Attachment Flashcards
What is the definition of attatchment?
An emotional tie or relationship between two people shown in their behaviour. This is a reciprocal relationship.
How can we see that two people have an attachment to each other and who came up with this theory?
Maccoby 1980
- seeking proximity
- separation anxiety
- joy on reunion
- the general orientation of behaviour towards the other the other person
what is ‘seeking proximity’
the desire to be close to the person to whom you are attached to.
what is ‘separation anxiety’
the distress that results from being separated from that person.
what is ‘joy on reunion’
relief and observable joy when reunited with them
what is meant by ‘general orientation of behaviour towards the other person’
the child’s awareness of where the person is and the reassurance they feel by being close to them.
what are the three factors affecting development and name examples
Biological- disabilities/disorders, hormones, genetics
Environmental- socio-economic status, food/nutrition, education (or level of)
Social/Cultural- social media, religion, race
why are attachments important?
they can be viewed as solid foundations to grow and develop from.
what are the two types of research methods
naturalistic and controlled
what is meant by a naturalistic observational method?
takes place in a natural environment
-participants unaware or aware
what is meant by a controlled observational method?
takes place in a lab setting (controlled environment)
-participants usually aware.
what’s the difference between covert and over?
covert- the participants are unaware
overt- participants are aware
what are the two types of sampling methods?
time sampling methods- observations recorded at specific time intervals e.g every 30 seconds.
event sampling- kept a count each time a specific behaviour occurs e.g mouth opening.
what are some positives and negatives of naturalistic observations?
+behaviour occurs in natural environments
-lack of control of variables we cannot control (extraneous variables)
what are some positives and negatives of controlled observations?
+high level of control over the environment
-demand characteristics (unnatural behaviour).
what are the pros and cons of covert
+high validity
-unethical (people do not know they are being recorded)
what are the pros and cons of over?
+more ethical
-people know they are being recorded, may act differently.
what are the four development stages of attachment?
- indiscriminate attachment
- beginnings of attachment
- discriminate attachment
- multiple attachment
what is meant by indiscriminate attachment?
infants produce similar responses to all objects animate and inanimate. Reciprocity and interactional synchrony are beginning to be established
what is meant by the beginnings of attachment
infants (at four + months) are more social, preferring human to a non-human company. At this stage, infants are not yet showing indiscriminate attachment.
what is meant by discriminate attachment
at 7 months, infants show separation anxiety when put down by a particular individual. They ate said to have formed an attachment to their primary attachment figure
what is meant by multiple attachments?
This takes place after the main attachment has been formed. for example, infants show attachment towards siblings, other relatives and neighbours etc.
In what ways has research shown that fathers play the secondary attachment figure?
- research has highlighted that fathers are more physically active and better at providing challenging situations for their children.
- spend less time with children.
what research has established that the principle caregiver role is the amount of time spent with the infant?
Lamb (in 1997) reported that studies have shown little relationship between father to the amount of time spent with the infant.
Is it true that most men may not be psychologically equipped to form an intense attachment?
yes. they lack the emotional sensitivity that women offer
>may be due to social or biological factors.
How may biological factors explain why men are less equipped to be the primary attachment figure?
the female hormone oestrogen underlies caring behaviour.
>more oriented towards impersonal goals than men.
what are the stereotypes that may affect male behaviour?
thought to be feminine to be sensitive to need others.
what evidence is there to suggest men are less sensitive than women?
+Heerman et al (1994) supported men being less sensitive
-However, Frodi et al (1978) showed videotapes of infants crying and found no difference in psychological responses of men and women.
why can a lack of sensitivity in fathers be seen as a positive?
it fosters the idea of problem-solving by making greater communicative and cognitive demands for children.
