attachment advanced information

Question 1

what is Lorenz’s research procedure

Answer 1

Lorenz divided a clutch of goose eggs. Half were hatched with their mother in their natural environment. The other half were hatched in an incubator and Lorenz was the first moving object they saw.

Question 2

what were Lorenz’s findings

Answer 2

Incubator group followed Lorenz around and the control group followed their mother. When mixed the control group still followed the mother and the experimental group followed Lorenz. This is called imprinting if it does not occur within this critical period chicks will not attach to a mother.

Question 3

what is sexual imprinting in Lorenz’s research

Answer 3

Lorenz described when a peacock was first born the first thing it saw moving were giant tortoises it then only directed courtship behaviour towards giant tortoises this is sexual imprinting.

Question 4

what are the limitations of Lorenz’s research

Answer 4

Generalisability to humans. Mammals and birds have different attachment style for example mammals can form attachments at anytime. This means it it not appropriate to generalise Lorenz ideas to humans.

Problems with observations. Guiton(1966) later found that chickens imprinted on yellow gloves would try to mate with them but later preferred to mate with other chickens. This suggests mating behaviour is not permanent as Lorenz believed.

Question 5

what is the procedure of Harlow’s research

Answer 5

Harlow(1958) tested idea that a soft object serves some of the purposes of a mother. He reared 16 baby monkeys with two wire mothers.

1st condition- milk dispensed by wire mother.

2nd condition milk dispensed by cloth covered mother.

Question 6

what are the findings of Harlow’s research

Answer 6

Baby monkeys cuddled the soft object in preference to the wire one and sought comfort from the cloth mother when scared regardless of which one dispensed milk. Shows contact comfort was of more importance to the monkey than food.

Question 7

what were the maternally deprived monkeys as adults like from Harlow’s research

Answer 7

They were more aggressive and less sociable than other monkeys and bred less often compared to other monkeys being unskilled at mating. As mothers some neglected their young and others attacked their children sometimes killing them.

Question 8

what is the critical period for normal development according to Harlow’s research

Answer 8

If an attachment was not formed before 90 days damage done is permanent.

Question 9

what are the strengths of Harlow’s research

Answer 9

Theoretical value. Harlow’s study has had a profound impact on attachment theory for such as showing the importance of early relationships. Therefore Harlow’s research has advanced understanding of human mother-infant attachment.

Real world application. It has helped social workers understand factors of how to reduce risk factors associated with neglect. Therefore it improves the lives of the children in the care system.

Question 10

what are the limitations of Harlow’s research

Answer 10

Ethical issues. The monkeys involved suffered greatly due to the experiment and since they can be generalised to humans the suffering could be seen as human-like. Therefore Harlow caused great trauma to these monkeys however it could be as justified due to the importance of the study.

Lack of generalisability. Monkeys aren’t human despite sharing similarities. This means it may be difficult to generalise the findings to humans. Therefore Harlow’s research loses value

Question 11

what is learning theory

Answer 11

Learning behaviour involves operant and classical conditioning.

Question 12

what is classical conditioning as part of the learning theory

Answer 12

Involves associating two stimuli together so that they respond in the same way to both. Caregivers are neutral stimulus and after feeding baby becomes conditioned stimulus as baby associates them with food which then elicits the conditioned response of pleasure. This is love in the Learning theory

Question 13

what is operant conditioning in the learning theory

Answer 13

If a behaviour produces a positive consequence it is more likely to be repeated therefore it is reinforced. Babies cry which elicits the response of feeding from caregivers this then reinforces the behaviour to cry again to be fed.

Caregiver receives negative reinforcement because unpleasant stimulus which is crying stops when the baby is fed.

Question 14

what is a primary drive and secondary drive in the learning theory

Answer 14

Hunger is a primary drive that motivates us to eat. As caregivers are associated with food the primary drive is associated to them. Therefore attachment is a secondary drive learned through association between the caregiver and satisfying the primary drive.

Question 15

what are the limitations of learning theory

Answer 15

Counter evidence from animal research. Animals do not necessarily attach to those that feed them for example Harlow’s monkeys attached to a soft cloth mother over a wire one that dispensed milk. Therefore attachment does not develop due to feeding.

