Attachment Flashcards
What is attachment?
an enduring emotional tie that unites one person to another, over time and across space
What are attachment behaviors?
behaviors that function to bring the infant/child physically closer to the caregiver
-exs: cyring, following, clinging
Why is parent-child attachment important?
- First relationship that infants experience
- May serve as a model for other relationships
- May affect the development of self-concept
What does the ethological attachment theory argue?
Attachment behavior evolved because it was adaptive for survival. Kept infants physically close to caregivers and away from dangers, especially predators (increasing the chances of infant survival and later reproductive success)
Evidence for the Ethological Attachment Theory
Animals living in the wild are much more vulnerable to attack when they stray from the group. Attachment behaviors occurs across species (most frequentyly with young, pregnant, and sick animals), increases in frightening situations
Strange Situation
- used to measure individual differences in attachment
- used with infants 12-18 months old
- structured observation designed to elicit attachment behaviors
- designed to be moderately stressful
- capitalizes on their fear or strangers and separation anxiety
- classification based on how they react to parent reunion
Secure infant
- 60-68%
- may or may not be distressed by separation
- respond positively to parent’s return (easily comforted by parent)
Insecure-Avoidant infant
- 15% in American middle-class samples
- not distressed by separation from parent
- appear indifferent to or avoid parent during reunion
Insecure-Resistant or Ambivalent infant
- 9% in American middle-class samples
- distressed by separation
- show a combo of angry, resistant behavior and proximity seeking behavior during reunion with parent
- have difficulty being comforted by parent and returning to play
- engage in attachment behavior
Insecure-Disordered infant
- 15% of American middle-class samples
- more common in maltreated infants
- behavior does not reflect consistent strategy for coping with the stress of the Strange Situation
- behavior appears contradictory or confused
- frequently appear dazed/disoriented
Influences on Infant Attachment
- Parental sensitivity
- infant temperament
- goodness of fit
Parental sensitivity
consistent, prompt, and appropriate responses to infant signals. Strong correlation b/w how parent’s treated the child and how the infant scored on SS at 15 months.
Infant expectations
Develop expectations about how the caregivers are likely to respond to their signals. Form the internal working model
Internal working model
expectations about the nature of relationships and beliefs about the self
Sensitive Care
infants expect caregiver to be available and responsive
Insensitive Care
infants expect caregiver to be unresponsive/inconsistent or rejecting (negative expectations)
Infant’s behavior in SS reflects their expectations
- Secure infants expect caregiver to be responsive (leading to positive responses)
- Insecure infants expect caregiver to be unresponsive/inconsistent or rejecting (avoidant infant’s is a reaction of their fear of rejection, resisting/ambivalent infant’s are exaggerating their response because their needs aren’t consistently met)
Temperament and Attachment (Data doesn’t prove anything)
- Some studies show that insecure infants are higher in distress during the first years
- Avoidant infants are low in fearful distress and high in positive affect
Goodness of fit
degree to which a child’s temperament is compatible with the expectations of the social environment. May be a better predictor of attachment
Mangelsdorf
If infants were high in proneness to distress and mothers were high in constraint, infants were most likely to be insecurely attached. Other combinations did not increase the probability of insecure attachment
Attachement and Later Development
Secure attachement in infancy is related to more positive interactions with parents as toddlers and preschoolers. More positive relationships with others when children are toddlers and preschoolers
Attachment Theory Perspective
Attachment security reflects infant’s internal working models.
IWM generalizes to new relationships
Children with secure attachements expect others to respond positively toward them. Children with insecure attachments expect others to respond negatively to them
IWM tend to be self-perpetuating
Children behave in ways that elicit certain responses from others. Other’s responses confirm children’s internal working models. Can be resistent to change so sensitivity/insensitivity earlier in life affects the initial dev. of iwm
Continuity of care perspective
parents who are sensitive/insensitive in infancy are likely to remain consistent as children grow older. When attachment security is related to later adjustment, it is only because parental sensitivity/insensitivity has remained stable over time. If parental sen/insen changes as children get older, infant attachement security will not be related to children’s adjustment. They think sensitivity early in life is just as important as sensitivity later in life
