attachment - introduction to attachment

Question 1

what is attachment

Answer 1

when infants and caregivers develop deep and lasting emotional bonds. both members of this emotional relationship seek closeness and feel more secure when close to their attachment figure

Question 2

what is reciprocity

Answer 2

a mutual turn taking form of interaction where both the caregiver and infant contribute to the interaction by responding to each others signals and cues

Question 3

what is interactional synchrony

Answer 3

a simultaneous interaction between an infant and caregiver who appear to be acting rythmically, with matching coordinated behaviour and matching emotional states

Question 4

what is meant by imitation

Answer 4

infant directly copies caregivers expression

Question 5

what is meant by sensitive responsiveness

Answer 5

adult caregiver correctly interprets the meaning of the infants communication and is motivated to respond appropriately

Question 6

what was meltzoff and moores research on reciprocity

Answer 6

an experimenter displayed facial gestures such as sticking a tongue out and opening their mouth in shock to infants

Question 7

what were the findings of meltzoff and moores research on reciprocity

Answer 7

infants had the ability to observe and reciprocate through imitation

Question 8

what was condon and sanders research on interactional synchrony

Answer 8

they videotaped interactions between adults and neonates, focusing on the movement of the neonates in response to adult speech which found evidence for interactional synchrony and coordination

Question 9

what are the strengths of research into infant and caregiver interactions

Answer 9

• many studies use multiple observers who are blind to the true aim of the study to provide inter-rater reliability
• the use of complex camera systems to document and slow down micro sequences provides high internal validity

Question 10

what are the weaknesses of research into infant and caregiver interactions

Answer 10

• infants cannot directly communicate their thoughts and emotions therefore the findings in infant and caregiver interaction research depend on inferences which are considered unscientific
• social sensitivity is a concern when investigating child rearing techniques, including norms around caregiver-infant interactions

Question 11

what are the 4 stages of attachment identified by schaffer

Answer 11

1. asocial ( 0-6 weeks )
2. indiscriminate ( 6 weeks-7 months )
3. specific attachment ( 7-9 months )
4. multiple attachments ( 9months + )

Question 12

what is the asocial stage

Answer 12

when babies display innate behaviours such as crying and smiling that ensure proximity to any potential caregiver, anyone can comfort them as they do not prefer any individual caregiver

Question 13

what is the indiscriminate stage

Answer 13

infants develop the ability to tell the difference between familiar and unfamiliar individuals, smiling more at people they see frequently

Question 14

what is the specific attachment stage

Answer 14

babies form a strong attachment to primary caregiver, most often their mother. separation and stranger anxiety develop

Question 15

what is the multiple attachments stage

Answer 15

infant starts to form attachments with other regular caregivers and stranger anxiety starts to decrease

Question 16

what was schaffer and emersons study on stages of attachment

Answer 16

they conducted a longitudinal observation of 60 working class babies from glasgow

Question 17

what were schaffer and emersons findings in their study on the stages of attachment

Answer 17

separation anxiety in most babies by 25-32 weeks with stranger anxiety forming 1 month later. in the 18 month follow up 87% had developed multiple attachments. the strongest attachment was to those mothers with consistent caregiver infant interactions

Question 18

what do schaffer and emersons findings suggest about the stages of attachment

Answer 18

development occurs in the stages outlined by schaffer and the quality of caregiver interaction influences the strength of attachment between infants and mothers

Question 19

what are the strengths of the stages of attachment research

Answer 19

as infants and their families were observed in their own homes, the study has a high level of mundane realism as the experience of strangers visiting the family home was normal for the infants

Question 20

what are the weaknesses of the stages of attachment research

Answer 20

the sample is not generalisable to the population and lacks temporal validity as it only included one group of working mothers in 1960s glasgow

Question 21

what did schaffer find about the role of the father

Answer 21

at 18 months 75% of infants had formed an attachment with their father showing separation anxiety, suggesting fathers play an important role in their infants lives

Question 22

what is meant by active play

Answer 22

fathers are seen to engage babies in active play activities more consistently than mothers. this simulation is thought to encourage risk taking behaviours

Question 23

how do men take on the role of the primary caregiver

Answer 23

their interactional style changes to be more like a mothers, increasing their capacity for sensitive responsiveness

Question 24

what was fields research into the role of the father

Answer 24

found that fathers in general focused more on game playing and less on holding. additionally primary caregiver fathers showed more sensitively responsive behaviour, similar to mothers

Question 25

what was verissimos research into the role of the father

Answer 25

found a strong attachment to the father was the best predictor of the ability to make friends in school, suggesting an important role of fathers in socialisation

Question 26

what are the strengths of the role of the father

Answer 26

research could lead to legalisation that ensures equal paternity and maternity leave however this may reduce the number of males in the workforce reducing economic activity but also helping address the gender pay gap

Question 27

what are the weaknesses of the role of the father

Answer 27

social sensitivity - theories that argue the role of the mother cannot be replaced ( bowlby ) may lead to father led single families and families with 2 fathers feeling they cannot fully provide the needs for their infants