Ignores other factors associated with attachment. Quality of attachment is associated with factors like reciprocity and intersectional synchrony. If attachment developed only for feeding there would be no need for these interactions so they shouldn’t have a relationship between them and quality of infant-caregiver attachment.

Question 16

what is another limitation of Learning theory about a newer theory

Answer 16

Social learning theory. Parents may teach their children to love them through modelling behaviour such as hugging and rewarding them when they display attachment behaviour. This means that the learning theory may be outdated compared to newer explanations.

Question 17

what is monotropy in Bowlby’s monotropic theory

Answer 17

The attachment to the primary caregiver which Bowlby sees as the most important in the child’s development.

Question 18

what is the law of continuity and law of accumulated separation in Bowlby’s monotropic theory

Answer 18

Law of continuity- the more constant and predictable a child’s care is the better the attachment.

Law of accumulated separation- the longer a child spends away from primary caregiver adds up and it is safest to never be away.

Question 19

what is an internal working model in Bowlby’s monotropic theory

Answer 19

Our representation of what relationships are like which is created by our relationship to the primary caregiver.

Passed down through families.

Question 20

what is the critical period in Bowlby’s monotropic theory

Answer 20

Lasts two years, if an attachment is not formed in this time it will be difficult to form them later in life.

Question 21

what are social releasers in Bowlby’s monotropic theory

Answer 21

Innate “cute” behaviours to make the caregiver form an attachment to the baby such as smiling.

Question 22

what are the strengths of Bowlby’s monotropic theory

Answer 22

Support for social releasers. Brazleton (1975) observed babies and mothers interacting and observed the presence of intersectional synchrony. This supports the social releasers idea. Therefore improving the standing of Bowlby’s monotropic theory.

Support for internal working models. Bailey (2007) assessed quality of attachment with 99 mothers. It was found the ones who rated their relationship with their mother as poor were observed to have poor attachment to their own children. This supports the idea of internal working model being passed through families.

Question 23

what are the limitations of Bowlby’s monotropic theory

Answer 23

Socially sensitive. Major implications for the lifestyle choices mothers make when their children are young. This is a burden for mothers because it means they may be blamed for anything that goes wrong with the child.

Conflicting research. Schaffer and Emerson found a significant amount babies did not form one attachment at first but started off with multiple.This is different to Bowlby who said you form one special attachment first to the primary caregiver. Therefore monotropy may not be as important as made out.

Question 24

what is the strange situation

Answer 24

A controlled observation designed to measure the type of attachment a child has.

Question 25

what is the strange situation procedure

Answer 25

Controlled observation through a two way mirror.

The child and mother play together. Then stranger enters reading magazine. Child is observed while caregivers and strangers come and go.

Behaviours used to judge attachment include: 
Proximity seeking
Exploration and secure base behaviour 
Stranger anxiety 
Separation anxiety 
Response to reunion

Question 26

what are the findings of the strange situation

Answer 26

Type B secure attachment 60-75% of toddlers in Britain.

Type A insecure-avoidant attachment 20-25% of toddlers in Britain.

Type C insecure resistant behaviour is around 5% of toddlers in Britain.

Question 27

describe type-B attachment type in the strange situation

Answer 27

Explore happily and use caregiver as base for exploration. Show moderate separation distress and moderate stranger anxiety. Accept comfort from carer in reunion stage.

Question 28

describe type-A attachment type in the strange situation

Answer 28

Explore freely but don’t seek proximity or show secure base behaviour. Show little reaction when caregiver leaves and little stranger anxiety. Do not require comfort on reunion.

Question 29

describe type-C attachment type in the strange situation

Answer 29

Seek greater proximity and explore less. Show huge stranger and separation distress but resist comfort when caregiver returns.

Question 30

what are the strengths of the strange situation

Answer 30

Support for validity. Securely attached children go on to form romantic relationships and friendships in adulthood whereas insecure resistant are associated with mental health problems. This is evidence for the validity of the concept because it can explain subsequent outcomes.

Good reliability. Strange situation shows very good inter-rated reliability so observers generally agree about which attachment type the toddlers have. This means we can be confident the attachment type identified does not depend on who is observing them.

