Attachment

Question 1

what does reciprocity mean

Answer 1

refers to the actions of one partner elicit a response from the other partner

Question 2

what is interactional synchrony

Answer 2

refers to how when the infant and care giver interact they tend to mirrow what the other is doing in terms of their facial and body movements

Question 3

what did meltzoff and moore find out about interactional synchrony

Answer 3

1977-infants imitate specific facial and hand gestures as young as 1-3 weeks old
1983-found evidence of interactional synchrony as young as 3 days old suggesting this is likely to be innate rather learned

Question 4

what was schaffer and emersons procedure in the study of stages of attachment

Answer 4

in 1964 they carried out a study on infants in Glasgow. infants were 5-23 weeks old at the start and were studied until the age of 1 years old

Question 5

how do schaffer and emerson describe the stages of attachment

Answer 5

stage 1:indiscriminate attachment-infants have a small response to objects
stage 2:the beginnings of attachment-at around 4 months infants become more social
stage 3: discriminate attachments-by 7 months infants started to show separation and stranger anxiety
stage 4: multiple attachments:after the main attachment is formed many more come after this

Question 6

what is separation anxiety

Answer 6

when an infant is separated from one particular person and shows joy at the reunion

Question 7

what did schaffer and emerson and lamb find about the role of the father

Answer 7

schaffer and emerson found that fathers were less likely to be primary attachment figures than mothers
lamb (1977) reported that there was little relationship between the amount of time fathers spent with their infants and father infant attachment

Question 8

what biological reasons affect the role of the father

Answer 8

female hormone oestrogen underlines caring behaviour

Question 9

how can cultural expectations and stereotypes affect the role of the father

Answer 9

there is a belief that to be sensitive to others needs is feminine

Question 10

evaluation of development of attachment

Answer 10

• schaffer and emersons data may be unreliable-study was based on mothers reports of baby’s behaviour-creates systematic bias - challenging the validity of schaffer and emersons conclusion
• schaffer and emersons study sample was biased- samole was drawn from a wc basis so may not apply to other social groups also study was from 1960s-which means if a similar study was carried out the results may be different

Question 11

what was Lorenz(1935)procedure

Answer 11

one group of goose eggs were left with their mothers but the other group were placed in an incubator

• when the incubator group hatched the first thing they saw was Lorenz so they followed him
• Lorenz marked the two groups to distinguish them and then placed them together with him and their mother

Question 12

what was Lorenz (1935) findings

Answer 12

the non incubator goslings started following their mother wheres the incubator gosling ignored their natural instinct and followed Lorenz

• if the goslings were not introduced to a physical object during a specific period, the critical period, the animals did not imprint
• Lorenz noted the process is irreversible and long lasting and this early imprinting has an effect on later make preferences called sexual imprinting

Question 13

what was harlows (1959) procedure

Answer 13

Harlow created two wired ‘surrogate’. one was wrapped in soft cloth to provide contact comfort. 8 motherless monkeys were studied for 165 days. milk was placed on the cloth mother for one group and the plain wired mothers for the other groups. measurements were made of how long the monkeys spent with each mother and their responses when frightened

Question 14

evaluation of lorenz study

Answer 14

research support for imprinting-guiton found that chickens exposed to rubber ducks became imprinted on them-provides clear support for conclusion on imprinting

Question 15

evaluation of harlow study

Answer 15

confounding variables - one possibility is that the cloth mother had a more attractive head- lacked internal validity as differences between the two surrogate mothers was not controlled

Question 16

how does classical conditioning explain attachments

Answer 16

-in attachment food is the UCS, pleasure is the UCR
-NS is the mother as they are present when the infant is fed
-if the NS (mother) is consistently associated with the UCS (food) it takes on the properties of the UCS and produces the same response. the NS is now CS and produces a CR
just seeing this person gives the infant pleasure learning theorists call this motherly love

