Attachment - Advanced Information Flashcards
16 Marker Plans
Discuss animal studies of attachment. [16 marks]
AO1
AO1- 6 marks
- Lorenz tested imprinting and how goslings attach to their caregivers.
- Randomly divided goose eggs. Half with mother - natural environment. Another half in an incubator where first moving object was Lorenz
- Followed for 13-16 hours. Incubator followed Lorenz everywhere. Control followed mother. Marked 2 groups and placed them together. Did same = imprinting
- Concluded critical period which imprinting needed. Depends on species can be few hours after hatching. If doesn’t happen Lorenz found chicks didn’t attach themselves to mother figure.
- Harlow tested the idea that a soft object serves some of the functions of a mother. Wanted to find out the importance of contact comfort.
- 16 baby monkeys with two wire model ‘mothers’. 1 - milk dispensed by plain mother, 2 - milk dispensed by cloth-covered mother.
- Measure time monkeys spent with each surrogate mother and amount time cried for biological mother
- Found cuddled soft object in preference to wire ones and sought comfort from cloth on when frightened regardless of which dispensed milk.
- Monkeys were willing to explore a room full of toys when the cloth-covered monkey was present but displayed phobic responses when only the food-dispensing surrogate was present.
- Showed ‘contact comfort’ was more important to monkey than food when it came to attachment behaviour.
Discuss animal studies of attachment. [16 marks]
AO3
AO3 CW, DW, HB
+/- Both have lots reliability. Both standardised lab experiments so highly controlled. This had meant that the research has been replicated by many researchers to show consistent results. However, despite this, only on animals. Not generalisable to humans and attachment in humans may not be the same in monkeys as they are both qualitatively different.
- Ethical issues. Birds imprinted sexually on Lorenz and so removed from their mothers. Harlow’s research - monkeys suffered great psychological harm. Unethical as animals weren’t protected from harm and could be argued that this lowers the generalisability of the findings because humans are also psychologically different.
+ Real world applications to the research. Lorenz’ gave Bowlby idea of the critical and sensitive period in his work on monotropy and the maternal deprivation hypothesis. Harlow helped social worker understand risk factors in abuse and neglect. Shows usefulness of the research.
Discuss the learning theory of explanation of attachment [16 marks]
AO1
AO1- 6 marks
- Explains how children become attached to parents through classical and operant conditioning.
- Classical conditioning = learning via association and occurs when response produced by certain stimulus.
o Baby, food, mother
- Operant is based on repeating a behaviour based on its consequence. Via reinforcement to increase the chances of a certain behaviour occurring/not occurring.
- Positive reinforcement is where behaviour produces a consequence that’s rewarding.
o Crying leads to response from caregiver- continue crying
- Negative reinforcement is where behaviour removes an unpleasant consequence.
o Caregiver responds to crying to remove unpleasant consequence of baby crying.
Discuss the learning theory of explanation of attachment [16 marks]
AO3
AO3 DW, DW, CW
- Learning theory ignores other factors associated with forming attachments. Quality of attachment appears to be associated with forming attachments like reciprocity and good levels of interactional synchrony. So no point to complex behaviours if attachment developed only because of feeding. Questions validity of learning explanations as there are findings that cannot be explained.
- Some elements of conditioning could be involved in attachment behaviour. Rather than feeding being the main unconditioned stimulus, it’s probable that association between the primary caregiver and provision of comfort an social interaction is what builds attachment.
+/- SLT also made important contribution to original learning approach. Hay and Vespo suggests parent teach children to love them by modelling attachment behaviour and rewarding when they display attachment behaviour. Means learning theory contributed to understanding of attachment. However, not based on the behaviourists’ principles as the original explanation suggests the limiting explanatory power.
Discuss Bowlby’s theory of monotropic attachment. [16 marks]
AO1
AO1- 6 marks
- Bowlby proposed evolutionary explanation to attachment. An innate system that gives a survival advantage e.g. smiling, cooing and gripping (social releasers)
- Monotropic as one special bond that is of central importance to development believed to be the mother.
- Reciprocal as both mother and baby have innate predisposition to become attached.
- Critical period – 2yrs attachment must form. If not difficult for future relationships if to form at all.
- Monotropic attachment important for internal working model. Mental representation we all carry. Important in affecting future relationships as carry our perception of what relationship are (acts as template)
- Tend to base their parenting on this as often based on their experiences.
Discuss Bowlby’s theory of monotropic attachment. [16 marks]
AO3
AO3 – HB, CW, CW
- Unclear if something unique about the first attachment. Bowlby show attachment mother more important. However, could mean that attachment to primary attachment figure is simply stronger than all others rather than being different in quality and being unique.
