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Psychology A Level > Attachment > Flashcards

Attachment Flashcards

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1
Q

Effects of Institutionalisation

A
  • Disinhibited attachment
  • Mental retardation
  • Lack of growth/underweight
  • Inability to form attachments due to lack of cognitive stimulation (leading to impaired adult attachments).
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2
Q

Institutionalisation

A

The effects of living in an orphanage and receiving a lack of emotional care/not forming an attachment.

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3
Q

Disinhibited attachment

A

Equally as friendly towards strangers as to a caregiver. Occurs as a result of being around 50 carers a day. Unable to attach to one, so by being open and friendly to anyone who could potentially support them, it enhances chances of survival.

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4
Q

Support for Disinhibited attachment

A

Zeanah et al, 2005 - assessed 90 children who spent most of their lives in institutional care. Compared to 50 non-institutionalised children. Assessed using SS.

74% of control were securely attached. Only 19% of experimental group were. 44% of experimental had disinhibited attachment. Only 20% of control did.

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5
Q

Support for Institutionalisation

A

Rutter et al, 2007 - assessed whether loving nurture and care could over-turn the affects of institutionalisation.

Carried out longitudinal study on Romanian Orphans that had been adopted by British families. 111 assessed for head circumference and cognitive function. Re-assessed at 4,6 and 11 years. Control group (British adoptees) didn’t show signs of deficit.

50% initially retarded and underweight. By age 4 all showed great improvement. Those adopted at 6 months doing as well as control group. Shows that effects of institutionalisation and lack of attachment as child can be overcome by loving nurture and care.

\:) = Natural experiment, high external validity.
\:) = Practical applications, understanding effects of lack of attachments leads to improved care in institutions.
\:( = Only assessed up to 11 years. Can't be sure that effects of enriching environments are permanent.
\:( = Orphanages arose due to political collapse. Behaviours of orphans could have been due to trauma not the orphanages.
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6
Q

Lorenz’s geese, 1935

A

Divided a clutch of geese eggs in two. Half hatched with birth mother (control), half with humans. Ensured first thing goslings saw was either mother or a human.

Control group followed mother everywhere. Experimental group followed Lorenz everywhere.

Provides evidence of imprinting - attachment to the first moving object a bird sees. Critical period was hours from birth - if not occurred in this time, chicks would not attach to mother figure. Stresses importance of attaching to aid survival.

Lorenz concluded imprinting is biological hardwiring to force an attachment to form. This enhances survival of a bird and therefore is a successful adaptation.

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7
Q

Positives of Lorenz’s geese 1935

A
  • Findings support Bowlby’s critical period theory; attachment has to form in this time for infant to survive.
  • Control group emphasises behaviours of the incubated group; highlights existence of imprinting.
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8
Q

Negatives of Lorenz’s geese 1935

A
  • Carried out on geese, can’t be extrapolated to humans.

- Over time animals learn to prefer natural environments. Effects of imprinting may not be long lasting.

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9
Q

Harlow’s monkeys, 1958

A

Proved importance of contact comfort in forming an attachment bond. Raised 16 baby monkeys in two conditions.
1) Wire mother with food
2) Cloth mother with no food
Monkeys preferred the cloth mother and were more likely to attach in this condition. Those raised with the wire mother were most likely to become dysfunctional and aggressive (many died). Attachment had to be made in 90 days or would not occur at all.

Shows importance of forming attachments to develop normal social behaviours. Essential for survival. Also showed that contact comfort contributes to the formation of attachments.

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10
Q

Positives of Harlow’s monkeys 1956

A
  • Disproved learning theory (comfort over food).
  • Practical applications, showed importance of attachments for healthy development, so can help us to raise own children correctly/allow bonds to form.
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11
Q

Negatives of Harlow’s monkeys 1956

A
  • Models of mothers unrealistic, lack external validity.

- Very unethical, animals were harmed.

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12
Q

Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment

A

A child will only have an attachment to one primary caregiver - often the mother. This is said to be an evolutionary adaptation as the child is more likely to be fed and survive by attaching most strongly to its mother.

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13
Q

Support for Bowlby’s monotropic theory

A

Tronic et al - studied babies from Africa who would breastfeed from multiple women. Strongest attachment always remained the mother despite communal care. Supports idea that their is an initial biological hardwiring to attach most strongly to one figure despite external factors.

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14
Q

Negatives of Bowlby’s monotropic theory

A

Feminists believe it is unfair to assume that the mother should be the PCG, as its too much pressure on her.

Infants are said to need a network of attachments not just one. Father needed for physical stimulation, mother needed for comfort. Shows multiple attachments needed, not just one.