Question 17

evaluation of learning theory’s as an explanation for attachments

Answer 17

• suggest food is a key element for attachment- evidence from harlows study shows that contact comfort was more important-learning theory only presents a limited explanation for attachment
• based on animal studies and research-although behaviours argue humans are similar to animals but critics say attachment is too complex to explain in this way
• schaffer and Emerson

Question 18

what time period is the critical period

Answer 18

around 3 -6 months

Question 19

what are social releasers

Answer 19

features of the infant such as smiling

Question 20

what is monotropy

Answer 20

bowlby proposed that infants have one special emotional bond

Question 21

what is the internal working model

Answer 21

an infant has one special relationship and forms a mental representation of this relationship. this acts as a template for future relationships

Question 22

what is the continuity hypothesis

Answer 22

proposes that individuals that are strongly attached in infancy continue to be socially and emotionally competent throughout childhood and adulthood compared to infants who are not strongly attached

Question 23

evaluation of bowlbys theory

Answer 23

• explains why infants attach during critical period and not when first born- infants become attached between 3-6 months when they crawl it is vital that their care giver protects them during this time
• research support for monotropy- prior and glaser-

Question 24

how does operant conditioning explain attachments

Answer 24

positive reinforcement is the infant being fed when it is hungry. the food becomes a primary reinforcer and the person who supplies it becomes the secondary reinforcer.
as a result attachment occurs when the infant seeks the person , usually the mother, who can supply the reward (food

Question 25

what was the aim of ainsworths (1971) study

Answer 25

to test the nature of attachment in order to see how infants behave under conditions of mild stress or novelty

Question 26

what was ainsworths procedure

Answer 26

consisted of 8 episodes. the key feature of these episodes is that the stranger and the care giver ultimately stay with infant then leave. observers record how the child reacts to separation anxiety, stranger anxiety and reunion behaviour

Question 27

what was the findings of ainsworths study

Answer 27

found evidence of three different attachments: securely attached infants type B insecure avoidant infants type a insecure resistant infants type c

Question 28

what are the characteristics of an infant who is securely attached

Answer 28

use caregivers as a secure base to explore. they are not likely to cry if the care giver leaves and show some distress when a stranger arrives

Question 29

what are the characteristics of an infant who is insecure avoidant

Answer 29

happy to explore with or without caregiver. they show little response to separation and show little or no social interaction and and intimacy with others

Question 30

what are the characteristics of an infant who is insecure resistant

Answer 30

seek and resist social interaction with others. they show high levels of separation anxiety and stranger anxiety. when reunited with caregivers they show conflicting behaviours and resist being picked up

Question 31

evaluation of strange situation

Answer 31

* real life application * explains subsequent outcomes-increases validity * good reliability

Question 32

what was van Ijzendoorn and kroonenberg(1988) procedure

Answer 32

conducted a meta analysis from the findings of 32 studies of attachment behaviour, this involved over 2000 strange situation classifications in 8 different countries

Question 33

what was Ijzendoorn and kroonenberg (1988) findings

Answer 33

differences were small with secure attachment the most common in every country. the presence of these cultural similarities supports the idea that secure attachment is the best for healthy social and emotional development

Question 34

what did tronick et al (1992) find about cultural similarities

Answer 34

studied an african tribe the efe who lived in extended family groups. despite differences in child rearing practices at 6 months still showed 1 primary attachment

Question 35

what did Grossman and Grossman (1991) find about cultural differences

Answer 35

found higher levels of insecure attachment amongst German infants than in other cultures.

Question 36

definition of deprivation

Answer 36

refers to the loss of emotional care that is normally provided by the primary caregiver. this would lead to long term consequences in terms of emotional development

Question 37

definition the value of maternal care

Answer 37

children need a ware intimate and continuous relationship with a mother figure to ensure mental health

Question 38

definition of the critical period

Answer 38

if there is no substitute mother before the 2 and a half years may become emotionally disturbed

Question 39

what was bowlbys 44 thieves procedure

Answer 39

analysed case studies of 88 emotionally maladjusted children after attending a child guidance clinic-half had been caught stealing and the other half was the control group. bowlby suggested that 14 of the thieves were affection less psychopaths- they lacked normal sign of affection, shame or sense of responsibility

