Attachment- AO1 Flashcards
What is attachment?
An emotional, loving and reciprocal tie between a child and caregiver
Involves seeking to gain and maintain a degree of proximity to object of attachment
Stressed on separation
Joy on reunion
What is reciprocity?
When infants coordinate the actions with caregivers an interaction flows both ways
Responding to parents’ behaviour
Matching actions
What is interactional synchrony?
Emphasis on emotional factors rather than behaviour
Parent’s speech and infants behaviour become synchronised–> direct response, mirroring
Sustain communication as if they are one person
What does interactional synchrony/symbolic exchnages result in?
Results in coordination of their social behaviour
What hypothesis did Melzoff develop after his research?
‘Like me’ hypothesis
Imitation is innate and understanding of other’s mental state is consequence
Reciprocity and interactional synchrony key for development
Who carried out observational research into stages of attachment?
Schaffer
What is the first stage of attachment?
Asocial (pre attachment)
What age is asocial attachment?
0-6 weeks
What is asocial attachment?
Similar responses to all people
No preference for parents
Preference for humans over non humans
What is second stage of attachment?
Indiscrimnate attachments
What age is indiscrimnate attachment?
6 weeks - 6 months
What is indiscriminate attachment?
Ability to distinguish between people
Comforted indiscriminately (no fear of strangers)
Stronger bonds with familiar adults develop
What is third stage of attachment?
Discriminate attachment
What age is discriminate attachment?
7-10 months
What is discriminate attachment?
One primary attachment figure
Separation anxiety when away from primary attachment
Fear of strangers
What is final stage of attachment?
Multiple attachments
What age is multiple attachments?
10 months onwards
What is multiple attachments?
Attachment with primary carer grows
Increased interest in developing bonds with others (e.g. grandparents, siblings)
What is a longitudinal method of research? (used in Schaffer and Emerson)
Gathers a singular group and takes a lot of measurements over a long time
Why do psychologists use animals to contribute to understanding of human behaviour?
Considered practical and ethical
Based on evolutionary theory
What are advantages of using animals?
Reduces demand characteristics due to lack of self awareness from animals
More controlled and easier to control
What are problems of using animals to contribute to understanding of human behaviour?
Animal rights, animals can’t give consent
Specieism
Cannot generalise from animal experiments to humans, extrapolation issues
What are the 2 explanations of attachment?
The Learning Theory
Bowlby’s Monotropic Theory
What are the two parts of the learning theory?
Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
Who proposed classical conditioning?
John Watson
What is classical conditioning simple explanation?
Learning through association or linking things together
What is classical conditioning in attachment?
Baby will naturally react positively to food –> unconditioned stimulus
Repeated association with food and primary caregiver will become a conditioned stimulus –> basis of attachment bond
Associate caregiver with joy as have learnt they are associated with food then eventually caregiver alone provides happiness
What is operant conditioning (general)?
Focusses on importance of consequences (reward and punishment)
Rewarded behaviours repeated by individuals –> positive reinforcement
Behave in such ways to avoid negative outcomes –> negative reinforcement
Who linked operant conditioning and attachment?
Dollard and Miller (1950)
What is operant conditioning in attachment?
Baby’s reward for crying = food
Baby realises that crying is rewarded with food so is likely to repeat behaviour as it is positively reinforced
Baby will cry or seek to be with caregiver to receive the food
What is the primary caregiver’s role in operant conditioning?
Primary caregiver = secondary reinforcer
Caregiver alleviates hunger and is linked to reward
What is the primary reinforcer?
Food
What is the secondary reinforcer?
Caregiver
What is ‘cupboard love’ expression?
Refers to affection that is given purely to gain a reward
What is the psychodynamic approach?
Focusses on importance of early childhood relationships with parents
Abnormalities created if relationships not positive
What two approaches is Bowlby’s Monotropic Theory?
Evolutionary (biological)
Psychodynamic