Attachment Flashcards
What is an attachment?
A close two way emotional bond between 2 individuals in which they both see the other as essential for their own emotional security.
How can we recognise attachment?
When people display:
- proximity (physically attached)
- separation anxiety
- secure base behaviour(even when were independent we like to make contact with the attachment figures)
What is a caregiver?
Any person who provides support for a child.
What is a caregiver-infant interaction?
The communication between an infant and caregiver, which helps the child’s social development and forms the basis of the attachment of the two.
What is reciprocity?
A caregiver infant interaction, its a two way/mutual process. Each party responds to the other’s signals, taking turns.
What is interactional synchrony?
When a caregiver and infant reflect the actions and emotions of the other in a coordinated/synchronised way, basically mirroring each other.
What was the still face experiment?
The caregiver plays and coos with the baby for some time, then looks away, and comes to look back at the baby with no emotions or expression. This lab study proved that if the mother/caregiver showed no attention then the baby would get upset and distressed and start doing things for attention.
What happened in Meltzoff and Moore’s study?
A controlled observation study where a video of 4 stimuli (three facial expressions and 1 hand gesture) done by an adult and an independent observer counted all the times the infant performed one. The facial expressions were opening and closing the mouth and sticking the tongue out.
What does Meltzoff and Moore’s research suggest, but what goes against this?
That imitation behaviours are innate. Piaget suggested that this was more of a ‘response training’/result of operant conditioning because the adult smiles back as a response.
What are the problems with testing infant’s behaviour in caregiver-infant interactions?
Because it is unreliable. Babies’ mouths are constantly moving and the M+M tested stimuli occur very frequently, meaning its hard to distinguish between normal and imitated behaviour. M+M overcame these problems by getting an outsider to judge the infants and inter-reliability scores were very high, but their findings could not be replicated so unreliable.
How are there individual differences in caregiver-infant interactions?
Because it was found that strongly attached infant-caregiver pairs showed greater interactional synchrony and as well as this, it was showed infants who show a lot of imitation from birth have a better quality of relationship after 3 months. There are clearly individual differences but the cause of these aren’t explained.
How has Meltzoff+Moores research been valuable in social development?
Because Meltzoff explains why/how infants begin to understand others and therefore develop relationships. This theory is called ‘theory of mind’ and is important in conducting social relationships.
What is stage 1 of the stage of attachment?
Indiscriminate attachments
What is stage 2 of the stages of attachment?
The beginnings of attachment
What is stage 3 of the stages of attachment?
Discriminate attachment
What is stage 4 of the stages of attachment?
Multiple attachments
What happens in the indiscriminate attachment stage?
Birth –> two months
Infants produce similar responses to all innate or animate objects but show a greater preference for social stimuli, e.g. smiling. During this time, interactional synchrony and reciprocity play a role in establishing an infants relationship with others
What happens in the beginnings of attachment stage?
By 4 months
Infants prefer human company over inanimate objects and can distinguish familiarity in people. They can be comforted by anyone but don’t show stranger anxiety.
What happens in the discriminate attachment stage?
By 7 months old
Infants develop seperation anxiety and reunion joy because they are said to have developed a primary attachment figure. They also develop stranger anxiety.
What happens in the multiple attachment stage?
After the main attachment is formed, the infant develops a wider circle of multiple attachments (depending if they are consistent)
How may the research by Schaffer and Emerson be unreliable?
Because it was based on self report from the mothers of their children; some mothers may have been less sensitive to their babies protests and might not have reported them, or they may have shown volunteer bias which would change the validity of the data.
How was there a biased sample in Schaffer and Emerson’s research?
Because it was of a working-class population in Glasgow so the findings may not generalize to other classes. it was also done in the 1960s, and society/parenting is very different e.g. women go out to work so the children may spend less time with them. The no. of fathers who stay home and care for children has also increased; if S+E’s study was replicated it might have different findings.
How is Schaffer and Emerson’s study biased towards individualist cultures?
Because individualists (e.g. UK) prioritise the needs of their closest family or themselves whereas collectivists prioritise the group/many people and share a lot e.g. childcare. Thus, multiple attachments may be more common here.