Question 40

what was bowblys 44 thieves findings

Answer 40

found that of the 14 individuals diagnosed as affection less thieves 12 had experienced frequent early separations from their mothers. suggesting this is linked to affection less psychopathy

Question 41

evaluation of bowblys 44 theives

Answer 41

- research support | - real world application-

Question 42

what was the aim of rutters Romanian study

Answer 42

effects of institutionalisation- studied 165 Romanian orphans who spent their early lives in Romanian institutions

Question 43

what was the procedure for rutters roman study

Answer 43

adoptees were tested ta regular intervals to asses physical , cognitive and social development and compared to a control group of 52 British children adopted in the UK before the age of 6 months

Question 44

what was the findings of rutters roman study

Answer 44

the Romanian children lagged the British children in development. by the age of 4. some of the children had caught up with their British counterparts, particularly those adopted before the age of 6 months

Question 45

evaluation of romanian studies

Answer 45

- individual differences in the effects of institutionalisation - real life application

Question 46

what is the definition of the internal working model

Answer 46

an infant learns what relationships are and how partners in a relationship behave towards each other from experience. this is used to predict the behaviour of other people in the future

Question 47

what does the internal working model affect

Answer 47

also affects childhood friendships, parenting and mental health

Question 48

Explain why some children show characteristics of secure attachment and some characteristics of insecure attachment

Answer 48

Children show different types of attachment because of their mothers behaviour towards them Ainsworth suggested secure attachments were the result of mother’s being sensitive to the child’s needs while insecure attachment was associated with insensitive mothering

Question 49

Outline bowlbys theory of attachment

Answer 49

Suggests attachment is important for survival. Infants are innately programmes to form an attachment. This is a biological process and takes place during the critical period. The role social releasers is to communicate with the PCG. The child’s relationship with the PCG provides a internal working model which influences later relationships

Question 50

Outline and evaluate bowlbys monotropic theory of attachment

Answer 50

Outline - Infants have an innate drive to survive Babies seek proximity to carer for safety Monotropy Babies uses social releasers to attract the caregivers reciprocity Critical period Evaluation - Continuity hypothesis Animal evidence in favour of bowlbys theory Schaffer and Emerson evidence of multiple attachments

Question 51

What is meant by the term attachment

Answer 51

Defined as the emotional relationship between two people in which each seeks closeness and feels more secure when in the presence of the attachment figure

Question 52

What was the strange situation procedure

Answer 52

7 controllers observation | Assessed proximity seeking, exploration and secure base, stranger and separation anxiety, response to reunion

Question 53

Effects of institutionalisation on Luca

Answer 53

Cognitive impairment | Problems forming relationships l

Question 54

What is bowlbys maternal deprivation theory

Answer 54

This has the idea that the continual presence of nurture from a mother of mother substitute is essential for normal psychological development of babies and toddlers both emotionally and intellectually. Bowlby saw the first 30months of life as the critical period for psychological development

Question 55

In what ways did bowlby say maternal deprivation impacts development

Answer 55

Intellectual development- bowlby believed that if children were deprived of maternal care for too long during the critical period they would suffer delayed intellectual development, characterised by abnormally Low IQ Emotional development- bowlby identifier affection-less psychopathy as the inability to experience guilt or strong emotion for others. Prevents the person developing normal relationships and lack remorse

Question 56

What was Rutters aim in the effect of institutionalisation

Answer 56

To investigate the effects of early institutionalisation and deprivation on later life development

Question 57

What was rutters procedure

Answer 57

Ritter studied Romanian orphans who had been placed in orphanages aged 1-2 weeks old, with minimal adult contact. This was a longitudinal study and a natural experiment

Question 58

What was rutters findings

Answer 58

Those who was adopted by British families before 6 months showed “normal” emotional development compared with UK children adopted at the same age

Question 59

AO3 of effects of institutionalisation

Answer 59

May not be representative as once people were adopted they may not wish to take part in the study anymore