Attachment

Question 1

Hetero-regularity

Answer 1

behaviours that elicit intervention of caregiver such as protesting, crying (negative) or attracting attention of caregiver with look or smile (positive).

Question 2

Self regulation strategies

Answer 2

Activities to soothe yourself e.g thumb sucking

Question 3

What is attachment?

Answer 3

Attachment is an emotional bond with as specific person that is enduring across space and time.

Question 4

What is the attachment theory?

Answer 4

Bowlby suggests children are biologically predisposed to develop attachments to caregivers as a means of increasing the chances of their own survival

Infants are competence motivated and use caregivers as secure base

Focus on imprinting and evolutionary roots

Question 5

Why is attachment important

Answer 5

Keep caregiver in close proximity

Emotional security - allowing them to explore the world without fear

Form of co-regulation helping child manage levels of arousal and their emotions

Question 6

What are the 4 phases of attachment theory?

Answer 6

Preattachment (0-6 weeks): infant produces innate signals e.g crying that summon caregivers and are then comforted by the interaction.

Attachment-in-the-making (6weeks-6/8 months): infants begin to respond preferentially to familiar people e.g smile/laugh more around them and are easily soothed by them (form expectations of responses)

Clear-cut attachment (6/8 months – 18 months): infants actively seek contact with caregivers and exhibit separation anxiety (secure base)

Reciprocal relationships (18/24 months+): toddlers develop rapidly to understand caregivers feelings, goals and motives and use this to organise their efforts towards them —> more mutually regulated relationship gradually emerges

Question 7

What are the consequences of attachment?

Answer 7

Child develops an internal working model of attachment which is the child’s mental representation of the self, attachment figure and relationships in general

This model guides children’s interactions

Question 8

Ainsworth strange situation procedure

Answer 8

Studies mother-infant interactions and assesses attachment style through behaviour

the caregiver and infant interacting in a lab playroom, with two short (3 mins) periods of separation followed by reunions as well as two interactions with a stranger (one with caregiver present and one without) and the child’s reactions and behaviours are observed.

Observations include the rate of seeking closeness with caregiver, resistance to or avoidance of caregiver/stranger.

Limited method - ecological validity, required substantial resources, should be measured on continuum not categories

Question 9

What are the attachment styles?

Answer 9

Secure

Insecure

Ambivalent

Avoidant

Disorganised

Question 10

Secure attachment

Answer 10

Pattern of attachment in which infants or young children have a positive and trusting relationship with their attachment figure.

In the Strange Situation a securely attached infant for example may be upset when the caregiver leaves but may be happy to see them return, recovering quickly from any distress.

When children are securely attached hey can use caregivers as a secure base for exploration.

Question 11

Insecure attachment

Answer 11

Pattern of attachment in which infants or young children have a less positive attachment to their caregiver than do securely attached children. They can be classified as insecure/resistant (ambivalent), avoidant or disorganised/disorientated.

Question 12

Insecure ambivalent attachment

Answer 12

When children are clingy and stay close to their caregiver rather than explore the environment.

In the Strange Situation they tend to become very upset when the caregiver returns, they are not easily comforted and both seek comfort and resist efforts to be comforted.

Question 13

Insecure avoidant attachment

Answer 13

When children feel somewhat indifferent toward their caregiver and may avoid them.

In the Strange Situation they seem unconcerned with their caregiver before they leave and either stay indifferent or become avoidant when they return.

If the infant gets upset when left alone they are just as easily comforted by a stranger than by a parent.

Question 14

Disorganised attachment

Answer 14

When infants have no consistent way of coping with the stress of the Strange Situation.

Their behaviour is often confused or even contradictory and they often appear dazed or disorientated.

Question 15

Other measures of attachment

Answer 15

Q sort requires parents, teachers or other observers to take a large number of cards with descriptions of child behaviours and sort them into 9 equal piles according to how well they describe the target child. This measures the child on a security continuum and has been found a very reliable and valid measure of attachment across cultures.

children are explicitly asked about relationships with caregivers in a Adult Attachment Interview or through Inventory of Parent or Peer Attachment questionnaires. These measure reliance on peers for emotional support. These measures have found that securely attached adolescents continue to use parents as secure bases.

Question 16

Cultural variation in attachment styles

Answer 16

Strange situation findings are fairly consistent across cultures

Some don’t have disorganised styles

There are still some differences such as Japanese infants were categorised as insecure/resistant and not avoidant which suggests they didn’t display any signs of avoidance whereas the reverse was seen in Korean families with insecure avoidant and not resistant

Question 17

Posada et al (2016)

Answer 17

Conducted a study with Columbian, Mexican, Peruvian and USA mother child dryads (3-6) and measured behaviours in natural settings. They found that maternal sensitivity significantly associated with child security in all four cultures. This study is more valid and reliable as it takes place in natural settings.

Question 18

Parenting and attachment styles

Answer 18

Should be a good predictor - Ainsworth found behaviour in study correlated with that at home

Maternal sensitivity hypothesis - warmth and responsiveness good predictor of attachment style

Question 19

Genetic influences

Answer 19

Serotonin transporter gene - vulnerability in face of stress - less secure attachment more disorganised

DRD4 gene involved in the dopamine system - associated with disorganised attachment when infant is in a stressful environment and secure when in less stressful environment

Question 20

Socioemotional development

Answer 20

Status - predicts later adjustment and social skills

Secure —> affection and trust = open and honest
Avoidant —> no affection, rejection = avoid
Ambivalent —> uncertain what to expect = inconsistent, unable to communicate intent

Question 21

Adults acount of attachment

Answer 21

Autonomous (secure) — recalls earlier attachment-related experiences objectively and openly. Sees them as important. Is coherent and consistent, gives a balanced account by talking about positives and negatives.

Dismissing (avoidant) — dismisses attachment relationships as of little concern, value or influence. Has poor recall. Their account can be inconsistent/contradictory.

Preoccupied (ambivalent) — will intensely focused on parents and give confused and angry accounts. Gets caught up in memories and is not coherent.

Unresolved (disorganised) — will have experienced a trauma or early death of an attachment figure and have not come to terms with this. Their account may not make sense and lack reasoning.