Attachment Key Words

Question 1

Attachment

Answer 1

An emotional bond between two people that endures over time. Leads to certain behaviours such as clinging and proximity-seeking. Services the function of protecting an infant

Question 2

Attachment type

Answer 2

Refers to whether a person is securely or insecurely attached i.e. the way you relate to others in the context of intimate relationships

Question 3

Reciprocity

Answer 3

A description of how 2 people interact. Mother-infant interaction is reciprocal in that both infant and mother respond to each other’s signals and each elicits a response from the other

Question 4

Interactional Synchrony

Answer 4

Mother and infant reflect both the actions and emotions of the other and do this in a co-ordinated (synchronised) way

Question 5

Primary Attachment Figure

Answer 5

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

Question 6

Stage of Attachment

Answer 6

Many developmental theories identify a sequence of qualitatively different behaviours linked to specific ages. In stages of attachment some characteristics of the infant’s behaviour towards others change as the infant gets older

Question 7

Multiple attachments

Answer 7

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 8

Separation Anxiety

Answer 8

Distress shown by an infant when separated from an attachment figure

Question 9

Stranger Anxiety

Answer 9

Distress shown by an infant when approached by an unfamiliar person

Question 10

Secondary Attachment Figure

Answer 10

Additional support is provided from the secondary attachment figure who provide an emotional safety net

Question 11

Animal Studies

Answer 11

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 12

Imprinting

Answer 12

An innate readiness to acquire certain behaviours during a critical or sensitive period of development

Question 13

Experimental group

Answer 13

The group in an independent groups design containing the independent variable as distinct from the control

Question 14

Sexual imprinting

Answer 14

Acquiring a template of the characteristics of a desirable mate

Question 15

Maternal deprivation

Answer 15

The emotional and intellectual consequences of separation between a child and their mother or mother substitute.

Question 16

Learning theory

Answer 16

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 17

Reinforcement

Answer 17

A consequence of behaviour that increases the likelihood of that behaviour being repeated. Can be positive or negative

Question 18

Primary Drive

Answer 18

Innate drives (motivators) such as food, water and sex

Question 19

Secondary Drive

Answer 19

Learned drives (motivators) acquired through association with primary drives, such as money that enables primary drives to be satisfied

Question 20

Drive Reduction

Answer 20

An animal is motivated to act in order to satisfy biological needs; once satisfied, the result is drive reduction

Question 21

Strange Situation

Answer 21

A controlled observation designed to test attachment security. Infants are assessed on their response to playing in an unfamiliar room, being left alone, left with a stranger and being reunited with a caregiver

Question 22

Secure attachment

Answer 22

Generally thought of as the most desirable attachment type, associated with psychologically healthy outcomes. In the Strange Situation this is shown by moderate stranger anxiety and ease of comfort at reunion

Question 23

Insecure-avoidant attachment

Answer 23

An attachment type characterised by low anxiety but weak attachment. In the Strange Situation this is shown by moderate stranger and separation anxiety and ease of comfort at reunion

Question 24

Insecure-resistant attachment

Answer 24

An attachment type characterised by strong attachment and high anxiety. In the Strange Situation this is shown by high levels of stranger and separation anxiety and resistance to be comforted at reunion

Question 25

Proximity Seeking

Answer 25

Wishing to remain in close contact with a caregiver/attachment figure

Question 26

Insecure Attachment

Answer 26

Develops as a result of the caregiver’s lack of sensitive responding to the infant’s needs. May be associated with poor cognitive and emotional development

Question 27

Secure base behaviour

Answer 27

Secure attachment provides a sense of safety to enable exploration and independence

Question 28

Inter-rater reliabiity

Answer 28

Correlating the judgements of 2 or more ratings of behaviour, as when using a rating scale. Can happen in a questionnaire or interview when behaviour has been rated or in an observation when behaviour has been raed

Question 29

Culture-bound

Answer 29

Restricted to a particular culture i.e. group of people defined by their shared practices

Question 30

Temprament

Answer 30

Emotional type, such as being outgoing or reserved, moody or cheerful

Question 31

Disorganised attachment

Answer 31

Characterised by lack of consistent patterns of social behaviour. Such infants lack of coherent strategy for dealing with the stress of separation. For example, they show very strong attachment behaviour which is suddenly followed by avoidance or looking fearfully towards their caregiver

Question 32

Cultural Variations

Answer 32

The differences in norms and values that exist between people in different groups. In attachment research we are concerned with the differences in the proportion of children of different attachment types

Question 33

Anomalous Results

Answer 33

Data that do not fit in with the pattern of the other results

Question 34

Imposed Etic

Answer 34

A technique or theory developed in one culture and then used to study the behaviour of people in a different culture with different norms, values and experiences

Question 35

Maternal Deprivation

Answer 35

The emotional and intellectual consequences of separation between a child and his/her mother or mother substitute. Bowlby proposed that continuous care from a mother is essential for normal psychological development, and that prolonged separation from this adult causes serious damage to emotional and intellectual development

Question 36

Critical Period

Answer 36

The time within which an attachment must for 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 37

Affectionless Psychopathy

Answer 37

A behaviour disorder in which the individual has no ability to experience shame or guilt and lacks a social conscience. This means that they may find it ‘easier’ to commit crimes

Question 38

Institutionalisation

Answer 38

A term for the effects of living in an institutional setting. The term ‘institution’ refers to a place lie a hospital or an orphanage where children live for long, continuous periods of time. In such places there is often very little emotional care provided. In attachment research we are interested in the effects of institutional care on children’s attachment and subsequent development

Question 39

Orphan Studies

Answer 39

These concern children placed in care because their parents cannot look after them. An orphan is a child whose parents have either died or have abandoned them permanently

Question 40

Disinhibited Attachment

Answer 40

A type of insecure attachment where children do not form close attachments. Such children will treat strangers with inappropriate familiarity (overfriendliness) and may be attention-seeking.

Question 41

Childhood relationships

Answer 41

Affiliations with other people in childhood, including friends and classmates and with adults such as teachers

Question 42

Adult relationships

Answer 42

Those relationships the child goes on to have later in life as an adult. These include friendships and working relationships but most critically relationships with romantic partners and the person’s own children

Question 43

Internal working models

Answer 43

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