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15
Q

Bowlby’s internal working model (theory of attachment)

A

A cognitive framework, guided by memories and expectations, determining attachments with others.

Parent is said to be the prototype for child’s schema on relationships. Around age 3, these expectations become part of the child’s personality, thus affecting their future relationships with others.

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16
Q

Support for Bowlby’s IWM

A

Waters et al, 2000 - tested 60 infants on their attachment type at 12 months.

Re-tested 20 years later. 70% of the sample received same attachment type. Only reason for a different attachment type was a significant life event (eg, death or abuse).

Proves IWM correct; our expectations of relationships remain the same into adulthood, and our attachment types are determined on this basis.

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17
Q

Negatives of Bowlby’s IWM

A

Depends what relation someone is (eg, boyfriend or colleague). Theory is reductionist as attachment type varies depending on who the person of relation is.

Doesn’t consider life events.

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18
Q

Bowlby’s Critical Period (theory of attachment)

A

Window of opportunity when attachment must be formed for normal development to take place. If not, child will face cognitive, emotional and social difficulties as these areas of their brain will not be stimulated.

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19
Q

Support for Critical Period

A

Jeanie case study - girl isolated in empty room, until found at age 13. Never been outside room or spoken to anyone. Missed critical period and therefore had no social or cognitive development. Couldn’t speak properly for rest of life and suffered mental trauma. Highlights importance of forming attachments within this period.

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20
Q

Opposition to Critical Period

A

Rutter et al, 2007 - Romanian orphans. Despite missing the critical period, showed that loving nurture and care could overturn these affects. Orphans could still function as well as control group. Disproves the idea of a critical period.

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21
Q

Bowlby’s social release theory of attachment

A

Social releases are biological adaptations to ensure attachment bonds are formed.

Crying, laughing, being cute all releases that gain attention from caregiver. More attention = higher chance of bonding = survival.

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22
Q

Support for Bowlby’s social release theory

A

Klaus and Kennel, 1976 - high levels of hormones in mother straight after birth. Provokes strong bond between her and infant; immediately forcing an attachment bond to ensure survival of child.

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23
Q

The learning theory of attachment

A

Attachment = learnt behaviour. Learning to associate mother with food through classical conditioning:

  • Food (UCS) produces happy response (UCR).
  • Mother (NS) is presented with food (UCS) to produce a happy response (UCR).
  • Baby begins to associate happiness (UCR) with mother (NS).
  • Until mother (CS) is presented alone and still produces happy response (CR).
  • Thus the child loves the mother and becomes attached to her through the love of food and the association of food related pleasure with the mother.
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24
Q

Operant conditioning (Learning Theory)

A

Positive reinforcement = baby cries and gets food, so this is repeated to get attention and food again (behaviours that get rewarded are repeated).

Negative reinforcement = mother remains close to child to prevent it crying (behaviours that avoid negative experiences are repeated).

Both gain attention and close proximity, which ultimately result in a strong attachment bond.

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25
Q

Negatives of the Learning Theory

A
  • Reductionist, over simplifies complexity of attachment.
  • Only considers desire for food as an explanation; disregards genetic factors, unrealistic.
  • Harlow’s monkeys showed comfort was favoured over food. Disproved theory.
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26
Q

Behaviours exhibited in an attachment (SODP)

A
  • Seeking proximity to caregiver
  • Orientating behaviour towards caregiver
  • Distress when seperated
  • Pleasure when reunited
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27
Q

Why are attachments important?

A
  • Survival of child during vulnerable period
  • To aid social, emotional and cognitive development
  • A template for future relationships
  • Aids physical development
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28
Q

Precocial

A

Born at advanced stage of development. Don’t need to attach as capable to care for self.

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29
Q

Altricial

A

Born at early stage of development. Need to attach so someone else can care for them whilst they are vulnerable.

30
Q

Bodily contact

A

Physical interactions between caregiver and infant strengthens attachment bond by creating familiarity.

31
Q

Mimicking

A

Infants have innate ability to imitate caregiver’s expressions. Biological device to create understanding between them and strengthen bond.

32
Q

Caregiverese

A

Adults use modified vocal language, sing-song like in nature. Aids communication and forms bond between the two.

33
Q

Interactional synchrony

A

Infant moves body in time with mother’s speech. Creates turn talking effect to rienforce attachment bond.

34
Q

Reciprocity

A

Responses mutual from each party. Two way connection, reinforcing one another. Creates turn talking effect and familiarity to strengthen bond.

35
Q

Interactional synchrony - Isabella et al (1989)

A

Securely attached mother-infant pairs showed more instance of IS in first year of life (than control). Implies importance of IS for strong attachment.