Question 31

what are the limitations of the strange situation

Answer 31

Culture bound. May be the strange situation is based on children from western countries like the UK and USA. Therefore children from other places are likely to have different childhood experiences. This means the strange situation may not work as intended in other cultures.

Unethical. The strange situation at its core is supposed to cause mild distress to the toddler to then observe the reaction. However Ainsworth argues that the strange situation is not more distressing than everyday situations. Therefore it is justified.

Question 32

What is Van Ijzendoorn’s procedure

Answer 32

32 studies where the strange situation had been used were located. Conducted in 8 different countries with 15 being conducted in the USA. Involved around 1990 children

Question 33

What are Van Ijzendoorn’s findings

Answer 33

In all countries secure attachment type was the most common however it ranged from 75% in Britain to 50% in China. Insecure resistant was the least common however this ranged from 3% in Britain to 30% in Israel. Variations inside countries were 150% greater than variations between countries.

Question 34

What is a strength of Van Ijzendoorn to do with large samples

Answer 34

Large sample size. Van Ijzendoorn’s study included nearly 2000 children. This increases internal validity because it reduces the effect of anomalous results.

Question 35

What is a limitation of Van ijzendoorn to do representative of culture

Answer 35

Unrepresentative of culture. Van Ijzendoorn claimed to investigate differences between culture but actually investigated differences between countries. Since there is so many cultures within a country is hard to know if results are representative of all cultures within the country. Therefore comparisons between countries have little meaning.

Question 36

What is a limitation/strength of Van Ijzendoorn to do with over representation of Western countries

Answer 36

Overrepresentation of western countries. 15 of the 32 studies used took place in the USA. This means it is difficult to compare results to other countries who would have less studies done there such as China or Israel. However this was counteracted by having the studies weighted accordingly to prevent the number of studies conducted in a country affecting results.

Question 37

What is the critical period in Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation

Answer 37

If a child was separated from the care of their mother and without a suitable care replacement for the first 30 months inevitably they would suffer from psychological damage.

Question 38

What is the effect on intellectual development in Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation

Answer 38

If children were deprived of care in the critical period for too long they would suffer from delayed intellectual development which would be shown through an abnormally low IQ. This was proven in a study when children in care compared to children who were adopted had a lower IQ.

Question 39

What is the effect on emotional development in Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation

Answer 39

Children who are maternally deprived have worse emotional development> Bowlby identified that the condition affectionless psychopathy may result from maternal deprivation. Affectionless psychopathy prevents people from feeling guilt or strong emotion for others which in turn prevents them creating meaningful relationships. Bowlby’s 44 thieves study.

Question 40

What is the 44 thieves study procedure in Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation

Answer 40

Bowlby interviewed 44 teenagers accused of stealing. Looked for signs of lack of guilt and lack of empathy. Their families were also interviewed to see if they had been separated from their mothers. Control group set up to see how often maternal deprivation occurred in people who were not criminals.

Question 41

What is the 44 thieves study findings in Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation

Answer 41

Of the 44 thieves 14 could be diagnosed with affectionless psychopathy. 12 of this 14 reported having prolonged separation when they were younger. Only 5 of the remaining 30 thieves experienced separation. Of the control group only 2 had experienced prolonged separation. This means there must be a link between prolonged separation and developing affectionless psychopathy.

Question 42

What is a limitation of Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation to do with failure to distinguish between privation and deprivation

Answer 42

Bowlby failed to distinguish between privation and deprivation. Deprivation is the loss of primary attachment figure and privation is failure to form any attachment. The long term damage Bowlby associated with deprivation is more likely to be the result of privation.

Question 43

What is a limitation of Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation to do with the critical period being more of a sensitive period

Answer 43

The critical period is more of a sensitive period. Later studies have shown that damage is not inevitable if people fail to form attachments in this time provided they receive good aftercare. Like the case of twins who were locked in a cupboard from 18 months to 7 years who then recovered fully. This shows the period must be sensitive not critical.

Question 44

What is a strength/limitation of Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation to do with the supporting evidence

Answer 44

One strength is supporting evidence. Children orphaned after world war two the group who weren’t adopted averaged an IQ of 68 whereas the group who were averaged 96. This supports the idea of intellectual development being affected. However this evidence may be poor due to war orphans being traumatised. This would affect their intellectual development rather than maternal deprivation.

