Attachment - exam questions Flashcards
What is meant by attachment?
Attachment is a strong enduring emotional bond between infant and caregiver
Evaluate research into infant-caregiver interaction
The research is socially sensitive as it suggests mothers should stay at home to care for infants in order for more opportunities for interactional synchrony and a better quality attachment. This means that mothers who must work to financially survive, will feel as though they do not have a strong attachment with their infant
The research used controlled observations as they were recordings, meaning small details are not missed. This means it is high in validity and can be checked for inter-rater reliability as other assessors can observe it.
Explain one reason why it is difficult to draw conclusions about infant-caregiver interactions
One reason for this is that infants behaviour is difficult to interpret. This is because we can only observe their behaviour and so cannot be sure as to why they behave in certain ways. This limits the research’s explanatory power.
Name 3 stages of attachment identified by Shaffer
The first stage is the asocial stage which is in the first few weeks of the baby’s life and they show similar behaviour towards humans and objects.
The second stage is the indiscrimate stage which is from 2 to 7 months and involves the infant preferring familiar adults however they will still accept comfort from any adult.
The third stage is the specific stage from 7 months and involves forming one attachment to a primary caregiver, where both anxietys are shown.
What is meant by reciprocity?
Reciprocity means attachment is a two-way mutual process where they take part in turn-taking.
Discuss research into the role of the father
One piece of research into the role of the father was done by Schaffer and emmerson which found that 75% of infants form an attachment with the father at 18 months during the multiple attachment stage. This shows the role of the father to be insignificant as they are not the primary caregiver.
Bowlby found that the father was more likely to be involved in physical interactions and novel play which shows that the role of the father is significant in a different way to the mother.
MacCallum found that children growing up in single parent households do not develop differently to those in conventional households which shows the role of the father is insignificant.
Evaluate research into the role of the father
The research may be shaped by society’s roles. This is because traditionally males were seen as the breadwinners of the family however now they can have a more nurturing role. This shows research such as bowlby’s may be outdated.
Evolution may determine the role of the father. This is because females have more opportunities to produce oxytocin through processes such as breastfeeding, allowing them to naturally bond with the baby. This suggests the role of the father is fixed.
There is real world application. This is because Fields research suggests fathers can become the primary caregiver if needed. This mean that parenting anxiety can be reduced as the workload can be shared.
Evaluate Schaffers stages of attachment
There is real world application to day care. This is because in the early stages they can be comforted by any adult however if they start daycare later, this may cause some distress. This allows parents to make decisions regarding daycare.
There is culture bias. This is because in collectivist cultures they may form multiple attachments in the early stages due to being cared for by multiple people, which is not reflected in Schaffers stages. This means they are not universal.
There are issues with studying babies. This is because during the asocial stage, babies are immobile and have poor coordination, meaning we do not know their intentions and may actually be quite social, even if they appear not to be. This lowers the validity.
Discuss one limitation of using animals to study attachment
The findings are difficult to extrapolate and apply to humans. This is because humans are more complex and show more emotions to offspring than birds. This means we cannot generalise the findings to humans.
Outline and evaluate Bowlby’s monotropic theory
Outline:
Firstly his theory states attachments are adaptive meaning that forming an attachment helps to ensure survival of the child. He suggested it should occur after 3 months. He also stated there are social releasers which are innate behaviours from the infant that encourage a nurturing response from the caregiver. This is supported by Isabella’s research into interactional synchrony. Another aspect of his theory is the critical period which he suggested is 2.5 years. In addition to this monotropy is the key aspect of his model meaning infants form one primary attachment. Finally the internal working model is a template for future relationships based on the first attachment formed.
Evaluate:
There is too much emphasis on monotropy and Thomas actually suggested it may be more beneficial to have multiple attachments to support social and emotional needs. This therefore undermines the key aspect of his theory, decreasing it’s validity.
It is socially sensitive as it places too much pressure on the primary caregiver to form a nurturing attachments as if they don’t there will be negative consequences later in life. This may result in mothers not returning to work.
