Attachment and Childcare Flashcards
What is attachment theory?
Where the infant uses the caregiver as a secure base for explorations and separations. this relationship develops an internal working model which provides basis for future relationships.
What is attachment?
An enduring emotional tie to an infants primary caregiver, characterised by the tendency to seek and maintain closeness.
What are Bowlby’s stages of attachment?
Stage 1: no discrimination between non-caregivers. Makes noises to signal caregiver. 0-5m.
Stage 2: discriminates between people. more likely to be comforted by people they know. 5-7m.
Stage 3: fear of strangers. separation anxiety - crying/protesting when caregiver leaves. 7-9m.
Stage 4: child can wait for caregiver to return and understands they will come back. goal correct partnership. 2-3yrs.
Stage 5: lessening of attachment. abstract notion of trust, internal working model fully developed. school age.
Who is Mary Ainsworth?
Collaborated with Bowlby. Coined term maternal sensitivity. Conducted strange situation.
What is maternal sensitivity?
How quickly a mother understands and responds to the needs of her child.
What is anxious avoidant attachment characterised by?
Child may not be distressed at mothers departure and may avoid or turn away on her return.
What is anxious resistant/ambivalent characterised by?
Child highly distressed at mothers departure. upon her return they both seek and resist proximity to mother.
What is secure attachment characterised by?
Child distressed by mothers departure and quickly soothed by her return.
What is disorganised attachment characterised by?
Does not fit into any of the other patterns. possibly dazed when mother leaves and returns.
What are the core hypotheses of attachment theory?
Sensitivity and competence.
What is the sensitivity hypothesis?
The more sensitive the caregiver, the higher the likelihood that the baby will be securely attached.
What is the competence hypothesis?
Securely attached individuals are more competent.
What research does not support the sensitivity hypothesis?
Seifer et. al (1996) found that there was no relation between sensitivity and secure attachments. they found that temperament of infant related to maternal sensitivity. Correlation between secure and sensitivity: .22.
What research does support the sensitivity hypothesis?
In Zreik et al (2017) they found in Arab-Israeli children there was a relationship between sensitivity and secure attachment - but only in Christian mothers in Muslim mothers no effect between the two seen. Babies respond negatively when their mother not not respond to them. Mothers and fathers of avoidant children showed less sensitivity.
What research supports the competence hypothesis?
Children who had an avoidant relationship with their mother were rated by peers as more aggressive. those who had a secure relationship with their father were rated as less aggressive. socially competent children related to security with mother .33 and father .25. -> these correlations are relatively small so behaviour must be multi-determined.
How does attachment to father affect reasoning of why a friend behaved negatively towards a child?
Boys who were not securely attached to their father used internal blame. girls who were not securely attached to their father used external blame. securely attached children attributed the reasoning to be prosocial or neutral.
What did Rothbaum say about attachment?
What constitutes as sensitive and responsive care giving reflects values of the society. U.S and other individualistic cultures will value showing your uniqueness. in japan and other collectivist cultures, fitting in with the crowd and interdependence is what it means to be competent. therefore caregiving styles will be different.
What is adult avoidant attachment characterised by?
Less investment in close relationships. withdrawal when partner is stressed. usually have difficulty recalling episodes from childhood. not very touchy. expresses less grief. usually describes parents as emotionally cool/issues (alcoholism)
What is adult anxious/ambivalent characterised by?
Self-disclose too much and want to get close too quickly. frequently jealous and afraid of rejection. usually describes parents as intrusive and unfair.
What is adult secure characterised by?
Values and enjoys relationships. tends to have long-lasting relationships. describes parents generally favourably. copes with stress by seeking actual or symbolic social support.
What is insecure attachment in adulthood related to?
poorer emotional investment. depression and anxiety.
What is the correlation between infant and adult attachment style?
.2
Is there a difference in attachment style when infants are in daycare?
A study by NICHD compared children in 30+ hours of daycare per week with children in >10hrs. after doing strange situation, they found no difference on attachment style. factors that predicted secure attachment were maternal sensitivity and responsiveness.
Is there a difference between SES and quality of daycare for infants?
Study by McCartney et al. showed that high SES families (income-needs ratio high) doesn’t matter if they get low, high quality or no daycare, they will all be equally prepared for school. whereas if SES low, higher quality daycare prepares children for school a lot better than low quality and no daycare.
