Attachment (definitions)

Question 1

Attachment

Answer 1

A close, emotional, two-way bond, in which each person sees the other as important for security, characterised by proximity seeking, separation distress and secure-based behaviour

Question 2

Reciprocity

Answer 2

Both the mother and infant responding to each other’s signals and eliciting a response (behavioural)

Question 3

Interactional synchrony

Answer 3

The mother and infant reflecting the actions and emotions of the other in a synchronised and dynamic way (emotional)

Question 4

Asocial stage

Answer 4

(First few weeks) - the baby’s behaviour towards humans and objects is quite similar, but they show preference for the presence of humans

Question 5

Indiscriminate attachment

Answer 5

(2-7 months) - the baby shows preference for humans over objects, and can recognise familiar adults, but they will accept comfort from any adult

Question 6

Specific attachment

Answer 6

(7 months) - the baby starts to show stranger and separation anxiety, and forms a close bond to a particular adult (65% of the time the biological mother)

Question 7

Multiple attachments

Answer 7

(7+ months) - the baby forms close bonds to several particular adults with whom they regularly spend time

Question 8

Proximity seeking

Answer 8

How close the infant stays to its caregiver

Question 9

Exploration and secure-base behaviour

Answer 9

How much the infant is able to explore, using the caregiver as a reliable, safe point of contact

Question 10

Stranger anxiety

Answer 10

How distressed the infant gets when approached by a stranger

Question 11

Separation anxiety

Answer 11

How distressed the infant gets when left by its caregiver

Question 12

Response to union

Answer 12

After separation, how the infant reacts to being reunited with its caregiver

Question 13

Secure attachment

Answer 13

The child explores happily using the caregiver as a safe base, has moderate stranger and separation anxiety, and accepts comfort on reunion

Question 14

Insecure-avoidant attachment

Answer 14

The child explores without seeing proximity to the caregiver, has little stranger or separation anxiety, and does not require comfort on reunion

Question 15

Insecure-resistant attachment

Answer 15

The child does not explore and stays close to the caregiver, has huge stranger and separation anxiety, but refuses comfort on reunion

Question 16

Imprinting

Answer 16

Bird species that are mobile from births attach to and follow the first moving object they see

Question 17

The law of continuity

Answer 17

The more constant and predictable a child’s care, the better the quality of attachment

Question 18

The law of accumulated separation

Answer 18

The effects of separation from the primary caregiver add up, and ‘the safest dose of separation is zero’ - Bowlby

Question 19

Maternal deprivation

Answer 19

The loss or disruption to a warm, intimate, continuous relationship with the mother or mother-substitute during the first few years of life

Question 20

Affectionless psychopathy

Answer 20

The inability to experience guilt or strong emotions for others. This prevents the person developing normal relationships.

Question 21

Institutionalisation

Answer 21

Deficits in psychological, social and life skills which develop after a person has spent a long period living in remote institutions such as orphanages, mental hospitals and prisons.

Question 22

Disinhibited attachment

Answer 22

A widespread pattern of attention-seeking behaviour with a relative lack of selectivity in social relationships.

Question 23

Disorganised attachment

Answer 23

A mixture of resistant and avoidant behaviour, sometimes referred to as attachment type D.

Question 24

Internal working model

Answer 24

A mental representation of how relationships should be, influenced by attachment in early life to the primary caregiver.

Question 25

Cultural variation

Answer 25

The differences in norms and values that exist between different groups of people

Question 26

Secondary attachment

Answer 26

Attachments formed later on to figures other than the primary caregiver (e.g. dad)

Question 27

Stages of attachment

Answer 27

A sequence of qualitatively different attachment behaviours linked to specific ages

Question 28

Sexual imprinting

Answer 28

Animals display courtship behaviour towards and mate preference for the first species they encounter

Question 29

Primary drive

Answer 29

An innate, biological motivator e.g. hunger

Question 30

Secondary drive

Answer 30

A motivation learned through the association between some factor and the satisfaction of a primary drive

Question 31

Critical period

Answer 31

The time within which an attachment must form if it is to form at all

Question 32

Social releasers

Answer 32

Innate ‘cute’ behaviours which encourage adult attention

Question 33

Imposed etic

Answer 33

Applying a theory developed in and designed for one culture to another culture

Question 34

Primary caregiver

Answer 34

The first person the child forms an attachment with (the biological mother in 65% of cases)