Question 45

What is the procedure of Rutters ERA (english and romanian adoptee) study

Answer 45

Rutter(2011) followed 165 Romanian orphans in Britain to see to what extent good care could make up for poor early experiences in orphanages. Physical, emotional and cognitive factors were assessed at ages 4,6,11 and 15. They were compared to a group of 52 British children.

Question 46

What is the findings of Rutters ERA (english and romanian adoptee) study

Answer 46

If the children were adopted before the age of 6 months the average IQ was 102 if they were adopted between 6 months and 2 years it was 86 and if adopted after 2 years it was 77. Those adopted after they were six months showed signs of disinhibited attachment. This means they directed social behaviour at adults they were familiar and not familiar with children adopted before six months rarely displayed disinhibited attachment.

Question 47

What is a strength of the Romanian orphan studies to do with Real-life application

Answer 47

Real life application. Studying the Romanian orphans improved understanding of the effects of institutionalisation. Therefore children’s homes avoid having a large number of care workers for each child.

Question 48

What is a limitation of the Romanian orphan studies to do with not being typical

Answer 48

Romanian orphanages were not typical. Romanian orphanages had a particularly poor standard of care especially when it came to intellectual stimulation and relationship building. Therefore the study may lack generalisability.

Question 49

What is a limitation of the Romanian orphanages orphan studies to do with ethics

Answer 49

The Bucharest early intervention project is unethical. Romanian orphans were assigned to be either fostered or remain in care. This is unfair on the ones that remained in care.

Question 50

What is a limitation of Romanian orphan studies to do with the long term effects

Answer 50

Long term effects are not yet clear. It is too soon to say if children will suffer from long term effects . Children who spent longer in institutions may catch up and fostered children who appear to have no issues may experience them as adults.

Question 51

What is the Bucharest early intervention project procedure

Answer 51

Zeanah(2005) assessed attachment in 95 children aged 12-31 months. The children had spent around 90% of their time in care. They were compared to 50 children who had never lived in an institution. They were measured using strange situation.

Question 52

What is the Bucharest early intervention project findings

Answer 52

74% of control group securely attached. 19% of institution group securely attached. 44% described as having disinhibited attachment.

Question 53

What are the effects of institutionalisation

Answer 53

Disinhibited attachment- Equally affectionate to people they know and to people they don’t know. Adaption to having many carers.

Mental retardation- Children institutionalised showed signs of retardation. If adopted before six months they usually caught up with control group by four.

Question 54

What is the internal working model in influence of early attachment on later relationships

Answer 54

The mental representations we all carry with us of our attachment to our primary caregiver. They are important in affecting our future relationships as they carry our perception of what they should be like.

Question 55

How is attachment type associated with relationships in later childhood in influence of early attachment on later relationships

Answer 55

Securely attached infants tend to go on to form the best quality childhood friendships whereas insecurely attached infants had friendship difficulties.

Insecure avoidant children were victims and insecure resistant were bullies.

Question 56

How are relationships in adulthood with romantic partners affected by influence of early attachment on later relationships

Answer 56

Hazan love study questionnaire printed in a newspaper in America. Assessed general love experiences and attachment type.

Securely attached most likely to have good and long lasting romantic experiences. Avoidant expressed jealousy and fear of intimacy.

Question 57

How is attachment type associated with relationships as a parent in influence of early attachment on later relationships

Answer 57

Internal working models affect people’s ability to parent their own children. This means attachment type tends to be passed down through generations of a family.

Question 58

What is a limitation of studies validity to do with influence of early attachment on later relationships

Answer 58

Some studies lack validity. Most studies like the love quiz rely on self report techniques to assess attachment type. This means validity depends on the participants being totally honest.

Question 59

What is a limitation of influence of early attachment on later relationships to do with association not meaning causality

Answer 59

Association does not mean causality. Implication attachment type causes attachment may be wrong. Other factors such as child’s temperament may have an effect. This counters Bowlby’s view the internal working model causes these outcomes.

Question 60

What is a strength of influence of early attachment on later relationships to do with Harlow’s research

Answer 60

Supporting research. Harlow found that monkeys weaned on a wire mother became poor mothers themselves. Therefore early early attachment may also have an effect on humans later relationships.