Attachment Flashcards
attachment
- close two way emotional bond between 2 individuals
- see each other as essential for their own emotional security
recognising attachment
- proximity : stay physically close
- separation distress : distressed when attachment figure leaves
- secure base behaviour : make regular contact and regularly return to them even when were independent
caregiver-infant interactions : when does attachment begin
begins with interactions between infants and caregivers
caregiver-infant interactions : what has a profound effect on attachment
responsiveness of caregiver to infant
caregiver-infant interactions : what are interactions important for
child’s social development
caregiver-infant interactions : two types
- reciprocity
- interactional synchrony
reciprocity : definition
- how 2 people interact
- both mother and infant respond to each other (turn-taking)
- doesn’t have to be the same
reciprocity : feldman 2007
from around 3 months caregiver-infant interaction is frequent and both pay close attention
reciprocity : babies role
babies play an active role and they can initiate interactions
reciprocity : babies alert phases
signal that they’re ready for interaction
reciprocity : Brazleton et al (1975)
described the interaction as a ‘dance’ because they respond to each other
reciprocity : codon and sander (1974)
aim : codon and sander studied reciprocity in infants
procedure : analysed frame by frame recordings of infants moving while adults talk
findings : infants coordinated their actions with adults speech (turn-taking)
conclusion : supports reciprocity
interactional synchrony : definition
mother and infant reflect both actions and do this in a coordinated , synchronised way
interactional synchrony : meltzoff and Moore (1977)
a = investigate interactional synchrony in young infants p = adult displayed facial expressions and childs reaction was filmed f = association between adults expressions and babies gestures
interactional synchrony : isabella et al (1989)
a = invetstigate interational synchrony p = observed 30 mothers and the quality of their attachment f = high levels of synchrony associated with better quality attachment (emotional intensity)
caregiver-infant interaction : evaluation (+)
+ reliability of research ( controlled and interactions recorded so it can be watched again leading to test-restart and inter observer reliability.Validity and reliability increased)
+ research has good validity ( child’s behaviour is natural so no demand characteristics as they cannot change behaviour )
CII : evaluation (-)
- socially sensitive (mother return to work so interactions synchrony may not be reached = guilt.Need to think if research needs to be carried out in the first place )
- hard to know what’s happening when observing infants.impossible to tell whether actions are conscious or deliberate. Cannot assume behaviours we see have a special meaning
role of the father : Shaffer and Emerson (1964)
- 7 months = attached to mothers
- after a few weeks = secondary attachments with family ( father)
- by 18 months = 75% attached to father
role of the father : Grossman (2002)
- longitudinal study to study behaviour and quality of children attachments in their teens
- quality of fathers play was related to quality of teen attachments
- fathers role was more play and stimulation not nurture
role of the father : Field
- face to face interaction with primary caregivers ( mother , father) or secondary caregiver (father)
- primary caregiver fathers , like mothers , spent more time interacting which builds attachment
- level of responsiveness no gender
role of the father evaluation : -
- inconsistent findings on fathers (some show father as playmate but some show fathers can take on a maternal role so psychologists cannot answer questions about role of the father)
- Shaffer and Emerson found secondary attachments after 18 months but fathers do not tend to become primary caregivers (traditional gender roles , socialisation , so they feel like they shouldn’t act or it could be due to biological factors e.g hormones )
role of the father evaluation : counter
grossman found secondary attachments were important however maccallum and golmbok found growing up in a single sex family has had no difference so role of the father is not necessary
stages of attachment Shaffer and Emerson (aim)
investigate age of early attachments (when emotional intensity developed and who with)
stages of attachment Shaffer and Emerson (procedure)
- 60 babies (31 male and 29 female) from glasgow / working class families
- babies and mothers visited every month for 1 year then at 18 months
- mother’s asked about protests in everyday separation and stranger anxiety to measure attachment
stages of attachment : stranger anxiety
Separation anxiety
Infants anxiety response to unfamiliar adults
Sep anxiety measured using adult leaving room
stages of attachment Shaffer and Emerson (findings)
- 6-8 months = 50% showed separation anxiety (specific to mother)
- attachment to most interactive caregiver
- 10 months = 80% specific attachment and 30% multiple attachment
stages of attachment : definition
sequence of different behaviours which develop at different stages / ages
stages of attachment : stage 1
asocial
- behaviour to non-human and humans quite similar
- show some favour towards familiar adults
stages of attachment : stage 2
indiscriminate
- 2-7
- preference towards humans , usually familiar but accept from other humans too
- no separation / stranger anxiety.
