Attachment Flashcards
What is attachment?
a close two-way emotional bond between two individuals where each individual sees the other as essential for their own emotional security. It endures over time and serves to protect the infant.
What are the three ways in which we can recognise attachment through what people display?
- proximity
- separation anxiety
- secure-base behaviour
What does proximity mean in the context of attachment?
when people try to stay physically close to those who they are attached to
What is separation anxiety?
when people are distressed when an attachment figure leaves their presence
What is secure-base behaviour?
even when we are independent, we tend to make regular contact with out attachment figures
we regularly return to them while playing so they are a base from which to explore
What is a caregiver?
any person who provides care for a child
eg. parent, grandparent, sibling, other family member or childminder etc.
At what ages are you classed as an infant?
usually refers to a child first year of life although some psychologists also include the second year
What is a caregiver-infant interaction?
this refers to the communication between a caregiver and infant
It is believed that these interactions have important functions for the child’s social development, and form the basis of the attachment between the two. Particularly, the more responsive or sensitive they are to each other’s signals, the deeper the bond.
What are the two different types of caregiver-infant interactions?
- reciprocity
2. interactional synchrony
What is a reciprocity interaction?
- a type of caregiver-infant interaction
- it is a two-way or mutual process - each party responds to the others signals to sustain the interaction (turn-taking )
How do you know when a caregiver-infant interaction is reciprocal?
it is reciprocal when each person responds to the other and the behaviour of each party elicits a response from the other (eg. baby points mum looks)
What is an interactional synchrony interaction?
- a type of caregiver-infant interaction
- when a caregiver and infant reflect the actions and emotions of the other in a coordinated way. they mirror each other in terms of their facial and body movements
How do you know when a caregiver-infant interaction is an interactional synchrony?
it is different to a reciprocity interaction as in interactional synchrony interactions behaviour is the same (eg. mum sad baby sad) whereas in reciprocity it is the same (eg. baby points mum looks)
What did Meltzoff and Moore study (1977) (still face experiment)?
selected 4 different stimuli (3 different faces and hand gesture) and observed the behaviour id infants in response
What type of observation was Meltzoff and Moore’s (1977) still face experiment?
controlled observation
What was the method of Meltzoff and Moore’s (1977) still face experiment?
each observer asked to note all instances if infant tongue protrusions and head movements using the following behavioural categories:
- mouth opening
- termination of mouth opening
- tongue protrusions
- termination of tongue protrusions
What was the aim of Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) study?
to investigate attachment formation - particularly the age, emotional intensity and target
What was the method of Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) study?
longitudinal study where the babies and mothers were studied every month for the first year and then again in 18 months - measured the separation anxiety and stranger anxiety in the babies over time
How many babies were used in Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) study?
60 babies (31 male, 29 female)
Where the families from in Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) study?
Glasgow, Scotland
What class were the families of in Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) study?
Mostly working-class families
What were the two things measured in Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) study?
Separation anxiety and stranger anxiety
How was separation anxiety measured in the babies in Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) study?
by asking parents what protest behaviours babies did (self-report; semi-structures interviews)
How was stranger anxiety measured in the babies in Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) study?
by observing the babies response to unfamiliar adults (controlled observation)
Give 3 findings of Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) study
- between 25 and 32 weeks of age 50% of babies showed separation anxiety towards a specific adult (their primary caregiver (PC))
- this PC attachment tended to be with the most responsive, interactive and sensitive caregiver (who shows the most reciprocity (not necessarily who the baby spent the most time with))
- by 40 weeks, 80% of babies has specific attachments - 30% had multiple attachments
How many stages were in Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) stage model?
4
Give two characteristics of someone in stage 1 (indiscriminate attachment) of Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) stage model
indiscriminate attachment:
- no preference for any objects/people
- preference for social stimuli
Give two characteristics of someone in stage 2 (beginnings of attachment) of Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) stage model
beginnings of attachment:
- can distinguish familiar people from strangers
- no stranger anxiety - comforted by anyone
Give two characteristics of someone in stage 3 (discriminate attachment) of Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) stage model
discriminate attachment:
- separation anxiety begins
- preference for one person (primary attachment figures
Give two characteristics of someone in stage 4 (multiple attachments) of Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) stage model
multiple attachments
- discriminate attachments are formed with others
- secondary attachment figure is of ten father
At what age did Schaffer and Emerson expect someone to be in stage 1 (indiscriminate attachment) of Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) stage model?
birth - 2 months
At what age did Schaffer and Emerson expect someone to be in stage 2 (beginnings of attachment) of Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) stage model?
