Attachments Flashcards
Describe the Ainsworth 1971 study of a strange situation.
A. Mother and child enter play room together.
B. CHILD ALLOWED TO EXPLORE. FEMALE ENTERS AND TALKS TO MOTHER AND CHILD
C. Mother leaves while the stranger is talking to the child
D. Stranger interacts with the child
E. Mother returns and stranger leaves
F. MOTHER LEAVES CHILD TO PLAY ALONE
G. STRANGER RETURNS TO BE ALONE WITH CHILD
H. MOTHER RETURNS TO ROOM FOR FINAL TIME
What were the characteristics of a Secure (Type B) child in reference to the findings of the strange situation?
70%
Happy to explore, trust mother not to leave
Feel distress when mother leaves
Will engage with stranger but they treat them differently as the stranger returns
The child greets the mother and is quickly comforted when the mother returns.
Describe the characteristics of an insecure avoidant?
20%
Willing to explore and ignores mother when present or not.
Suffer little or no distress when the mother leaves
They treat the mother and stranger the same
They ignore the mother during to reunion
Describe the characteristics of an insecure resistant?
10%
They are anxious and clingy to the mother
Are extremely distressed when they are left by the mother
They actively resist strangers attempt to console them
They are ambivalent at reunion (wants comfort then rejects mother)
Describe Harlow’s study in 1959.
PROCEDURE: 8 infant monkeys were taken from their mothers and kept separately in a cage with two substitute mothers. A cloth mother and a wire mother. For 4 of the 8 monkeys were fed by the wire mother and the other 4 were fed by the cloth mother. They were then released into a cage of normal monkeys to see how they reacted. He also put a teddy bear drummer toy in the cage to see their reaction when they are frightened.
FINDINGS: Infant monkeys preferred to spend time with the cloth mother. They all ran to the cloth mother when they were frightened. ALL monkeys were antisocial and aggressive. They couldn’t form any friendships, and neglected any offspring.
Give 3 criticisms of Harlow’s study
it lacks ecological validity, conducted in an artificial setting.
Lacks population validity, monkeys have fewer cognitive abilities.
Ethical issues because monkeys can’t give consent.
Describe the learning theory of attachment.
CLASSICAL CONDITIONING:
Unconditioned stimulus-unconditioned response
Unconditioned stimulus
Neutral stimulus- unconditioned response
Conditioned stimulus- Conditioned response
The baby feels pleasure when being fed, associates food with the car giver, feels pleasure when they see the care giver.
OPERANT CONDITIONING:
Baby cries-Gets fed= baby cries to be fed more often
So they appear to have an attachment with the parent but have learned to associate food with a set of behaviours.
Explain the Evolutionary explanation to an attachment.
Newborns seem helpless, born with a repertoire of biologically pre-programmed abilities (social releasers) all designed to ensure proximity and care. Smiling, crying, making eye contact, ensure short term survival because the adults care for the. Later on, abilities ensure that adults interact with the growing child, so offer a TEMPLATE for future relationships.
Describe Bowlby’s explanation of an attachment.
BABIES ARE LIKE CHICKS- both need proximity to survive. Imprinting- process of forming a strong bond.
SURVIVAL- Short term, food and shelter=staying alive. Long term, reproducing.
MONOTROPY- One special attachment
CRITICAL PERIOD- attachment must form between 0-2.5 years.
CONTINUITY HYPOTHESIS- maternal sensitivity-infant attachment style-internal working model (template set of expectations or beliefs on relationships)- Future relationship
Describe how Genie, Harlow and Goldfarbs studies all evaluate Bowlbys explanation of attachment.
GENIE- Didn’t learn how to make relationships in later life.
HARLOW- monkeys still went for cloth mother for comfort and not food. Attachment figure is a secure base to explore form. Lacked in social skills and neglected their own baby.
GOLDFARB- children who were raised with fostered parents had closer care than those in a children’s home. Attachements, are used to develop, intellectual and emotional skills
What happened in the case of Genie?
She was isolated in a room by her father and had no communication with anyone. She was beaten if she made a noise she was given thread less cotton reels and cottage cheese containers. When Genie reached 13 her mum took her to a hospital where they believed her to be 6 or 7 with autism. She later never had the ability to make friendships as she was socially, intellectually and emotionally underdeveloped
What is one strength and one limitation of Bowlby’s explanation of attachments?
STRENGTH: it’s supported by empiricle evidence- genie no attachment=less developed
LIMITATION: it’s deterministic, Childs adult relationship determined by experiences and attachments as a child
What was Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonemberg 1988?
META ANALYSIS
Took results of the strange situations from a variation of countries.
RESULTS:
Great Britain- 75% secure, 22% avoidant, 3% resistant
Japan- 68% secure, 5% avoidant, 27% resistant
USA- 65% secure, 21% avoidant, 14% resistant
What was the Bowlby 44 Thieves experiment?
Ps were 88 children ranging in age from 5 to 16 had been referred to child guidance clinic. 44 of the children referred because of stealing, Bowlby identified 16 of these as affectionless psychopaths. Remaining 44 children in the study had not committed any crime just emotionally maladjusted but no antisocial behaviour. Bowlby interviewed children and family and built a record of their lives.
FINDINGS:
- 86% of thieves affectionless psychopaths experienced ‘early and prolonged separation from mothers’
- 17% of thieves experienced early and prolonged separation
- 4% of the non-thieves had early prolonged separation
Describe the Robertson and Robertson study.
JOHN:
17 months, nursery 9 days while his mother was away. Other children were noisy, demanding and aggressive so John was left out so protested but they were ignored. This lasted for several days, he got all attention they could give, refused food and wouldn’t sleep. His conditioned worsened each day, he began to ignore nurses and his dad. This was called sequence of distress,
THOMAS:
Robertson’s temporary fostered Thomas he was 28 months old. Robertsons met Thomas before fostering him, he settled in well. Received constant, patient high quality care, he bought some things from home. Thomas was pleased to see his father each day, but was upset when he left. In 2nd week he cried more for his mother. Was successfully reunited with his mother, he was more aggressive this could be down to a new child.