+/- Support for IWM being passed through families. Bailey researched this and found mothers who reported poor attachment to own parents in interviews much more likely to have children classified as poor according to observations. However, could be correlational. There could be alternate reason. Particularly it was a self-report method. So, there may have social-desirability bias therefore lowers reliability of support.
+/- Research support. Brazelton (75) found social releasers significant in eliciting caregiving. Primary caregiver instructed to ignore babies’ signals. Although babies initially showed some distress, ended curled up and laid motionless when the parent continued to ignore the baby. However, there are ethical issues as the babies left distressed to see effect of social releasers. Lowers reliability as would be less likely to be repeated.
Discuss the Strange Situation. [16 marks]
AO1
AO1- 6 marks
- Ainsworth devised controlled observation to assess quality of attachment to caregiver. Placed child and mother in room with two-way mirror. 7 episode – 3mins
- Child encouraged to explore with caregiver, the stranger enters and approaches child, caregiver leaves child alone with stranger, Caregiver returns (‘reunion’), stranger leaves. Then both leaver, stranger enters to comfort child and then caregiver comes back.
- Looked at: proximity seeking, exploration, stranger anxiety, separation anxiety and reunion response.
- Depending on these responses would lead to one of the three attachments.
- Secure (60-75%), Insecure avoidant (20-25%), and insecure-resistant (3%)
o Describe each
Discuss the Strange Situation. [16 marks]
AO3
AO3 – HB, DW, DW, HB
+ Correlations found (attachment type and later behaviours). Attachment type defined by strange situation strongly predictive of late development. Babies = ‘secure’ typically go to have better outcomes in many areas ranging from school to romantic relationships and friendships in adulthood. Insecure-resistant associated with worst outcomes including bullying in later childhood (Kokkinos 2007) and adult mental health problems (Ward 2006). Evidence for validity of concept as can explain subsequent outcomes.
+ Very good inter-rater reliability. Means different observers watching same children in the strange situation generally agree on what attachment type to classify them with. Bick. (12) looked at this on team trained and found agreement for 94% of tested babies. So can be confident attachment type of an infant identified doesn’t depend on whose observing. Also means that because it was a controlled observations and behavioural categories were easy to observe there’s an increase in reliability.
- Cultural differences. Japan – insecure-avoidant, Germany – insecure-resistant. Therefore ethnocentrism, imposed etic. I inappropriate to apply.
- Strange situation reliable measure. E.g., if anxiety = attachment. Kagan (82) suggested temperament (that genetically influenced personality of the child), more important influence on behaviour than attachment. Therefore temperament = confounding. Challenges validity as doesn’t purely measure attachment.
Discuss research into cultural variations in attachment. [16 marks]
AO1
AO1- 6 marks
- Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg (88) investigate attachment types across cultures. Meta-analysis from 32 studies in 8 countries which used strange situation. Calculated average % for each type. Most common was secure (Britain highest and China lowest). Avoidant (highest in Germany, lowest in China)
Insecure resistant least ( 3% Britain, 30% Israel)
- Simonella (14) investigate whether proportions of babies’ different attachment types still matches those found in previous studies. Observed behaviours of 76 12-month Italian babies using strange situation. 50% secure, 36% insecure avoidant. Lower rate than previously found. Due to increase mothers working + childcare use. Suggests cultural changes can make dramatic difference to secure and insecure attachment.
- Jin (12) compared proportions of attachment types in Korea to other studies. 87 babies - strange situation and free-play session. Overall proportions of insecure and secure babies like other countries with most infants being secure. However, only 1 Korean baby classified as avoidant. Similar to Japan as they have similar child-rearing practices.
So cultural practices have effect on attachment type
Discuss research into cultural variations in attachment. [16 marks]
AO3
AO3 – CW, DW, DW
+ Large sample. E.g., Ijzendoorn meta-analysis was around 2000 babies. A large sample increases the internal validity of a study set as it reduces impact of anomalous results. However, procedure originally tested in America so may be ethnocentric. Therefore accused of having an imposed etic by attempting to make assumptions about attachment type in other places when they may only apply to western countries.
- Unrepresentative sample. Meta-analysis by ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg claimed to study cultural variation, whereas the comparisons were between countries. There are different cultures and child-rearing practices in one country. Therefore, comparison between countries (e.g., Italy and Korea) may have little meaning and the characteristics of the sample need to be identified.
- What strange situation measures been questioned. Kagan (82) suggested temperament more important influence on behaviours in the strange situation than attachment. Means temperament may be a confounding variable in the strange situation. Therefore, challenges validity of methodology.
Discuss Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation. [16 marks]
AO1
AO1- 6 marks
- Believed being separated from mother in early childhood could have serious consequences (maternal deprivation), particularly on the future emotional and intellectual development.