36
Q

Heimann

A

Infants who demonstrated imitation from birth are likely to have a better quality of relationship at 3 months. Shows importance of interaction for strong bond.

37
Q

Schaffer’s stages of attachment

A
  • Asocial
  • Indiscriminate
  • Discriminate
  • Multiple attachment phase
38
Q

Asocial attachment phase

A

0-3 months.

Child cannot form social relationships. 6 weeks begins to treat humans differently to objects.

39
Q

Indiscriminate attachment phase

A

3-7 months.

Child can differentiate between familiar and unfamiliar. Happy to be comforted by anyone.

40
Q

Discriminate attachment phase

A

7-9 months.

Child can distinguish between carers and strangers. Will exhibit stranger and separation anxiety.

41
Q

Multiple attachment phase

A

9+ months.

Attachments develop with other people (eg, siblings). Initial attachment to mother will always remain the strongest bond.

42
Q
  • Same babies used each time (consistency/reliability)
  • Conducted in own homes (external validity)
  • Large sample of 60 babies (representative)
  • Babies too young to know they’re being observed (no demand characteristics).
A

Positives of Schaffer’s stages of attachment

43
Q
  • Individual differences of babies (make results ungeneralisable)
  • All Scottish from same social class (unrepresentative)
  • Can’t be applied to all cultures. Collectivists form multiple attachments, individualists don’t (culturally bias)
A

Negatives of Schaffer’s stages of attachment

44
Q

Factors influencing a relationship between father and child

A
  • Degree of sensitivity (more sensitive the stronger the attachment. Could be a cause and effect issue though).
  • Attachment with child reflects attachment with own parents.
  • Supportive co-parenting (how much support they provide for mother when caring for child).
45
Q

Geiger (1996) - role of the father

A

Observed interactions between children and parents. Fathers provide excitement and pleasure, mothers were more nurturing and affectionate. Father more of a playmate than a caregiver.

46
Q

Lamb (1987) - role of the father

A

Children preferred interacting with father when in a good mood. Prefer mothers when distressed.

47
Q

Fathers as PCGs

A

Evidence suggests that fathers adopt behaviours of mother when PCG (smiling, holding infant, etc).

Level of responsiveness to child is what is important for attachment to form, not gender.

Women have high levels of oestrogen and oxytocin (bonding hormone) and provide milk. Biologically they are expected to be the PCG, so men don’t adopt this role often.

48
Q

The Caregiver Sensitivity Hypothesis

A

“the quality of an infants attachment depends on the kind of attention the infant receives from their primary caregiver”

49
Q

Types of attachment

A

A - “avoidant” (insecure avoidant)
B - “best” (secure)
C - “clingy” (insecure resistant)

50
Q

Insecure avoidant

A

Mother largely ignores child and expects them to entertain themselves. Creates an independent baby.

51
Q

Secure

A

Mother sensitive and responsive to baby’s needs. Cooperative and accessible for child. Creates healthy attachment type.

52
Q

Insecure resistant

A

Mother inconsistent with her parenting, sometimes leaving child alone, sometimes being over attentive. Child does not know what to expect so remains overly clingy in fear of her absence.

53
Q

The Temperament Hypothesis - Kagan and Fox

A

Kagan = “babies have biological temperaments that appeal (or don’t) to caregivers and an attachment is formed on this basis”

Fox = a nice temperament means that parents are more likely to respond to child, so a strong attachment will form, resulting in a secure baby. A poor temperament will mean parents are avoidant of the child, and only a weak attachment can be formed, creating an insecure child.

Shows that genetics contribute to attachment type.

54
Q

The Strange Situation - procedure

A

Controlled observation. 100 middle class infants and their mothers. 1-2 year olds. 8 stages of 5 minutes:

1) mother, baby and experimenter
2) experimenter leaves the room
3) stranger enters
4) mother leaves
5) mother enters as stranger leaves
6) mother leaves
7) stranger enters
8) stranger leaves as mother enters

Being measured = seeking, maintenance, resistance and avoidance of proximity and contact.
Observations made = exploration behaviour, separation and stranger anxiety, reunion behaviour.

55
Q

The Stranger Situation - findings and conclusion

A

Secure = distressed when mother left / avoidant of stranger but fine when with parent as well / positive and happy when reunited / used mother as safe base to explore. 70%

Insecure resistant = intense separation anxiety / fearful and avoidant of stranger / approached mother but resisted contact when reunited /cried more, explored less. 15%

Insecure avoidant = no separation anxiety / comfortable with stranger / showed little interest when reunited / comforted equally well by mother and stranger. 15%

Ainsworth concluded that babies are one of 3 attachment types, supporting the CSH.

