Attachment Flashcards
Interactional synchrony
When infants react in time with the caregiver’s speech
Reciprocity
When interaction flows back and forth between the caregiver and the infant
Name the four stages in attachment formation in order
Pre-attachment
Indiscriminate attachment
Discriminate attachment
Multiple attachment
Describe pre-attachment phase
First 0-3 months of life
Baby can separate people from objects but has no preference of carer
Describe the indiscriminate attachment phase
Between 6 weeks and seven months
Infant can recognise different people
No strong preference of carer
Describe the discriminate attachment phase
From seven to eleven months
Infant forms strong attachment with ONE individual
Happy when they’re there and distressed when they’re not
May avoid strangers
Describe the multiple attachment phase
From about nine months
Infant can form attachments to several people
Some attachments are stronger than others and have different functions
Original attachment is strongest
Summarise Schaffer and Emerson’s attachment study
They observed 60 babies in Glasgow every four weeks for 18 months in their homes
As well as interviewing their families
They identified stages of attachment and that quality of care is important
Evaluation points for Schaffer and Emerson’s study
- limited sample - 60 babies
- evidence from interviews may be unreliable/demand characteristics
+ research support
- lacks population validity - Glasgow
+ natural setting
What is the role of the father?
Schaffer and Emerson found that one third of infants preferred their father.
Goodsell and Meldrum found that those with a secure attachment to their mother were likely to be securely attached to their father
Harlow’s study - aim, procedure and findings?
aim: To investigate whether food or comfort was more important when forming an attachment
procedure: lab study - monkey is raised in isolation with two mothers.
1 - wire mesh with a feeding bottle
2 - cloth monkey without feeding bottle
findings: More time was spent with cloth monkey only using the wire mesh for food so comfort is more important
The female monkeys grew up to be violent mothers
Evaluation points for Harlow
+ lab study - control over variables - can be replicated
- Can it really be generalised to humans?
- ethical concerns - monkeys were psychologically damaged after
- Lacks ecological validity
Describe Lorenz’s imprinting theory
He found that geese attach to the first moving thing they see when they hatch (IMPRINTING)
Fast, automatic process
He divided goose eggs into two groups - one group was left with the mother and other with him so they attached to them
Imprinting occurs during a CRITICAL PERIOD (13-16 hours after hatching)
Briefly describe each stage of Ainsworth’s strange situation
1) Parent and infant play
2) Parent sits while infant plays
3) Stranger enters and talks to parent
4) Parent leaves, infant plays and stranger offers comfort
5) Parent returns, stranger leaves
6) Parent leaves infant completely alone
7) Stranger enters and offers comfort
8) Parent returns and stranger leaves
What behaviours did Ainsworth assess?
Use of parent as secure base
Stranger anxiety
Separation anxiety
Reunion behaviour