Attachment AO3

Question 1

caregiver-infant interactions, difficulty observing

Answer 1

-babies lack co-ordination
-movements being observed are usually just small hand movements
-can mistake an unconscious automatic reflex

Question 2

caregiver-infant interactions, inter-rater reliability

Answer 2

-many studies use multiple observers which has high inter-rater reliability
-high control on infant studies indicates high internal validity

Question 3

caregiver-infant interactions, social sensitivity

Answer 3

-a concern when investigating child rearing techniques
-women may find their life choices criticised
-e.g mums who decide to return to work shortly after birth cant develop high levels of interactional synchrony w infant

Question 4

schaffer/emerson stages of attachment, generalisability

Answer 4

-only included WC mums in 1960’s glasgow
-not representative of world/uk
-lacks temporal validity child rearing practices changed past 60yrs

Question 5

schaffer/emerson stages of attachment, mundane realism

Answer 5

-studied in own home
-experience for infants was normal
-suggests behaviour recorded is valid/natural

Question 6

role of father, unintentional observer bias

Answer 6

preconceptions about how fathers behave as more playful which is unintentional observer bias

Question 7

learning theory of attachment, face validity

Answer 7

makes intuitive sense babies cry more when they learn it gets food/attention

Question 8

learning theory of attachment, rejecting evidence for CLT

Answer 8

-evidence rejecting CLT- harlow’s monkeys
-infant monkey didn’t become attached to wire monkey that provided milk
-instead attached to cloth, only provided comfort
-suggests attachment isn’t learnt but instinctual

Question 9

learning theory of attachment, strength/weakness- highly controlled

Answer 9

-backed by long history of well-controlled research e.g pavlov/skinner
-however such highly controlled research on human babies is impossible for ethical & practical reasons

Question 10

bowlby monotropic theory, real life appplication

Answer 10

-bowlby’s work has been impactful, developed by ainsworth and applied to early childcare
-e.g social workers actively investigate cases of infant neglect, understanding its long term harm.

Question 11

bowlby’s monotropic theory, gender bias

Answer 11

-alpha bias
-placed the burden on women, rather than sharing responsibility
-emphasised the importance of maternal care and deprivation
-implied that mothers should be primary caregivers and not go out to work

Question 12

animal studies, highly influential

Answer 12

-bowlby argued similarly to macaques infants crave comfort from mother, attempting to form monotropic
-if fails he claims infant children will grow into adults w poor socialisation similar to the monkeys

Question 13

animal studies, ethical issues

Answer 13

-criticised for harm caused to intentionally orphaned primate infants causing high stress
-harmed psychology rep
-however argued the long term benefits to millions as a result of the research justify when considering cost-benefit analysis

Question 14

animal studies, generalisation

Answer 14

-animal behviour to human- problematic
-different biology
-humans have various social, cultural experiences that uniform their behaviour

Question 15

strange situation, highly controlled

Answer 15

highly controlled observational research study with standardised procedures, clear behavioural categories
-replicable & comparable

Question 16

strange situation, predictive validity

Answer 16

predictive validity attachment styles e.g classified as secure tend to have better social, emotional & academic outcomes in later childhood

Question 17

strange situation, cultural bias

Answer 17

-developed in one culture (US) may be culturally bias.
-imposed etic when researchers assume cultural standards apply to others

Question 18

van ijzendoorn, temporal validity

Answer 18

both studies lack it, due to changing nature of family life in modern world

Question 19

van ijzendoorn, backed bowlby

Answer 19

-as dominant type was secure
-evidence for bowlby that there’s a bio, instinctive drive
-to parent in a way that produces secure attachments

Question 20

van ijzendoorn, sample size

Answer 20

-meta analysis had large sample
-strength of this- any poorly conducted study or unusual results only has small effect on overall results,
-increasing confidence in validity of overall findings

Question 21

van ijzendoorn, not representative

Answer 21

-many countries represented had 1 study included
-small sample size
-not representative of countries population
-e.g over represented infants in poverty

Question 22

influence of early attachment, practical application

Answer 22

schools use this knowledge to help children alter their IWM to address bullying/loneliness.
-this would help achieve relationship stability later as adult, potentially reducing mental health issues related to relationship breakdown

Question 23

influence of early attachment, flawed research

Answer 23

-much of it can be considered flawed
-correlational research so impossible to establish cause&effect relationship
-between childhood attachment & later adult relationships
-may be another variable e.g poverty

Question 24

influence of early attachment, deterministic

Answer 24

-continuity hypothesis is deterministic suggesting individs are doomed to repeat the types of relationships had as a child, in adulthood

Question 25

influence of early attachment, verimisso

Answer 25

-observing preschool kids relationships with mum&dad -later assessed social interactions in nursery -strong attachment to father=best predictor of ability to make friends -suggesting important role of father in socialisation