- Brief separations where child is with substitute caregiver aren’t significant for development, but extended separations can lead to deprivation which can cause harm.
- He saw the critical period as the first 30 months of life. Deprivation would lead to inevitable psychological damage.
- 44 Thieves study (44). All interviewed of ‘affectionless psychopathy’ (lack of affection, guilt and empathy for victims).
- Control of non-criminals but emotionally disturbed youths.
- 14/44 = affectionless psychopathy, 12/14 prolonged separation, 5/30 no affectionless psychopaths had experiences separations
Discuss Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation. [16 marks]
AO3
AO3 – CW,DW,DW
+/- Research support that there’s long term effect. Levy (03) showed separating baby rats from mother as little as day had a permanent effect on social development though not other aspects. Suggests if one day can cause impact then 30 months would have a bigger impact. However, results based on animal studies. So, makes it difficult to generalise to humans
- Poor evidence to support Bowlby. E.g., study during WW2 and 44 thieves, orphans traumatised, often had poor after care. Therefore, factors may have been causes of later development difficulties rather than separation. Additionally, 44 thieves’ study had bias. Bowlby himself carried out the assessment for affectionless psychopathy and family interviews. Was knowing what he hoped he’d find. Therefore, suggests evidence behind maternal deprivation doesn’t support Bowlby.
- Damage during critical period isn’t inevitable. Some severe cases of deprivation have had good outcomes provided the child has had some social interaction and good after care. Koluchová (76) reported case of two boys who were isolated from 18 months. Looked after by two loving adults and appear to fully recover. Suggests cases like these may be ‘sensitive’ but can’t be critical as suggested by Bowlby.
Discuss research into Romanian orphans [16 marks]
Discuss research related to the effects of institutionalisation.
AO1
AO1- 6 marks
- Institutionalisation in context of attachment refers to effects of growing up in orphanage/children’s home. They often suffer lack of emotional care, so unable/ find difficult to form ‘normal’ attachments.
- Physical Underdevelopment (small research shown result of lack of emotional care rather than of nourishment).
- Intellectual underdevelopment/mental retardation (IQ significantly low, interfere with ability to learn, care for oneself)
- Disinhibited Attachment (equally friendly to strangers as people they know. Result of multiple caregivers, can’t form secure attachment)
- Poor Parenting – Harlow – monkeys raised with surrogate mother – poor parents.
- Rutter ERA.165 in Britain and 52 British children adopted in Britain. Development checked at 4,6,11 and 15yrs
- Before 6 = 102, after 6 = 86, after 2 yrs = 77. After 6mnths – disinhibited attachment.
- Bucharest Early Intervention Project- compare Romanian orphans to those not in institutionalised care. Used Strange situation in 95 children 12-31months. Compared to control. 74% control – securely attached, 19% - securely attached, 65% - disorganised attachment.
Discuss research into Romanian orphans [16 marks]
Discuss research related to the effects of institutionalisation.
AO3
AO3 – HB, DW, CW, HB
- Conditions of orphans much worse than most institutional care. Had particularly poor standards of care. These unusual situational variables meant that the study lacks generalisability.
+ Enhanced understanding on effects of institutionalisation. Led to improvements in way children looked after in institutions. Shows usefulness of the research in practical terms increasing the applicability. For example, orphanages now avoid large numbers of caregivers for each child (key worker).
-/+ Studies prior to Romanian orphans’ studies involved children who had experienced loss/trauma. For example, neglect, abuse, or bereavement. This made it difficult to observe effects of institutionalisation in isolation. As the there would’ve been confounding participant variables. However, the Romanian orphan studies don’t have these confounding variables as they were adopted very early on after birth. Therefore, the Romanian studies have increased internal validity.
- Adoption vs control in ERA studies. Weren’t a randomly assigned to the groups. This meant that the more sociable children may have been selected and so reduces the validity of the findings.
Discuss the influence of early attachment on childhood and/or adult relationships. [16 marks]
AO1
AO1- 6 marks
- Internal Working Model – Childs first relationship with primary attachment figure forms mental representation of this relationship. Acts as a template for future relationships.
- Later childhood – Rowan Myron-Wilson and Peter Smith (98) – standard questionnaire in 196 children between 7-17 yrs. in London. Secure – unlikely involved in bullying, Avoidant – likely victims, Resistant - likely the bullies.
- Adulthood – romantic partners. Gerard McCarthy (99) – 40 women who had been assessed when they were infants on their attachment type. Secure – best, Resistant – struggled maintaining relationships, Avoidant – struggled with intimacy
- As a parent – base parenting style on own experience so passed through families. Bailey (07) 99 mothers, strange situation, adult interviews. Majority have same attachment type both their babies and own mothers.
