attachment Flashcards
what is frame-by-frame analysis
is when researchers record behaviours of participants with a camera and make detailed observations of each frame. leads to more reliable observations
what is longitudinal study
when a researcher investigates the same participants at multiple timepoints to see how they change over time
two strengths of conducting longitudinal study are
- it allows researchers to gain deeper insights into behaviour and how it changes over time
- it gives researchers insights into how early experiences shape behaviour
- can see if results are reliable across time
one weakness of longitudinal studies are
attrition: when, across the study, the researcher loses some of their participants from the sample
when a researcher can’t directly manipulate an independent variable they can use other types of experiments called
quasi experiments and natural experiments
what is the problem with natural and quasi experiments
we can’t control all extraneous variables that could influence the dependent variable. we can’t directly test cause and effect
what do attachment researchers often study
independent variables that are unethical to manipulate. and often conduct natural and quasi experiments
what should a researcher do if they directly want to manipulate the independent variable.
conduct an animal study
what is an advantage of conducting an animal study
no need to rely on natural or quasi experiments
can still directly test cause and effect
what are the limitations to conducting an animal study
might not be considered ethical as might cause distress to the animals
the results of animal studies may not generalise to humans because animals are very different to humans
why do researchers argue animal studies are needed
- the benefits of the research outweigh the negative impacts of the research
- even if animals are quite different to humans, they have sufficiently similar behaviours and genes for the results to be still valid
what are the four stages of attachment
pre-attachment stage
indiscriminate attachment stage
the discriminate attachment stage
multiple attachment stage
what is the pre-attachment stage
in the first 0-3 months new born babies don’t show a preference and treat all people the same
what is the indiscriminate attachment stage
babies begin to prefer familiar people. babies yet form an attachment to one particular person. begins around 3-7 months of age
what is the discriminate attachment stage
at 7 months babies begin to show a clear strong preference for one person
what is the multiple attachment stage
9 months onwards and where children form attachments with several people
what was Schaffer and Emerson’s aim of their study
to see how babies form attachments with their parents
what type of study did Schaffer and Emerson conduct
naturalistic and longitudinal study
what did Schaffer and Emerson asses in their studies
-they assessed whether babies displayed separation anxiety by observing the babies behaviour when they are taken away from their caregivers
they also assessed whether babies displayed stranger anxiety by observing babies behaviours when they were in the presence of strangers
what is Schaffer and Emerson’s study
conducted a longitudinal study, using a naturalistic observation. they followed 60 babies and their families from birth to 18 months. babies were observed in the presence of strangers to assess stranger anxiety, and their caregivers were removed asses stranger anxiety
what did Schaffer and Emerson find
- evidence for the four stages of attachment
- 87% of babies formed attachment with two or more caregivers
- babies formed stronger attachments if caregivers displayed high sensitive responses
one strength of Schaffer and Emerson’s study
naturalistic observation this means that the results are more likely to have ecological validity and generalise to how babies and babies behave in everyday life
two weaknesses of Schaffer and Emerson’s study
- the research may be prone to observer bias
- the results may be prone to social desirability bias due to the use of an interview