Attachment Flashcards
What are the 5 Attachment behaviors?
o Proximity seeking o Safe base effect o Separation protest o Pleasure at reunion o Stranger anxiety
Define Attachment
Attachment is a close emotional bond between 2 people; e.g. carer and infant
What are the 2 infant-caregiver interactions?
Reciprocity and Interactional Synchrony
Define Reciprocity
Reciprocity refers to coordinated actions between infant and caregiver in which they take turns in communicating (non verbal conversation). This is important for later communication as it is helpful to learn how to conversate properly.
Define Interactional Synchrony
Interactional Synchrony is a form of imitation where infants can imitate specific facial expressions and hand gestures. These behaviors aren’t learned (innate).
Meltzoff and Moore (1977) KEY STUDY
A controlled observation where 4 stimuli were selected (3 facial expressions and 1 hand gesture) to see the response of the infant.
o The study was replicated with 2-3 day old infants and it was found the behaviors were innate.
Evaluation points of Infant-Caregiver interactions
o PROBLEMS WITH FINDINGS
- A problem was that others e.g. couldn’t replicate the findings by M&M
- However M&M counterargued by saying Koepke’s experiment wasn’t conducted properly and it wasn’t controlled.
- Marion et al discovered infants couldn’t distinguish between video and real people; concluding infants don’t have a specific human response and they weren’t responding to the adult.
o SPECIFIC RESPONSES
- Research by Abravnel and De Yong showed infants don’t imitate everything they see
- It is a specific human response (supporting M&M)
o PROBLEMS WITH TESTING
- Infants are very wriggly and constantly move around
- Important to implement specific controls to the experiment to ensure the results aren’t biased.
o INDIVIDUAL DIFFERENCES
- Variation between infants behaviors
- Isabella et al found more strongly attached infant-caregiver pairings showed greater interactional synchrony.
Who conducted the ‘Glasgow Babies’ studies and when?
Schaffer and Emerson and 1964
What theory was developed from this?
Stage theory of attachment
Stages of Attachment theory
o Birth - 2 months - Indiscriminate attachment
- Similar response to all objects
- Show greater preference for people towards 2 months
- Use reciprocity and interactional synchrony
o 2 - 4 months - Beginnings of attachment
- Infant seeks attention from a number of individuals
- Does not yet show stranger anxiety
o 4 - 7 months - Discriminate attachment
- Infant develops strong attachment to one individual
- Shows separation anxiety and stranger anxiety
o 7 - 9+ months - Multiple attachment stage
- Infant forms strong emotional bonds with others e.g. fathers, siblings (secondary attachments)
Evaluation Points from Schaffer and Emerson’s Stage theory
o UNRELIABLE DATA
- Are results consistent?
- Validity?
- Individual differences in sensitivity to infants actions
- Social desirability - wanting to conform to social expectations
o BIASED SAMPLE
- Sample taken in working class community (won’t be same for upper/middle class)
- Carried out in 1960’s Glasgow, many fathers out working whilst mothers at home.
o MULTIPLE ATTACHMENTS EQUIVALENT?
- Bowlby believes infants form one primary attachment (monotropy) + multiple secondary attachments (supporting S+E)
- Rutter believes all attachments are equal and they’re integrated to produce infants attachment type
o CULTURAL VARIATIONS
- Individualist cultures vs Collectivist cultures
- Babies who grow up in a IC are more likely to have better quality of life.
Role of the Father
o S+E found fathers are less likely to be primary attachment figures - less psychologically equipped for social sensitivity and spend less time.
o Lamb (1997) found there is little relationship between time spent and father/infant attachment.
o Biological differences - females have hormones oestrogen and oxytocin with are linked to caring behaviours
o Heerman et al (1994) - men less sensitive to infant cues
o Frodi et al (1978) - no difference in sensitivity when seen a baby crying
o Geiger (1996) - Fathers have critical roles as playmates and they provide different challenges for infants - improves cognitive ability
