Attachment: Introduction To Attachment

Question 1

What is the definition for reciprocity

Answer 1

• a description of how two people interact
• mother and infant interaction is reciprocal in that both infant and mother respond to each others signals + each elicits a response from each other

Question 2

Outline reciprocity in psychology

Answer 2

• babies have periodic ‘alert phases’ to signal they are ready for interaction
• mothers pick up on these alert phases around 2/3 of the time (Feldman and Eidelman)
• brazleton et al described these interactions as a ‘dance’ because it is synchronic

Question 3

What is the definition of Interactional synchrony

Answer 3

• mother and infant reflect both the actions and emotions of the other and do this in a synchronised manner
• Feldman describes Interactional synchrony as ‘ the temporal coordination of micro level social behaviour’

Question 4

Outline meltzoff and moores study into Interactional synchrony

Answer 4

• observed beginning of Interactional synchrony in infants as young as 2 weeks old
• adult displays 1 of 3 facial expressions/gestures + response from baby was filmed
• there was an association between the expression/gesture of adult and the actions of babies

Question 5

Outline Isabella et als study into Interactional synchrony

Answer 5

• observed 30 mothers + infants together and assessed the degree of synchrony
• researchers also assessed quality of mother/infant relationship
• found high levels of synchrony are associated with better quality mother infant attachments

Question 6

What are the three evaluation points for caregiver -infant interactions (R + IS)

Answer 6

• hard to know what is happening when observing infants
• controlled observations capture fine details
• observations don’t tell us the purpose of synchrony and reciprocity

Question 7

Outline ‘hard to know what is happening when observing infants’ as an evaluation point for caregiver infant interactions

Answer 7

• most studies involving interactions between infants and mothers show the same thing
• however, what is being observed is merely hand movements/changes in expression
• it is difficult to be certain what is happening from the infants perspective

Question 8

Outline ‘controlled observations capture fine details’ as an evaluation point for caregiver infant interactions

Answer 8

• observations of mother infant interactions are well controlled
• most studies are filmed, this means that behaviour is recorded and can later be analysed
• also babies do not know they are being recorded so don’t display social desirability bias

Question 9

Outline ‘observations don’t tell us the purpose of synchrony and reciprocity’ as an evaluation point for caregiver infant interactions

Answer 9

• Feldman - stated that synchrony and reciprocity simply describe behaviours occurring at the same time
• they can be reliably observed but this does not tell us what their purpose is
• however, there is evidence to suggest reciprocity/Interactional synchrony are helpful in the development of mother/infant relations

Question 10

Outline ‘parent infant attachment’

Answer 10

• Schaffer and Emerson found the majority of babies do become attached to their mother first (around 7 months) + later form secondary relationships
• in 75% of infants studied, attachments were formed with the father by 18 months

Question 11

Outline the role of the father

Answer 11

• Grossman - carried out a longitudinal study on both parents behaviour and its relationship to the quality of children’s attachments into their teens
• quality of fathers play with infants WAS related to quality of adolescent attachments
• this suggests fathers play a different role in attachment, one to do with play

Question 12

Outline fathers as primary caregivers

Answer 12

• evidence suggests when fathers take on the role as primary caregiver, they adopt behaviours traditionally associated with mothers
  Field - filmed 4 month old babies interactions with PC mothers, PC fathers and SC fathers
• PC fathers, like PC mothers, spent more time holding the baby, smiling, imitating etc than SC fathers
• the key to attachment relationship is level of responsiveness not gender

Question 13

What are the three evaluation points for attachment figures

Answer 13

-inconsistent findings on fathers
- incomplete explanation as to why fathers do not typically become primary caregivers
- doesn’t explain why children without fathers aren’t different

Question 14

Outline ‘inconsistent findings on fathers’ as an evaluation point for attachment figures

Answer 14

• researchers conducting studies into the role of fathers in attachment have all been looking at different questions
• so psychologists cannot simply answer the question of ‘the role of the father’

Question 15

Outline ‘incomplete explanation as to why fathers do not typically become primary caregiver’ as an evaluation point for attachment figures

Answer 15

• could imply be the result of traditional gender roles, where women are expected to be more caring/nurturing
• it could also be that female hormones (oestrogen) create higher levels of nurturing so women are biologically preprogrammed to be primary attachment figure (Taylor)

Question 16

Outline ‘doesn’t explain why children without fathers aren’t different’ as an evaluation point for attachment figures

Answer 16

• Grossmans study implied fathers have an important role in child’s developments
• however, other studies have found that children growing up in same sex/single parent households do not develop any differently