attachments - everything

Question 1

what are Schaffer’s stages of attachments

Answer 1

asocial, indiscriminate, specific and multiple

Question 2

what is the asocial stage

Answer 2

• first few weeks
• babies respond in the same way to humans and objects

Question 3

what is indiscriminate attachment

Answer 3

• 2-6 months
• preference for familiar people
• no stranger/separation anxiety

Question 4

what is specific attachment

Answer 4

• 7 months
• one primary attachment figure
• 65% with mother, 3% with father (27% with both)

Question 5

what is multiple attachment

Answer 5

• from 8 months +
• by 12 months most babies have multiple attachments e.g 75% have attachment with fathers by 18 months

Question 6

who found the stages of attachment

Answer 6

Schaffer and Emerson (1964)

Question 7

What was Schaffer and Emersons procedure

Answer 7

Longitudinal study,

60 Glaswegian babies observed at home (largely) by mothers,

recorded infants separation distress and stranger anxiety in diary

Question 8

What did Schaffer and Emerson find

Answer 8

stages of attachment

sensitive responsiveness - attachment was to caregiver who responded appropriately to signals, not the one who fed them

Question 9

2 limitations for Schaffer and Emerson

Answer 9

• difficult to asses multiple attachments (infant distress doesn’t necessarily signify attachment)
• hard to study asocial babies (poor coordination so may just seem asocial)

Question 10

2 strengths for Schaffer and Emerson

Answer 10

• high external validity (no demand characteristics as babies, and parents did observing so behaviour was natural)
• longitudinal/repeated measures (no participant variables, high internal validity)

Question 11

who are the two main psychologists for role of the father

Answer 11

Grossman and Field

Question 12

What was Grossmans procedure

Answer 12

Longitudinal study following 44 families from infancy to 16 years old. Assessed quality of attachments at 6, 10, 16

Question 13

What were Grossmans findings

Answer 13

Fathers’ play sensitivity is a better predictor of the child’s long-term attachment representation than the early infant–father security of attachment

Question 14

other key ideas for role of the father

Answer 14

Infant-mother attachment is more crucial in later teen attachments than infant-father attachment

Question 15

what did field find

Answer 15

Fathers can be primary caregivers.

Caregiver-infant interactions filmed and compared.

PCG Fathers adopt behaviours typical of mothers. E.g. More time smiling and holding

Key to attachment is responsiveness of adult (e.g. smiling) not gender

Question 16

limitations for role of father - McCallum and Gollombok)

Answer 16

• no distinct role, children without fathers are no different so secondary attachment may be unimportant

Question 17

limitation for role of father - biology

Answer 17

• hormones may predispose women to be nurturing thus making mothers more likely to be primary attachment figures

Question 18

limitation for role of the father - Schaffer and Emerson

Answer 18

found that gender and learning were unimportant in forming attachment, responsiveness to the child’s needs was the most important

Question 19

strength for role of the father

Answer 19

• economic implications, Fathers have important (but different) role so may want to stay home longer (Grossman). Mothers may feel freer to return to work and leave fathers at home

Question 20

what is interactional synchrony

Answer 20

• baby and mother mirror actions and emotions at the same time (coordinated)
• Meltzoff and Moore showed this at two weeks old
• higher synchrony linked to better quality attachment (Isabella et al)

Question 21

what is reciprocity

Answer 21

• caregiver and infant respond to each other’s signals, like a conversation, 3+ months
• each elicits a response from each other

Question 22

key study for caregiver-infant interactions

Answer 22

Meltzoff and Moore (1977)

Question 23

What was Meltzoff and Moores procedure

Answer 23

Adult displayed one of three facial expressions, e.g. tongue protrusion. Child and adult filmed from multiple angles. Watched in slow motion

Question 24

What were Meltzoff and Moores findings

Answer 24

Clear association between expression and action of the child

Question 25

3 limitations for Meltzoff and Moore

Answer 25

• hard to investigate infant behaviour (practical issues e.g naps and also can’t tell if behaviour has meaning)
• no purpose concluded (Feldman)
• socially sensitive (implications for mothers returning to work – should someone stay at home to ensure good reciprocity)

Question 26

2 strengths for Meltzoff and Moore

Answer 26

• well controlled procedures (filmed in slow mo from multiple angles, good validly)
• value to society (could be used to improve mother-infant interactions in at risk groups)

Question 27

What are the two Animal studies in attachments

Answer 27

Lorenz (1952) and Harlow (1958)

Question 28

What was Lorenz’s procedure

Answer 28

12 goose eggs, six saw mother within hours
of hatching, six hatched in incubator and saw Lorenz

Question 29

What was Lorenz’s findings

Answer 29

goslings followed whichever was the first moving object they saw within 12-18 hours (imprinting). First bond affected mating preferences in later life (sexual imprinting). This was permanent / irreversible

Question 30

What was Lorenz’s conclusion

Answer 30

imprinting occurs in critical period, no attachment if outside that time

Question 31

2 limitations for Lorenz

Answer 31

• generalising from birds to humans is doubtful (attachment systems different in mammals
• Guiton et al, disproves sexual imprinting being permanent, chickens changed preferences

Question 32

supporting evidence for Lorenz

Answer 32

Guiton et al found chicks imprinted on washing up gloves (first large moving thing they saw)

Question 33

What was Harlow’s procedure

Answer 33

16 Rhesus monkeys raised with ‘surrogate mothers’. Provides food or cloth-covered. Observed for 165 days. Also exposed to fearful stimulus

Question 34

What did Harlow find

Answer 34

Infants preferred cloth-covered mother to wire one with milk. Critical period of 90 days, there were long term effects on later relationships and behaviour if missed, e.g. violent and issues mating

Question 35

What was Harlows conclusion

Answer 35

contact comfort’ more important than food in attachment

Question 36

3 limitations for Harlow

Answer 36

• ethical issues (suffering of infant monkeys bad as they’re human like )
• generalisation (Better than geese but human communication influences attachment)
• lacking internal validity (in early experiments faces on monkeys were different)

Question 37

strengths for Harlow

Answer 37

• real life application (Showed importance of attachment (e.g. abuse)