attachment exam q Flashcards
Briefly discuss one limitation of using animals to study attachment in humans ( 4 marks)
- mammalian attachment system is quite different from imprinting in birds
- problems of extrapolation to attachment in human infants and what applies to non-human species
- cannot generalise
- due to difference in nature and complexity of the bond
Outline the procedure used in one study of animal attachment (4 marks)
Lorenz
* goose eggs were randomly divided
* half were hatched with the mother present (in natural environment)
* half were hatched in an incubator with Lorenz present (Lorenz the first object)
. They were mixed together to see who they would follow
* the behaviour of all goslings was recorded
outline how lorenz and harlow studied attachment using animals ( 6 marks)
LORENZ
- goose eggs were randomly divided
- half were hatched with the mother present (in natural environment)
- half were hatched in an incubator with Lorenz present (Lorenz the first object)
. They were mixed together to see who they would follow - the behaviour of all goslings was recorded
HARLOW
- controlled environment
- monkeys reared with 2 surrogate mothers
- wire mother= gives food
- cloth mother= NO food
- time spent with each mother= recorded
- long term effects recorded: sociability, relationship to offspring
what is meant by the term attachment?
Attachment is a strong, enduring, emotional and reciprocal bond between two people, especially an infant and caregiver.
briefly evaluate research into into caregiver-infant interaction (4 marks)
- babies cannot communicate so inferences must be drawn well-controlled – studies ‘capture’ micro-sequences of interaction
-
practical issues – babies are often asleep or being fed
issue of intentionality – are imitative behaviours deliberate/conscious? - some studies have failed to replicate earlier findings, eg Koepke et al (1983)
- research may be socially sensitive, eg implications for working mothers
- economic implications of research contribution to understanding the importance of care-giver infant interaction.
explain one reason why it is difficult to draw conclusions about the role of the caregiver-infant interactions in the development of attachment (2 marks)
- cannot establish cause and effect -> ethically impossible to manipluate amount and quality of caregiver-infant interaction
OR
- extraneous factors (e.g. lifestyle, culture) -> may have long term effect -> cannot be controlled
what is meant by the term ‘reciprocity’ in the context of caregiver-infant interaction (2 marks)
reciprocity= two way/ mutual process, each person responds to other person’s signals -> elicits an response
outline findings from research into the role of the father (4 marks)
- S&E (1964)- 75% children formed an attachment w the father by 18 months
- father has a diff role to mother -> play vs emotional support (Grossman et al (2002)) -> QUALITY of attachment w father is less influential in adolescence
- single parent family -> father takes on Maternal role
- ## may depend on gender of child
explain the economic implications of research into the role of the father in attachment (4 marks)
1- MORE fathers at home= LESS contribution to economy
2- changing laws on paternity leave = impact on employers
3- gender pay gap would be reduced if parental roles are ‘equal’
4- early attachment research (e.g. Bowlby suggests fathers have an economic rather than emotional function)
studies of attachment often involve naturalistic observations.
Suggest one way in which studies of attachment could be used by using controlled observations (3 marks)
- minimise extraneous variables
- standardised procedures = greater reliability and replication
- can establish cause and effect
describe the learning theory explanation of attachment (4 marks)
- ‘Cupboard love’= children learn to become attached to their caregiver because they give them food
- Drive reduction- Dollard & Miller (1950) -> motivates to reduce discomfort and hunger
- LEARNING THROUGH ASSOCIATION (classical)= e.g. caregiver (NS) + food (UCS) -> pleasure (CR)
- LEARNING THROUGH PATTERNS (operant) = positive and negative reinforcement
e.g. negative reinforcement= baby stops crying when fed
Example answer: Learning theory has been critical for being reductionist as it reduces complex human behaviours such as attachment down to simple ideas such as reinforcement. Also, it places too much emphasis on the satisfaction of basic needs such as feeding at the expense of emotional needs. For example Harry Harlow found that infant rhesus monkeys spent longer clinging to the cloth mother, who satisfied their emotional needs, than a wire mother who satisfied their need for food.
A group of researchers used ‘event sampling’ to observe children’s friendships over a period of three weeks at break times and lunchtimes during the school day.
Explain what is meant by ‘event sampling’. (2 marks)
Event sampling is used to sample behaviour in observational research. It is where an observer records the number of times a certain behaviour occurs.
Briefly evaluate Bowlby’s monotropic theory. In your answer, refer to multiple attachments and the role of the father.
[6 marks]
Idea of monotropy is not supported by research.
Schaffer and Emerson (1964) - found that by the age of 18 months 32% of their sample had at least 5 attachments.
Supports idea and importance of multiple attachments
Bowlby minimised importance of the father. Father can be just as important: lots of research has suggested father attachment is not necessarily a replication or replacement of mother attachment but is complementary relationship:
**Geiger (1996) argued that whilst mother attachments were more nurturing but father attachments focused on play. **
Outdated sexist view: importance of equal responsibility for childcare in many families/father as primary caregiver
