Attachment AO1 and AO3 Flashcards
Outline research into caregiver-infant interactions
Interactions, babies have frequent and important interactions with caregiver
Reciprocity, turn taking, mothers respond when baby is alert, from 3 months becomes more reciprocal and intense
Interaction synchrony, same actions simultaneously, interactions coordinated from two weeks (Meltzoff and Moore), quality of attachment related to synchrony (Isabella et al)
Evaluate research into caregiver-infant interactions
Strengths
Filmed observations
-Capture fine detail, establish inter-rater reliability, babies not aware of observation
Limitations
Difficulty in observation
-Hard to know meaning of small movements
Developmental Importance
-Observation does not tell about importance for behaviour
HOWEVER
-evidence from studies suggest interaction synchrony is important for attachment
Practical value vs ethics
-Attachment research has value but controversial as implications for working mothers
Outline Schaffer’s stages of attachment
Asocial stage: first few weeks, same response to humans and objects, but indication of preference for humans
Indiscriminate attachment: 2-7 months, preference for familiar people, no stranger/separation anxiety
Specific attachments: stranger and separation anxiety in regard to one particular adult, PAF (65% mother)
Multiple attachment: attachment towards more than one adult, secondary attachments
Outline Schaffer and Emersons research into attachment
Mothers of 60 working class Glasgow babies reported monthly on separation and stranger anxiety
Babies attachment behaviour progressed as detailed in the stages
Evaluate Schaffer’s stages of attachment
Strengths
Good external validity
-Mothers did observation, babies not stressed by it
HOWEVER
-Mothers may not accurately recorded behaviour
Real world application
-No harm in day care in early stages, but problematic in specific stage
Limitations
Poor evidence for asocial stage
-Babies have poor co-ordination, may just seem asocial
Generalisability
-Data from 1960s working class Glasgow, cannot be applied to other areas and cultures
Outline research into the role of the father
Schaffer and Emmerson found most babies attach to their father (75% by 18 months), but rare as first attachment (only 3%)
Distinctive role involving play and stimulation (Grossman et al)
When PCG, more responsive than SCG fathers (Field)
Evaluate research into the role of the father
Strengths
Real world application
-Families can be advised about fathers role in attachment
Limitations
Confusion over research questions
-Competing research questions prevent simple answer about role
Conflicting evidence
-Different conclusions about distinctive role of father from studies
HOWEVER
-fathers predisposed to role, single mothers and same-sex parents can take these roles on, just as fathers can take on role of mother
Bias in research:
Preconceptions lead to observer bias, may affect some studies
Outline learning theory as an explanation of attachment
Classical condition, caregiver is NS, associated with food, which is UCS
Caregiver becomes CS
Operant conditioning, crying behaviour reinforced positively for baby, negatively for caregiver
Attachment is secondary drive, through association with hunger
Evaluate learning theory as an explanation of attachment
Strengths
Some conditioning may be involved
-May influence choice of PAF with association of comfort
HOWEVER
-Babies more active in attachment than conditioning explanations suggest
Limitations
Counter evidence from animal studies
-Lorenz and Harlow showed feeding not key to attachment
Counter evidence from studies on humans
-PAF not always person who feels (Schaffer and Emmerson), quality related to interactional synchrony (Isabella et al)
Social learning theory
-Involved modelling attachment behaviours, role of active baby
Outline Lorenz’s research into attachment
Goslings saw Lorenz when they hatched
Newly hatched chicks attach to first moving object they see (imprinting)
Adult birds try to mate with whatever species or object they imprint on
Evaluate Lorenz’s research into attachment
Strength
Research support
-Regolin and Vallortigara observed chicks imprint on moving shapes
Applications to human behaviour
-Imprinting explains computer operating system choice, attachment to first one
Limitations
Generalisability to humans
-Attachment systems in birds less complex than humans, not two way
Outline Harlow’s research into attachment
Baby monkeys given cloth covered or plain wire mother with feeding bottle
Monkeys clung to cloth surrogate rather than wire regardless of which dispensed milk
Maternally deprived monkeys grew up socially dysfunctional
Critical period of 90 days for normal development, or attachment wouldn’t form
Evaluate Harlow’s research into attachment
Strength
Real world value
-Helps professionals such as social workers to promote bonding, also applied to breeding programmes in zoos
Limitations
Generalisability to humans
-Monkeys more similar to humans than birds, but human mind and behaviour more complex
Ethical issues
-Procedure caused long term distress, may not be outweighed by theoretical and practical benefits
Outline Bowlby’s theory as an explanation of attachment
Monotropy, one attachment is different in quality and importance
Social releasers and critical period, innate “cute” behaviours elicit care, critical period up to 6 months, possibly until 2 years
Internal working model, mental representation of primary attachment is template for future relationships
Law of continuity: constant and predicatable care leads to better attachment quality
Law of accumulated separation: every separation adds up, safest dose is a zero dose
Evaluate Bowlby’s theory as an explanation of attachment
Strengths
Support for social releasers
-Babies upset when attachment figure ignores social releasers (Brazelton et al)
Support for IWM
-Quality of attachment passed on through generations
HOWEVER
-Ignores other factors such as genes in social behaviour and parenting
Limitations
