Attachment Definitions Flashcards
Reciprocity
When an infant responds to the actions of another person in a form of turn taking.
E.g. The actions of the primary caregiver elicits a response from the infant.
Interactional Synchrony
A type of Interaction between a child and primary caregiver in which both the caregiver and infant mirror each others actions.
KS: MnM.
Stages of Attachment
-Asocial - From birth to two months - Infant shows similar responses to objects and people.
-Indiscriminate attachment - From two to sixth months - Infant shows preference for human company over non human company. - Can distinguish between people but do not yet show stranger anxiety and can be comforted by anyone.
-Discriminate attachment - From seven to twelve months - Infant shows preference for one caregiver. - Also show seperation and stranger anxiety. - Shows joy upon reunion and are comforted by caregiver.
-Multiple attachment - One year onwards - Attachment behaviour is not displayed towards several people e.g. siblings, grandparents….
KS: S and E
The Role Of The Father
Traditionally : Fathers are the breadwinners.
Some psychologists use biological evidence which suggests that the hormone oestrogen underlies caring behaviour and the lack of oestrogen in men is why they cannot form a close attachment and that instead of. being a caregiver fathers take on the role of a playmate.
Others argue that fathers can demonstrate sensitive responsiveness and respond to the needs of their children and can form a strong emotional bond.
Learning Theory
(Takes a Behaviourist Approach)
The Learning Theory explanation of attachment explains how infants learn to become attached to their primary caregiver through the process of either classical conditioning or operant conditioning.
Classical Conditioning
Classic Conditioning is a process of learning by associating two stimulus together.
1) Before Conditioning food is an unconditioned stimulus which produces an unconditioned response in the child -relief from hunger/pleasure.
2) Before conditioning the caregiver is a neutral stimulus, who produces no conditioned response at all from the child.
3)During Conditioning the child associates the caregiver who feeds them (neural stimulus) with the food (unconditioned stimulus).
4) Through many repeated pairing the caregiver becomes a conditioned stimulus who is associated with the pleasure from feeding.This results in the caregiver eliciting a conditioned response (relief from hunger) from the child and the formation of an attachment.
Operant Conditioning
Skinner (1938) was the first psychologist to study operant conditioning and show that behaviour in non human animals can be learnt through consequences (reward and punishment).
When behaviour is rewarded through positive or negative reinforcement it is repeated and conversely when it is punished the behaviour stops.
Bowlby’s Monotropic theory of attachment
Takes an evolutionary perspective and argues that children are born with an innate tendency to form attachments with their parents in order to increase chancers of survival.
A Snap Chat Makes Images
-A(Asocial)- Attachments are adaptive which means they give humans an advantage, making them more likely to survive.
-SNAP(Social Releasers)- Infants possess inborn social releasers, which unlock an innate tendency in adults (mainly mothers) to care for them. Social Releasers are : Physical- ‘baby face’ features such as big eyes that make the baby appear cute.
Behavioural- Crying, Cooing and smiling for attention.
-CHAT(Critical Period)- Infants form attachments with caregivers during the critical period 3-6 months- later found to go up to three years but as the child gets older the formation of an attachment becomes more difficult.
If an attachment is not formed during this time the child will be damaged for life- socially, emotionally, physically and intellectually.
-MAKES(Monotropy)- Infants form ONE special attachment with their primary caregiver, most frequently the mother.
The special attachment is called monotropy.
If the mother is unavailable the infant will form this attachment with the mother substitute.
-IMAGES(Internal Working Model)- This is a template for future relationships. If a child has a strong and healthy relationship then they will develop strong and healthy relationships later in life. Similarly if the child has a negative relationship with their primary caregiver they will have negative social and romantic relationships later in life.
What was Ainsworths strange situation
Infants aged between 9-18 months were placed in a novel situation of mild stress, in an unfamiliar room.
Observations of the following behaviours were recorded:
-Separation anxiety/ distress on separation.
-Reunion behaviour/seeking proximity.
-Exploration/safe-base behaviour.
-Stranger anxiety.
What were the stages of The Strange Situation?
1)The mother and infant enter the room. Mother sits and reads while the child is placed on the floor and is free to explore the toys. EXPLORATION .
2)A stranger enters the room sits and briefly talks with the mother. STRANGER ANXIETY.
3) Stranger approaches the infant and attempts to interact and play with them. STRANGER ANXIETY.
4)Mother leaves the room and infant is alone with the stranger. The stranger comforts the baby if upset and offers to play with them. SEPARATION AND STRANGER ANXIETY.
5) The mother returns and stranger leaves. REUNION BEHAVIOUR.
6)The mother departs again leaving the baby briefly alone in the room. SEPARATION ANXIETY.
7)The stranger re-enters and offers to comfort and play with the baby. STRANGER ANXIETY.
8) The mother returns and the stranger leaves. REUNION BEHAVIOUR.
Secure attachment (66%) (TypeB)
Exploration-Explores environment and regularly returns to mother-uses her as a safe base.
Separation anxiety
-Moderate. Infants play is seriously distrupted when mother leaves.
Stranger Anxiety.
-Moderate. Wary of stranger and moves closer to mother if she is present.
Reunion Behaviour.
-Joy on reunion. Seeks proximity.
Insecure-Avoidant (22%) (Type A)
Exploration- Infant Explores the unfamiliar environment but does not return to the mother and does not use her as a safe base.
Separation Anxiety
_Low. Infant is not concerned by the mother’s departure.
Stranger Anxiety.
-Low. Infant is unconcerned about stranger and shows little preference between mother and stranger.
Reunion Behaviour.
-Avoids Intimacy. Infant shows little reaction upon the mothers return and often ignore her. Child does not seek proximity or show joy upon reunion.
Insecure-Resistant (12%) (Type C)
Exploration- Infant does not explore the environment around them. -They stay close to their mother- being clingy.
Separation Anxiety.
-High. Infant is extremely distresses and violent when the mother leaves.
Stranger Anxiety.
-High. Infant becomes extremely distressed when the stranger goes to comfort them.
Evaluate the Strange Situations.
One Weakness is that it lacks ecological validity. Ainsworth conducted her observation in a controlled, artificial setting which was unfamiliar to both the parents and the infant. Therefore, the children she was observing may have acted differently to how they would act in a familiar environment, such as home. This means that we do not know if the behaviours displayed by children (for example, high separation anxiety) would be the same when the children are not in a novel environment, making Ainsworth’s findings less externally valid.
A methodological weakness.
High Reliability.
ISSUES AND DEBATES - Takes a nomothetic approach.
- Demonstrates a culture bias.
