Attachment: Glossary

Question 1

Define reciprocity

Answer 1

A description of how two people interact. Mother-infant interaction is reciprocal in that both infant and mother respond to each other’s signals and each elicit a response from the other.

Question 2

Define interactional synchrony

Answer 2

Mother and infant reflect both the actions and emotions of the other and do this in a synchronised way.

Question 3

Define stages of attachment

Answer 3

Many developmental theory identify a sequence

Question 4

Define multiple attachment

Answer 4

Attachments to two or more people. Most babies appear to develop multiple attachments once they have formed one true attachment to a main carer.

Question 5

Define animal studies

Answer 5

Studies carried out on non human animal species rather than on humans, either for ethical or practical reasons - practical because animals breed faster and researchers are interested in seeing results across more than one generation of animals.

Question 6

Define learning theory

Answer 6

A set of theories from the behaviourist approach to psychology, that emphasise the role of learning in the acquisition of behaviour.
Explanations for learning of behaviour include classical and operant conditioning.

Question 7

Define monotropic

Answer 7

A term sometimes used to describe Bowlby’s theory.
Mono means ‘one’ and indicates that one particular attachment is different from all others and of central importance to the child’s development.

Question 8

Define internal working model

Answer 8

The mental representatives we all carry with us of our attachment to our primary caregiver. They are important in affecting our future relationships because they carry our perception of what relationships are like.

Question 9

Define the critical period

Answer 9

This refers to the time within which an attachment must form if it is to form at all. Lorenz and Harlow noted that attachment in birds and monkeys had critical periods. Bowlby extended the idea to humans, proposing that human infants have a sensitive period after which it will be much more difficult to form an attachment.

Question 10

Define attachment

Answer 10

An emotional bond between two people. It is a two way process that endures over time. It leads to certain behaviours such as clinging and proximity seeking, and serves the function of protecting an infant.

Question 11

Define caregiver

Answer 11

Any person who is providing care for a child, such as a parent, grandparent, sibling, other family member, childminder etc.

Question 12

Define primary attachment figure

Answer 12

The person who has formed the closest bond with a child, demonstrated by the intensity of the relationship. This is usually a child’s biological mother, but other people can fulfil the role.

Question 13

Define separation anxiety

Answer 13

The distress shown by an infant when separated from his/ her caregiver. This is not necessarily the child’s biological mother.

Question 14

Define stranger anxiety

Answer 14

The distress shown by an infant when approached or picked up by someone who is unfamiliar.

Question 15

Define imprinting

Answer 15

An innate readiness to develop a strong bond with the mother which takes place during a specific time in development, probably the first few hours after birth/ hatching. If it doesn’t happen at this time it will not happen.

Question 16

Define classical conditioning

Answer 16

Learning through association. A neutral stimulus is consistently paired with an unconditioned stimulus so that it eventually takes on the properties of this stimulus and is able to produce a conditioned response.

Question 17

Define learning theory

Answer 17

The name given to a group of explanations, which explain behaviour in terms of learning rather than any inborn tendencies or higher order thinking.

Question 18

Define operant conditioning

Answer 18

Learning through reinforcement.

Question 19

Define social learning theory

Answer 19

Learning through observing others and imitating behaviours that are rewarded.

Question 20

Define continuity hypothesis

Answer 20

The idea that emotionally secure infants go on to be emotionally secure, trusting and socially confident adults.

Question 21

Define critical period

Answer 21

A biologically determined period of time, during which certain characteristics can develop. Outside of this time window such development will not be possible.

Question 22

Define internal working model

Answer 22

A mental model of the world which enables individuals to predict and control their environment. In the case of attachment the model relates to a person’s expectations about relationships.

Question 23

Define monotropy

Answer 23

The idea that one relationship that the infant has with his/her primary attachment figure is of special significance in emotional development.

Question 24

Define social releaser

Answer 24

A social behaviour or characteristic that elicits caregiving and leads to attachment

Question 25

Define affectionless psychopathy

Answer 25

A term used by Bowlby to describe people who don’t show concern or affection for other people and show no or very little remorse or guilt.

Question 26

Define asocial stage

Answer 26

Stage from 0-6 weeks where infant may respond to faces or voices but an attachment has not been formed.

Question 27

Define contact comfort

Answer 27

The physical and emotional comfort that an infant receives from being close to its mother.

Question 28

Define disinhibited attachment

Answer 28

Child shows equal affection to strangers as they do people they know well.

Question 29

Define evolutionary explanation

Answer 29

Explanation for behaviour such as attachment that views it as increasing survival chances.

Question 30

Define indiscriminate attachment

Answer 30

Infants aged 2-7 months can discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar people but does not show stranger anxiety.

Question 31

Define innate behaviour

Answer 31

A behaviour that is instinctive and does not need to be learned.

Question 32

Define insecure avoidant attachment

Answer 32

Attachment classification in Strange Situation where child shows low stranger and separation anxiety and little response to reunion.

Question 33

Define insecure resistant attachment

Answer 33

Attachment classification in Strange Situation where child shoes high stranger and separation anxiety and resists comfort at reunion.

Question 34

Define institutionalisation

Answer 34

The effects of growing up in an institution, such as a children’s home or orphanage.

Question 35

Define maternal deprivation

Answer 35

Separation from the mother figure in early childhood has serious consequences.

Question 36

Define privation

Answer 36

Failure to form an attachment in early childhood.

Question 37

Define proximity seeking

Answer 37

The way that infants try to maintain physical contact or be close to their attachment figure.

Question 38

Define secure attachment

Answer 38

The way that infants try to maintain physical contact or be close to their attachment figure.

Question 39

Define sensitive period

Answer 39

The best time period over which attachments can form.

Question 40

Define specific attachment

Answer 40

Infants aged 7 months tend to show a strong attachment to one particular person and are wary of strangers.

Question 41

Define strange situation

Answer 41

A controlled observation used to test children’s attachment patterns.

Question 42

Define temperament

Answer 42

The characteristics and aspects of personality an infant is born with and that might impact on its attachment type.