Validity of monotropy challenged
-Primary attachment may be stronger but not different in nature
Feminist concerns
-Implies mother shouldn’t work outside home, but also gave mother greater credit, real world applications
Outline Ainsworth’s strange situation and types of attachment
7 stage controlled observation assessing proximity seeking, exploration and secure base, stranger and separation anxiety and the response to reunion
Babies show consistent patterns of attachment behaviour
Secure: enthusiastic greeting, generally content, moderate anxiety
Avoidant: avoids reunion, generally reduced responses
Resistant: resists reunion, generally more distressed
Evaluate Outline Ainsworth’s strange situation and types of attachment
Strengths
Good predictive validity
-Attachment type predicts later social behaviour (school success, bullying)
HOWEVER
-Kagan suggests behavioural differenced due to genetically influenced anxiety levels
Good reliability
-94% agreement between trained observers (Bick et al)
Limitations
Test may be culture bound
-Strange situation devleoped in Britain and US, other cultures have different experiences that affect behaviour in the strange situation (Japan, Takahashi)
Other attachment types
-Type D, disorganised attachment (Main and Solomon), but related to abnormal experiences and outcomes (trauma, bereavement)
Outline research into cultural variations in attachment
van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg compared rates of attachment types in 8 countries, more variation within than between countries (meta analysis)
Simonelli et al: Italian secure attachment rates dropped to 50%, changing culture, more working mothers
Jin et al: Korean secure vs insecure attachment rates similar to other studies, insecure avoidant similar to Japan, similar child rearing styles
Strange situation conducted in Japan, high proportion identified as insecure resistant, may not apply to other cultures
Evaluate research into cultural variations in attachment
Strengths
Indigenous researchers
-Reduced bias and miscommunication with participants
HOWEVER
-not true of all cross cultural studies, outsiders may skew data in some studies
Limitations
Confounding variables
-Apparent differences may be due to sample characteristics or environmental differences such as room size
Imposed etic
-Behaviours in Strange Situation have different meanings in different cultures, such as low affection in Germany showing independence
Competing explanations
-Cross-cultural similarity may be due to innate system or media influences
Outline Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation
Separation vs deprivation, physical separation leads to deprivation when child loses emotional care
Critical period, first 2 1/2 years critical, deprivation in this time causes damage
Goldfarb - deprivation causes low IQ
Bowlby - deprivation of emotional care leads to affectionless psychopathy
Many more affectionless psychopaths than controls had prolonged early separations
Evaluate Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation
Strengths
Animal studies
-Research with rats shows deprivation can harm social development
Case studies
-Child separated from mother when she went to hospital, difficult reunion
Limitations
Flawed Evidence
-Bowlby biased observer, Goldfarb had confounding variables
Deprivation and privation
-Bond may never have been formed, deprivation may be less damaging
Critical vs sensitive period
-Czech twins recovery suggests sensitive period
Conflicting evidence
-No evidence for link between deprivation and psychopathy, other research supports it
Outline research into institutionalisation, focus on Romanian Orphan Studies
Rutter et al, studies 165 Romanian orphans adopted in UK, later showed low IQ and disinhibited attachment
Zeanah et al, found secure attachment in 19% of institutional group (74% in control), disinhibited attachment (lack of discrimination between adult figures, attention seeking behaviours) in 44% (20% in control)
Effects of insitutionalisation, disinhibited attachment and delay in intellectual development if institutionalisation continues after sensitive period for attachment
Evaluate research into institutionalisation, focus on Romanian Orphan Studies
Strengths
Real world application
-Institutional care and adoption practise improved using lessons from Romanian orphans
Fewer confounding variables
-Orphans had fewer negative influences before institutionalisation than war orphans for example
HOWEVER
-very poor conditions in orphanages, could be confounding variable
Limitations
Lack of adult data
-Don’t know full effects on adult development as studies still being conducted, affects may be later in life
Social sensitivity
-Poor outcomes for late adoptions may affect self and others expectations, self fulfilling prophecy
Outline research into the influence of early attachments on later relationships
Internal working model, Bowlby’s idea that primary attachment forms template for later relationships
Relationships in childhood, securely attached children have better friendships, less likely to be involved in bullying (resistant bully, avoidant bullied)
Relationships in adulthood, securely attached have better relationships with friends and partners, better and longer lasting relationships. Avoidant have fear of intimacy (Hazan and Shaver, questionnaire)
Mother attachment type to own mother matched that of attachment to own baby
Evaluate research into the influence of early attachments on later relationships
Strengths
Research support
-Review showed consistent links, disorganised type and mental disorder for example
HOWEVER
-Regensburg longitudinal study, no continuity in attachment type from 1 to 16 years
Limitations
Validity issues with retrospective studies
-Self-report answers not always honest, assumes attachment type has remained same into adulthood
Confounding variables
-Associations between attachment type may be due to parenting type or genes
Balancing opportunity and risk
-Knowing early attachment type may be self-fulfilling prophecy