56
Q

The Strange Situation - positives

A

:) highly replicable, results reliable so we have confidence that this is how attachment types work

:) clear behavioural categories make results accurate

:) controlled conditions, few extraneous variables so effect on DV is clearer

57
Q

The Strange Situation - negatives

A

:( controlled conditions, lack external validity

:( only assesses attachment to mother, behaviours may differ with other relations

58
Q

Cultural variation of attachments - Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988)

A

Meta analysis into studies of attachment in different countries. Used secondary source data.

59
Q

Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988) - findings

A

USA - 65% secure (regular close contact)
Germany - 35% insecure avoidant (value independence)
Israel - 29% insecure resistant (communal care)
Japan - 5% insecure avoidant (child never separated).

60
Q

Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988) - conclusions

A
  • Secure attachments are most common across world.
  • Supports CSH, the way you are treated as baby results in attachment type. Eg, those experiencing communal care will receive varying levels of responsiveness from each carer which will result in a clingy, attachment. Parents who value independence likely to leave child alone, hence form independent, avoidant attachment.
  • Shows that close contact and care is vital for a secure attachment.
61
Q

Van Izjendoorn and Kroonenberg (1988) - evaluation

A

:) supports CSH which makes the theory more reliable
:) provides strong understanding into variables affecting attachment
:) improves parenting, maintaining contact to create secure attachment

:( shouldn’t judge cultures on how they bring up children, this study promotes judgement
:( more variation within cultures than between them, so not entirely accurate

62
Q

The Continuity Hypothesis

A

Our attachment type during youth will remain the same until later life. Attachments with our children said to be same as they were with parents.

63
Q

Waters et al (2000) - effect of childhood on future attachment

A
  • Initial assessment at 12 months using strange situation.
  • Retested adults after 20 years.
  • 72% received same attachment type.
  • Shows that classification remains the same from child to adulthood.
64
Q

Lewis et al (2000) - effect of childhood on future attachment

A
  • Only 42% consistency between 1-year and 18-year-old attachments.
  • Shown that life events such as parental divorce can alter someone’s attachment type.
  • Shows that it doesn’t stay the same from child to adulthood, and is adjusted by environmental factors.
65
Q

Simpson et al (2007) - effect of childhood on future attachment

A
  • Babies assessed at 12 months using strange situation.
  • Teachers asked to observe social competence of child at 6-8 years.
  • Interviewed about friendship/level of trust at 16 years.
  • Romantic relationships assessed at 20-23 years.
  • Those with secure attachment at 12 months were most socially competent and had stronger relationships in later life.
  • Shows that childhood attachment type is consistent throughout life and influences future relationships.
66
Q

Attitudes to the effects of childhood experience on future relationships

A

“humans have free will to alter attachment type. If someone has a bad experience being clingy, they may decide to become secure in their next relationship”

“attachment types vary anyway. It depends on someone’s relation to a person. Eg, a boss or a boyfriend”

“attachment type is a mix of nature and nurture. Nature determines it but our environment can alter it”

“it is deterministic to assume childhood and parenting effect future relationships. It doesn’t consider life events that could alter this”

67
Q

Bowlby’s maternal deprivation (1953)

A

Deprivation of a maternal figure during the critical period will cause permanent, irreversible social, emotional and cognitive damage and the child will fail to attach in later life.

68
Q

Bowlby’s 44 thieves - procedure

A

88 children. 44 convicted juvenile thieves. 44 control group with emotional problems but no MD.

Interviewed about childhood and current emotional problems.

69
Q

Bowlby’s 44 thieves - findings

A
  • Most thieves experienced prolonged separation from a maternal figure during youth.
  • 32% of thieves had ‘affectionless psychopathy’ 86% of which had experienced MD before 5th birthday.
  • ‘Affectionless psychopathy’ = inability to form relationships, lack guilt/remorse, emotional difficulties.
  • Only 17% of control (who hadn’t been maternally deprived) had affectionless psychopathy.
70
Q

Bowlby’s 44 thieves - conclusion

A

Maternal deprivation during the critical period can make someone susceptible to later developmental effects.

71
Q

Evaluating Bowlby’s 44 thieves

A

:) supports critical period making theory more reliable
:) naturalistic, high external validity
:) practical application, keeping children with mother during CP in prisons/hospitals, etc

:( other factors could have led to affectionless psychopathy eg, WW2 had just ended
:( self-report technique relies on p’s to be honest. Could skew accuracy of results
:( investigated a correlation, intervening variables could skew accuracy of results. Eg, the war could have made it look as though there was a relationship between the MD and behaviour

Psychology A Level (8 decks)

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