Attachment Flashcards
definition of attachment
strong emotional connection is formed between two individuals.
attachment is an important mile stone for infants.
what is psychosocial development?
Happens when forming relationships, interacting with others, learning to understand their feeling
vv important social milestone
what is attachment normally typified as
seeking proximity
displaying stress when separated from individual
bond not present at birth, develops with interactions between. caregiver.
security
what is interactional synchrony
baby moving bodies in rhythm with carers spoken language, turn taking.
what is reciprocity
interaction=mutual behaviour between infant and carer, producing responses from each other
what is mimicking
infants imitating facial expressions of caregiver suggesting an innate biological drive
other communications between infant and care giver
bodily contact- help form attachment in early period after birth
caregiverse- modified vocal language eg. high pitched, song like
help with communication and strengthening attachment
Klaus and kennel (1976)
compared mothers who displayed extended physical contact and mothers who only contacted their infants during feeding
1 month= greater physical contact cuddled their babies more and eye contact
1 year=effect still evident
Isabella et al (1989)
secure attachments demonstrated interactional synchrony during 1st yr
meltzoff and Moore (1977)
infants aged 2-3 weeks displayed a tendency to mimic adults indicating that mimicry is an innate ability that helps in attachment
did Klaus and kennels work have real life effects?
yes, hospitals placed mothers and babies in the same room
papousek et al (1991)
use of caregiverese is cross cultural, innate?
Schaffer and Emerson et al (1964) AIM
To find the age at which attachments start and how intense
Schaffer and Emerson et al (1964) METHOD
60 babies from working class area in Glasgow observe them every 4 weeks and 1x at 18 months interviews also conducted with mom
Schaffer and Emerson et al (1964) VARIABLES
measured through;
SEPARATION ANXIETY-did the child form an attachment
STRANGER ANXIETY-can child recognise familiar and unfamiliar ppl
Schaffer and Emerson et al (1964) FINDINGS
first specific attachment formed at 50% between 25-32 weeks
by 18 months 31% had 5 or more attachments
Schaffer and Emerson et al (1964) WHAT ARE THE 4 STAGES OF HUMAN ATTACHMENTS
asocial
indiscriminate attachment
specific attachment
multiple attachment
Schaffer and Emerson et al (1964) EVALUATION
babies observed in natural environment (high ecological validity)
data collected by mother could have been prone to bias
large individual differences when attachments formed adding uncertainty
what is ASOCIAL?
0-6 weeks short lived attention seeking behaviour eg:crying NOT DIRECTED AT ANYONE IN PARTICULAR attachments could be made with anyone
what is INDISCRIMINATE ATTACHMENT?
6 weeks-7 months
Childs seeks attention from anyone and is happy to receive attention from anyone
preferences shown to familiar faces
what is SPECIFIC ATTACHMENT?
7-11 months primarily attached to main caregiver separated child distressed child wary of strangers linked to strange situation
what is MULTIPLE ATTACHMENTS?
after primary attachments infants go on to make multiple attachments
vary in strength
no thought to be a limit on attachments
are multiple attachments formed for different purposes?
yes, for example mother: loving care and father for exciting unpredictable play
what did Bowlby believe about about multiple attachments?
children had 1 primary attachment and others formed after were less important
what did Rutter believe about multiple attachment?
proposed a model that stated that all attachments are equal
why do children have multiple attachments?
there is an evolutionary advantage for example if a child loses an attachment figure there are others to take its place.
can males develop sensitive responsiveness like mothers?
yes
explain degree of sensitivity relating to fathers
fathers sensitive to there Childs needs develop more secure attachments
explain single-parent fathers relating to father-chid dynamic
tend to form similar attachments with children as they had with there own children
explain marital intimacy relating to father-child dynamic
type of attachment father develops relates to level of intimacy with partners
explain supportive co-parenting relating to father-child dynamic
level of support a father gives his partner looking after the children affects the attachment.
Geiger (1996)
way fathers play with children is more pleasurable than mothers supporting the idea of dads being playmates
Lamb (1987)
children interact with dads when in a positive mental state concluding they make bad primary figures
Hardy (1999)
fathers are less likely to detect infant distress concluding they make bad primary figures
Lamb (1997)
once dad is main care giver he develops sensitivity towards child needs therefore sensitive responsiveness isn’t innate and not just women have it
Belsky et al (2009)
secure martial intimacy is linked to how secure a father infant attachment is
father attachment implications
secure attachment= good relationships with peers less behavioural difficulties
able to regulate emotions
without father= do worse at school, higher levels of risk taking and aggression .
pederson (1979)
ARGUES outcomes may be because of socio-economic background as research is focused on single mothers and poorer families
evidence stated fathers are just as capable at sensitive responsiveness as mothers
Learning theory suggests attachment happens because…
infant associates the caregiver with food (cupboard love)
what are the two types of learning theory?
classical conditioning
operant conditioning
what is classical conditioning?
happens when a response produced naturally by stimulus becomes associated with another stimulus not normally associated with that particular response.
what is operant conditioning?
operant conditioning states that where any action with a pleasurable outcome is repeated, the behaviour will also be repeated.
Dollard and Miller (1950)
babies are fed averagely 2,000 times, this gives the opportunity for the carer to become associated with the removal of the unpleasant feeling of hunger.
Schaffer and Emerson (1964)
found that 39% of cases that the mother was not the main attachment figure therefore this doubts the learning theory saying that food was not the primary explanation for attachment
evaluation of learning theory
conditioning can explain simple behaviour but not things like attachments.
attachments that are made with other people suggesting that learning theory provides an bad explanation.
was Bowlbys mono tropic theory influenced by animals?
yes, such as Lorenz and Harlow. he concluded emotional bonds are evolutionary.
when were attachment bonds developed?
Stone Age and plies tone because of constant threat from predators
evolved to make sure offspring remain close to care givers
what are social releases?
infants are genetically programmed to behave in particular ways. this increases survival. infants developed innate species-specific behaviours making sure they are cared for and protected “CUTE” behaviour
what do social releases include?
crying: attention
looking/smiling/vocalising: maintain interest in carers
following and clinging: physical proximity
