them as they produce similar responses e.g caregiver making a facial expression and the infant mimicking it
Attachment
A two way enduring emotional tie to a specific other person
Interactional synchrony
The coordinated rhythmic exchanges between carer and infants
The infants move their bodies in tune with the care giver e.g both move their heads at same time as if they are in sync making it look like they are the same person
Asocial stage 0-6 weeks
Babies show similar responses to objects and people
Don’t prefer specific others
Look at faces and eyes
Indiscriminate stage 6 weeks-6months
Babies become more sociable. Can tell apart and prefer to be in human company. Can be easily comforted by anyone. Don’t show fear to strangers
Specific attachments- after 7month
Baby begins to show separation anxiety. Shows fear of strangers
Multiple attachments 10/11 month+
Multiple attachments soon follow after the first attachment. Show attachment behaviours towards several different people such as siblings grandparents and childminders
Bowlbys 5 most important key principles
Monotropy Sensitive period Social releasers Internal working model Continuity hypothesis
Strengths of bowlbys theory
Two studies
Harlows monkeys- agrees there’s a internal working model by showing monkeys in isolation killed their kids
Shaver and hazen- internal working model having a life long effect
Weaknesses of bowlbys theory
Underestimates the role of the father
His view of critical period has been criticised by the Czech twins
May be culture bound (ethnocentric)
Separation anxiety
The distress shower by an infant when separated from their caregiver
Stranger anxiety
Distress shown by an infant when approached or picked up by someone unfamiliar
Reunion behaviour
When an attachment figure enters back in the room the baby will show a different behaviour e.g stop crying
Monotropy
The idea that one relationship that an infant has with their primary attachment has a special significance in emotional development
Internal working model
Primary attachment provides the child with an internal working model, it’s a mental model or a template for their future relationships
Critical period
A determined period of time in which a child develops an attachment, after this time it will be very difficult to make a primary attachment. Bowlby argues after 2 and a half there’s likely to be serious developmental consequences later in life with no attachment
Maternal deprivation
To be deprived is losing something. So this is the loss of emotional care that’s normally provided by a primary care giver
Social releasers
Characteristics that trigger care giving such as smiling or crying
Continuity hypothesis
The idea there’s a link between early attachments and later emotional behaviour
If a child doesn’t form attachment within the critical period likely to have long term effects
Those with secure attachments will continue to be socially and emotionally stable
Key study that identified stages of attachment
Schaffer and Emerson
Advantages of the stages of attachment study
Tested in their own homes so they were comfortable in their own environment preventing them from distress
Longitudinal study so it lasted over a long period of time meant data’s more valid
Disadvantages of stages of attachment study
The 60 baby’s may not all have others to attach with some could be only children or not have any grandparents
Can’t generalise the study as if was only done in Glasgow so culture bias
Who did research into infant- caregiver interactions
Meltzoff and Moore
Meltzoff and Moore’s procedure
In the controlled observation they recorded the reactions and watched the children in real time slow motion and frame by frame. The videos were then judged by independent observers who had no knowledge of what the infant had seen they had to note all findings of the infants behaviour. Dummies were used to see if it would controlled the child and prevented the babies from reacting
Meltzoff and Moore findings
Imitating was noticed in children as young as 3 years old. Although jean Piaget believes before the age of one children Just copy what people do so it’s a fake imitation. So a criticism is that Piaget believes the study should have been used on older children for a More accurate result as they are more knowledgeable and interactional synchrony is more likely
Conclusion of stages of attachment study
There was an association between infant and care giver so interactional synchrony occurred as there was rhythmic exchanges when different stimuli was shown. Observers said it was innate not learnt
Who studied the strange situation
Ainsworth
Procedure of strange situation
Used a controlled observation. First the parent and infant play together the parent sits while the child plays. A stranger enters talks to parent. Parent leaves and infant plays. The parent comes back offers comfort and stranger leaves. The parent leaves infant alone. Stranger enters and offers comfort. Parent returns and offers comfort.
Strange situation findings
Ainsworth identifies 3 types of attachment. The most common type was secure. A child with a secure attachment had high willingness to explore, but the when stranger entered they had moderate anxiety. When the parent left the child had some separation anxiety but was easy to soothe. When the parent came back they were happy and enthusiastic. The other types were insecure avoidant and insecure resistant
Strange situation conclusion
Ainsworth suggested that the care giver sensitivity hypothesis as an explanation for doefferent types of attachment. Ainsworth maternal sensitivity hypothsis argues that a child’s attachment style is dependant on the behaviour their mother shows towards them.
Advantages of strange situation
Controlled observation means high reliability so no external factors and can be easy to replicate
Disadvantages of strange situation
Lacks ecological validity as it takes place in a artificial environment so can’t be sure the child is reflecting their natural real life behaviour
Ethical issues child isn’t protected from harm psychological distress
Who studied cultural variations
Van ijzendoorn and kroonenberg
Procedure of cultural variation
Conducted a large scale meta analysis in which they analysed the results of 32 separate studies in 8 countries which used ainsworth strange situation. 2000 babies were studied . Percentages of children who fell into each attachment type were analysed and compared
Findings of the cultural variations
It was found that overall all counties have more secure attachments then avoidant or resistant. Collectivist countries such as Israel and japan have high resistant attachments compared to individualist countries. Greta Britain has the lowest resistant and highest secure. China has the lowest secure
Conclusion of cultural variations
Found a large variation in the attachment types of children in different cultures, which is likely to reflect the different child rearing practices
Advantages of the cultural variations
Has significant applications to psychology. The study was the first large scale comparative analysis of attachment studies in different countries. The conclusions significantly developed our understanding of how the different child rearing practices impact on the child’s life.
The use of meta analysis is ethically sound so you don’t have to consider being deceived informed consent or protection from harm
Disadvantages of cultural variations
May not be fully representative because of the amount of studies. For example the USA had 18 studies took place there so the results will be more accurate but every other country only had 1,2 or 3 studies
The use of strange situation in each study is an issue. This is because the strange sitarion is argued to be ethnocentric procedure. Developed in America so based on American norms so may only be useful for American culture