2-4 months
At what age did Schaffer and Emerson expect someone to be in stage 3 (discriminate attachment) of Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) stage model?
4-7 months
At what age did Schaffer and Emerson expect someone to be in stage 4 (multiple attachments) of Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) stage model?
7 months +
What do animal studies in psychology research?
they look at the formation of early bonds between non-human parents and their offspring
attachment-like behaviour is common to a range of species so animal studies can HELP US TO UNDERSTAND ATTACHMENT IN HUMANS
What is imprinting?
an innate readiness to develop a strong bond with the mother, which take place during a specific time in development
What were two features that were thought to be true about the critical period?
- irreversible
2. long-lasting
What is sexual imprinting?
the idea that imprinting can affect adult mate preferences
What was the aim of Lorenz’s (1935) animal study?
to investigate infant attachment in geese
What were the two IV’s in Lorenz’s (1935) animal study?
IV(1) = chick raised from birth by mother
IV(2) = chick raised from birth by Lorenz
What was the DV of Lorenz’s (1935) animal study?
DV = following the mother or Lorenz
What were the results of Lorenz’s (1935) animal study?
the chicks always followed the first adult they saw (eg. mother or Lorenz depending on their IV(1 or 2)) - the effect seemed permanent
What were the conclusions of Lorenz’s (1935) animal study?
that there is a critical period just after birth when infants imprint on the first adult that they come into contact with
What was the aim of Harlow’s (1959) animal study?
to investigate infant attachment in monkeys
What were the three IV’s in Harlow’s (1959) animal study?
IV(A) = food on wire mother (4 monkeys)
IV(B) = food on cloth mother (4 monkeys)
IV(C) = stranger anxiety/secure base behaviour (scary robot/new toys)
What were the two DV’s in Harlow’s (1959) animal study?
DV(A/B) = time spent with each mother
DV(C) = secure base behaviour and mother choice
What were the results of Harlow’s (1959) animal study?
- all monkeys spent much longer with the cloth mother - regardless of food location
- all used cloth mother for comfort
- all explored new toys more willingly with cloth mother in the room
What 3 conclusions were made on Harlow’s (1959) animal study?
- infants seek comfort over food
- there’s a critical period for attachment
- attachment is crucial - lack of mother resulted in abnormal development in monkeys (parenting/mating/social skills) and recovery was only possible if mother attachment happened in first 3 months
Give two implications for humans found from animal studies:
- babies do not instantly impair like birds, but the same concepts of attachment holds true (Lorenz (1935))
- Bowlby developed a theory of attachment suggesting there is a critical period for developing in humans (about 2 yrs) and if an attachment is not formed in this time then a child will suffer from IRREVERSIBLE DEVELOPMENTAL CONSEQUENCES
What does learning theory suggest about attachment?
that children LEARN to love and build an attachment with whoever feeds them
Give the two steps in the process of classical conditioning for attachments:
step 1.
food (UCS) ———> baby feels pleasure (UCR)
mother (NS) ——–> baby doesn’t respond (no response)
step 2.
mother (NS) + food (UCS) —–> baby feels pleasure (UCR to food)
mother (CS) ——–> baby feels pleasure (CR to mother)
What is operant conditioning?
learning depending on consequences
What does positive reinforcement do?
increases likelihood of a behaviour being repeated because it involves a reward for the behaviour
What does negative reinforcement do?
increases the likelihood of behaviour being replicated because it involves the removal of the escape from unpleasant consequences
Give an example of positive reinforcement in attachment:
baby cries = baby receives reward (food relieves hunger)
this reward reinforces the action so baby repeats it
Give an example of negative reinforcement in attachment:
baby cries + mum relieves problem (by feeding or cuddling them) = mum receives reward (baby stops crying)
the reward reinforces the action, so mum repeats it