Attachment AO3 Flashcards
caregiver-infant interactions, difficulty observing
-babies lack co-ordination
-movements being observed are usually just small hand movements
-can mistake an unconscious automatic reflex
caregiver-infant interactions, inter-rater reliability
-many studies use multiple observers which has high inter-rater reliability
-high control on infant studies indicates high internal validity
caregiver-infant interactions, social sensitivity
-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
schaffer/emerson stages of attachment, generalisability
-only included WC mums in 1960’s glasgow
-not representative of world/uk
-lacks temporal validity child rearing practices changed past 60yrs
schaffer/emerson stages of attachment, mundane realism
-studied in own home
-experience for infants was normal
-suggests behaviour recorded is valid/natural
role of father, unintentional observer bias
preconceptions about how fathers behave as more playful which is unintentional observer bias
learning theory of attachment, face validity
makes intuitive sense babies cry more when they learn it gets food/attention
learning theory of attachment, rejecting evidence for CLT
-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
learning theory of attachment, strength/weakness- highly controlled
-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
bowlby monotropic theory, real life appplication
-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.
bowlby’s monotropic theory, gender bias
-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
animal studies, highly influential
-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
animal studies, ethical issues
-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
animal studies, generalisation
-animal behviour to human- problematic
-different biology
-humans have various social, cultural experiences that uniform their behaviour
strange situation, highly controlled
highly controlled observational research study with standardised procedures, clear behavioural categories
-replicable & comparable
strange situation, predictive validity
predictive validity attachment styles e.g classified as secure tend to have better social, emotional & academic outcomes in later childhood
strange situation, cultural bias
-developed in one culture (US) may be culturally bias.
-imposed etic when researchers assume cultural standards apply to others
van ijzendoorn, temporal validity
both studies lack it, due to changing nature of family life in modern world
van ijzendoorn, backed bowlby
-as dominant type was secure
-evidence for bowlby that there’s a bio, instinctive drive
-to parent in a way that produces secure attachments
van ijzendoorn, sample size
-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
van ijzendoorn, not representative
-many countries represented had 1 study included
-small sample size
-not representative of countries population
-e.g over represented infants in poverty
influence of early attachment, practical application
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
influence of early attachment, flawed research
-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
influence of early attachment, deterministic
-continuity hypothesis is deterministic suggesting individs are doomed to repeat the types of relationships had as a child, in adulthood
influence of early attachment, verimisso
-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
