Attachment AO1

Question 1

Outline Animal studies in attachment

Answer 1

• Lorenze:
  Animals will imprint in the critical period
  (first two years of life)
• Harlow:
  Monkeys prefer comfort over feeding

Question 2

Outline the stages of attachment by
Schaffer

Answer 2

Asocial: birth - 3 months - infants are
attached to other humans
Indiscriminate - 3-7 months - recognise
and prefer familiar faces
Specific: 7-8 months
Multiple: 9 months - onward

Question 3

Caregiver and infant interactions

Answer 3

Reciprocity: a two way process of
responses E.G: infant cries and mum
feeds
Interactive Synchrony: where the mother
and baby mirror each other
Isabella found a correlation between this
action and interactions between the two

Question 4

Outline learning theory as an
explanation for attachment

Answer 4

• Classical Conditioning
  B4: UNC Stim + UNC Response
  During: NU stim + UNC stim = UNC respo
  After: COND stim = COND response
• Operant Conditioning
  Reinforcement
  Crying is pos reinforced
  Caregiver receives beg reinforcement
  when crying stops

Question 5

Outline Bowlby’s monotropic theory of
attachment

Answer 5

• monotropic bond: to one specific carer
• internal working model: a template for
  later relationships and parenting
• Critical period: first 2 years !!
• Evolutionary principles: humans have
  developed a biological need to attach
• Scientific
  M I C E S

Question 6

Outline Schaffers study of attachment

Answer 6

Pro:
- 60 babies
- visited at home every month for 1st yr
- mothers were questioned for
separation and stranger anxiety
Find:
- between 25 weeks of age 50% had
separation anxiety (specific attach)
- by 40 weeks 80% had specific
attachments and 30% had multiple

Question 7

Outline the role of the father

Answer 7

Traditionally fathers played a minor role
- Bowbly supported this
HOWEVER
Grossman found fathers play a different
role in attachment (fathers play)
- Field found fathers can act as more
nurturing and show more signs of
reciprocity

Question 8

Outline Ainsworths strange situation

Answer 8

Pro: unfamiliar room, behaviour was
observed, 100 m/c families
Looked for:
- Proximity, Exploration, Separation
Anxiety, Stranger Anxiety and reunion
response
Type of Attachment
Type A: Insecure avoidant - infants are
unconcerned of strangers and reunion
Type B: Insecure Resistent - have high
stranger anxiety and are ambivalent
Type C: Secure - high separation anxiety, mid stranger anxiety + good reunion

Question 9

Outline Cultural Variations in attachment

Answer 9

Van lizendoorn:
- meta-analysis of 32 studies
Findings:
- Secure was most common (75% UK,
50% China)
- Resistance was the least common (3%
UK, 30% Israel)
- Avoidant was most common in
Germany and least common in Japan
The biggest variations were within
countries rather than between

Question 10

Outline the Effects of institutionalisation

Answer 10

The earliest a child is adopted the better mental development
6 months - 102 IQ
After 2 Years - 77 IQ