What did Lorenz research?
Lorenz took gosling eggs and divided them into 2 groups; half was a control group with their mother, and the other half was raised by him. When the all the goslings were together with Lorenz and the actual mother, he found that all the geese he raised followed him and showed no interest/recognition of the mother, whereas the others followed the mother.
What is imprinting?
An innate readiness to develop a strong bond with the mother which takes place during a critical period. Lorenz found this is irreversible and long lasting. It also helps to predict what the animal will be attracted to (animals tend to go for animals of same species esp birds)
How long is the critical period of imprinting?
The first few hours after birth/hatching.
Why did Harlow research into comfort-attachment?
Because he wanted to demonstrate that attachment was not based on the feeding bond illustrated by learning theory. Comfort > cupboard
What was the procedure of Harlow’s study?
Created two wire mothers- one was wrapped in a soft cloth. 8 monkeys were studied for a period of 165 days and 4 monkeys were randomly assigned to each mother; either the milk bottle was on the cloth mother or on the wire mother. Harlow measured the amount of time each infant spent with the ‘mother’ and also attempted to scare the monkeys to see if they would seek comfort from ‘mother’.
What were the findings of Harlow’s research?
Regardless of whether the cloth mother had the feeding bottle, all monkeys spent the most time with it. The monkeys kept returning to it, and when frightened, they clung to it. This suggests that infants do not develop attachment to the person who feeds them, but the person who gives them comfort.
What were the long-lasting effects on Harlow’s monkeys?
The motherless monkeys developed abnormally (socially- freezing when approached by other monkeys, sexually- didn’t show normal mating behaviour). They also became bad parents when they were older.
However, there is a critical period- if the monkeys were less than 3 months old and spent time with the other monkeys they seemed to recover.
if they had the wire mother for 6 months they couldn’t recover.
How is there research support for imprinting?
Other studies have replicated it; external validity and reliability. Guiton demonstrated that chicks who were exposed to yellow rubber gloves when they were being fed as newborns imprinted on the gloves (the figure can be inanimate). They also tried to mate with the gloves; clear support for Lorenz’s findings. However, they found imprinting is not permanent- chicks spending time with other chicks were sexually normal (thus imprinting is just like learning). Problems with animal studies- are humans really attracted to what they first see at birth?
What was the confounding variable in Harlow’s study?
The monkeys both had heads. One had a more ‘monkey-looking’ head which the monkeys could’ve preferred. Therefore there is less internal validity.
What are the problems with generalising animal studies to humans?
Because were ultimately very different; we act more consciously, we have bigger and different brains etc. However, we are similar to monkeys (evolution). Harlow’s research is supported by Schaffer+Emerson, infants not attached to the person that feeds them the most.
What ethical problems are there in Harlow’s research?
- long lasting emotional harm in the monkeys
- they found it difficult to form peer relationships
- they obviously cannot consent
Do the benefits outweigh the negatives? (L+H research has been significant for humans)
What did Schaffer and Emerson find about the role of the father?
They are a lot less likely to be primary attachment figures than mothers. 65% of primary care givers were mothers, compared to only 3% were fathers (the rest were combination)
Why is it believed that men are less likely to be the primary caregiver?
Because they may not be psychologically equipped to form an intense attachment, as women are more emotionally sensitive (link to androgyny- women have more caretaking/sensitive traits).
Biological reasons- oestrogen in women can underly caring behaviour
Social reasons- society sees caring behaviour as less masculine; cultural roles
How is the role of the father changing in society?
Women more likely to have a bigger role in the working world; childcare is needed such as nursery. It is more normalised for men to care for children and this is not seen as ‘feminine’.
What is an impact that the role of the father can have on a child?
Encouraging more risk taking behaviours; this is because fathers are more likely to engage in playful behaviour.
Also, a strong attachment with the father was found to increase the child’s ability to make friends in an observation of preschool kids. A strong relationship with father = better socialisation skills
What is learning theory of attachment?
This explains behaviour and the development of attachment as a result of learning via operant and classical conditioning, as when we are born we are a a blank slate. Children attach to the care giver because their physical needs (food) are met- ‘cupboard love’