stages of attachment : stage 3
discriminate
- 7 months the babies display separation and stranger anxiety (usually mothers)
- specific attachment usually to most responsive caregiver
stages of attachment : stage 4
multiple
- secondary attachments with other adults after a true attachment with main caregiver
stages of attachment (E) : key study evaluation +
- external validity (own homes and normal activities so behaviour was natural)
- longitudinal design ( same children over 18 months so theres better internal validity , easier comparison , confounding variables)
- sample characteristics (60 babies so good sample however all babies from same social class so hard to generalise)
stages of attachment (shaffer and emerson evaluation) : -
- conflicting evidence on multiple attachments (bowlby single caregiver wheras some cultures show multiple so we don’t fully understand attachment)
- measuring attachment ( distress cannot be a measure so we cannot distingusih between behaviour towards caregivers and others e.g playmate s problematic for stages attachment )
stages of attachment (shaffer and emerson evaluation) :
- / +
- behaviours used to measure are nominal when attachment has more complex behaviours
+ simple behavioural measures so scientific and easier to conclude data
animal studies
bonds between non human parents and offspring
lorenz
first observed imprinting (attach to first thing they see 0
Lorenx : procedure
- randomly divided group of eggs
- half natural environment , half incubator
Lorenx : findings
- incubator group followed lorenz and control group followed mother
- even after being mixed they followed who they imprinted to
Lorenx : conclusions
- critical period which could be a few hours
- if it didnt occur the chicks didn’t attach themselves
Lorenx : sexual imprinting
- birds who imprinted on humans often showed courtship behaviour to human
- influences who they mate with
harlow
observed new born monkeys kept alone in a cage died but those given a soft cloth survived
Harlow : aim
- tested the idea of a soft object serving functions of a mother
- importance of contact comfort
Harlow : procedure
- 16 monkeys
- condition 1 = milk dispensed by plain wire mother
- condition 2 = milk by cloth mother
Harlow : findings
- sought comfort from cloth when frightened regardless of milk being dispensed
Harlow : conclusion
contact comfort more important to monkeys than food
Harlow : monkeys as adults
monkeys reared with wire mother were most dysfunctional but even cloth monkeys had difficulties
- more aggressive and less sociable
- unskilled at mating
- as mothers some neglected , attacked and killed their offspring
Harlow : critical period
a mother figure had to be be introduced to an infant monkey within 90 days
- after this damage is irreplaceable
Animal studies (E) : -
- can’t generalise findings of birds to humans. Different attachments and more emotional bonds.cannit generalise Lorenzs findings to humans as we don’t imprint
- Lorenz conclusions questioned.sexual imprinting not permanent as gucton showed chickens can learn to prefer chickens not washing up gloves.Lorenz conclusions are inaccurate
- ethics as monkeys suffered in Harlows however rest each was sufficiently important to justify effects of contact comfort. Humans abs monkeys are similar so suffering is human like
Animal studies (E) : +
+ theoretical value.Harlow showed attachment develops as a result of contact comfort not as a result of being fed. Shows importance of quality of early relationships
+ practical value (helped social workers understand risk factors of abuse so how to treat captive animals = increased applicability as we understand importance of proper attachment in zoos
Learning theories
- Set of theories including behaviourist that emphasise role of learning
- view that attachments for through classical and operant conditioning
Who proposed learning theory of attachment
Dollard and miller
Emphasis of learning theory
- Importance of caregiver as provider of food
- Children love those who feed them
Classical conditioning
- association
- food = UCS
- pleasure becomes CR
- NS = caregiver which becomes a CS
Operant conditioning
Consequences
- + reinforcement and - reinforcement encourage behaviour to continue
Operant conditioning : + reinforcement
- baby cries and caregiver comforting is addition of a pleasant stimulus / reward
Operant conditioning : - reinforcement
- baby crying is an unpleasant stimulus so to escape the caregiver comforts
- mutual reinforcement to strengthen attachment
Attachment as a secondary drive
- hunger = primary drive (biological motivator)
- sears et al found that primary drive becomes associated with caregivers so the attachment is secondary
- secondary drive satisfies primary drive
Learning theory (E) : -
- Don’t necessarily attach to those who feed you ( Lorenz geese which shows attachment doesn’t develop through feeding and humans ans animals are equal so babies don’t necessarily attach to those who feed them )
- ignored other factors ( quality attachment with sensitive careers e.g reciprocity so LT suggests there’s no purpose of complex interactions.LT is invalid as it is only brief)
Learning theory (E) : +
- many aspects of human development affected by conditioning
- problem is that feeding is main force however association between primary caregiver and provision of comfort / interaction still builds attachment (just not main reason)
Bowlby and learning theory
- rejected learning theory
- Evolutionary explanation which suggested attachment was a innate system which gives humans survival advantage s
- imprinting evolved to allow animals to stay close to caregivers for protection
Who was bowlby inspired by
Lorenz and Harlow
Monotropy
- emphasis of specific attachment to one caregiver which is more important
- more time with primary attachment figure = better development
Monotropy laws : law of continuity
More consistent a child’s care is = better quality attachment
Monotropy laws : law of accumulated separation
Effect of separation from primary attachment figure adds up so no separation is best
Social releasers
Social releasers activate adult attachment systems which build relationships
Social releasers : sensitive period / critical period
Critical period of 2 years where attachment must form
- sensitive period = if attachment Is not formed child with find it harder to attach in later life
Internal working model
- mental representations of relationships with their caregiver
- powerful effect of nature of future relationships
Bowlby (E) : +
+ social releasers ( brazelton observed mother’s and babies to record interaction all synchrony.Supports bowlbys ideas about importance of infants social behaviour.)
+ internal working model ( Bailey assessed 99 mothers and quality of attachment = poor attachment led to poor relationships later on.Supports that internal working model is passed through families)
Bowlby (E) : -
- monotropy ( may be nothing unique as Schaffer and Emerson proved multiple attachments so strong primary attachment not necessary c= some studies show mothers importance in later life )
- monotropy ( feminists say monotropy places burden on mothers to choose particular lifestyle.idea of monotropy is socially sensitive)
