Attachment AO3 Flashcards
Caregiver-Infant Interactions Evaluation Points
1- One strength is that research is usually filmed in a laboratory which means other activity that can distract babies can also be controlled and can also be analysed later. This means it is unlikely that key behaviors will be missed. This means the research has good validity and reliability
2- One limitation is it is hard to interpret a babies behavior. Young babies expressions are usually small hand movements or subtle expression changes so it is difficult to be sure to determine what is taking place from a babies perspective.
3- Another limitation is observing behavior does not tell us its developmental importance and we cannot be certain from observation alone
4- There are practical applications in parenting skills training e.g. interactions improved in mothers and pre-school children
Stages of Attachment Evaluation Points
1- Good external validity as the study has been used to develop their stages. This is because most observations were carried out by the mothers during normal day activities and reported back which means the behavior by the babies was natural and there are less distractions
- COUNTERPOINT of issues with mothers reporting the correct behavior e.g. mothers may lie about what they reported or may also misremember. This reduces stages validity.
3- Poor evidence for asocial stage such as if babies feel anxious they may not be able to express it because they are somewhat immobile. This means stages could be wrong and not fully explained. So validity is decreased because the stages may not be fully accurate
4- Real World Application of reassuring to parents and day care nurseries. Parents can find it easier to send children to daycare during the indiscriminate stage as they dont mind being around strangers too much. May find it harder during specific attachment.
Role of the Father Evaluation Points
- Conflicting Evidence- Evidence shows that fathers have a distinctive role BUT evidence in single parent families shows no negative impact of having no father (This relates to the methodology of the experiment)
- Real World Application- Offer advice to parents and families e.g. who goes back to work and can reassure same sex couples and single parent families
- Bias in the research- There are expectations on how fathers should behave which can impact observations
- Socially Sensitive Area- This area can cause anxiety/ stress/ upset
Animal Research in Attachment Evaluation Points
- Generalisability- Behaviour found may not apply as humans have more complex attachments and also different DNA and brain size. However Harlows study may be more generalisable as we are more similar to monkeys than geese
- Real World Application- Imprinting have applications to humans and imply that we have a critical period that we need attachments to form. This has implications on social workers and foster families as young children need to attach to foster parents as quick as possible so they can form attachments in later life
- Ethics- Harlows study caused a lot of stress and long-term irreversible consequences for the monkeys involved HOWEVER could argue against because have practical application that has benefited monkeys and humans
(Would never have been able to do in humans)
The Learning Theory Evaluation Points
- Conflicting evidence from animal studies (Lorenz and Harlow)
-Imprinting occurs even if not given food so food is not the driving force
-Food is not important factor and monkey preferred cloth mother of warmth and comfort - Contradicting evidence from human studies (Schaffer and Emerson)
-Most likely to attach to the mother first even if the mother didnt do the feeding (More dependent on who responds to cues more) - Oversimplifying Attachment Behavior (Reductionist)
-Theory ignores the roles of biology, responsiveness, eye contact and other important elements - Based on established scientific theories (CC & OC)
- Some conditioning may relate to attachment and some may relate to food but not solely
Bowlby’s Monotropic Theory Evaluation Points
- Validity of Monotropy
-Schaffer and Emerson found that many infants form multiple attachments at the same time as primary attachment. Primary attachment may be stronger but it is not uniquely important - Supporting evidence from Internal Working Model
-Predicts that patterns of attachment will be passed from one generation to the next. Bailey et al (2007) assessed mothers and their one year old child and measured attachment and found that mothers with poor attachment to their own primary attachment and were more likely to have poorly attachment babies - Application
-Used in childcare e.g. nurseries have a key worker so have feeling of continuity
-Some prefer a childminder
-Hospital Regulations: Children can now stay with the mother instead of having to be seperated - Socially Sensitive
-Mothers returning to work makes them feel guilty for being separated
- Blame for mothers if children have attachment problems
Ainsworth Strange Situation Evaluation Points
- Ethical Concerns
- Babies can become distressed during the experiment when the mother leaves and are left with the stranger (breaks the ‘protection of participant’ ethical guideline - Two Way Mirror and Camera
- It is less obvious that the babies are being observed which increases the validity of the experiment and means the baby is less distracted - Repeated Procedure
- This procedure has been repeated lots of times and is a standardized procedure meaning everyone does it the same way. This is a reliable way of measuring attachment - Culture-Bound
- Not a valid measure of attachment as it does not apply to different cultural contexts. Babies have different experiences in different cultures e.g. Japan and the USA. The Strange Situation may not be measuring the correct thing for other cultures
Cultural Variations in Attachment Evaluation Points
- Indigenous Researchers
- The studies were done by indigenous psychologists meaning they are native to the country they did the experiment in. This means that problems can be avoided such as misunderstandings of language or communicating instructions. This enhances the validity of the data collected - Confounding Variables
- The studies are not usually matched for methodology when they are compared in reviews or analysis. Sample characteristics such as poverty, social class and urban/rural makeup. Environmental variables may also impact such as the size of the room and how it is decorated - Imposed Etic
- Trying to impose a test designed on one culture to another and means we assume an idea or technique that works in one context will work in another. In Britain and the USA the lack of affection on reunion may indicate avoidant attachment but in Germany may be interpreted as independence - Generalisability
- Thousands of children were studied across the world so very generalisable
Bowlbys Theory of Maternal Deprivation Evaluation Points
- Supporting Evidence
- Bowlby 44 thieves study had 12 of them who had experienced deprivation and were affectionless psychopaths. Harlows monkeys study had deprived of mother and this lead to long term consequences e.g. violent and harmed own offspring - Counterpoint
- Researcher bias because Bowlby did the study and also made the theory and because he knew what he was looking for and what to expect. Harlow also was not generalisable because it was animal study and not humans - Real-World Application
- Theory helped to change as now adults can stay with child while in hospitals instead of only during visiting hours. Also helped to increase maternity leave and increase staff to children ratio in nurseries - Deprivation vs Privation
- Bowlby may have overestimated the effects of deprivation and may actually be referring to privation (a failure to form attachment) - Critical vs Sensitive Period
- Bowlby claims that deprivation of the critical period is irreversible but research suggests it can be reversed (Romanian Orphans)
