Attatchment Flashcards
What is reciprocity?
Both infant and caregiver respond to each other’s signals with a similar action
What is interactional synchrony?
Infant and caregiver reflect the actions and emotions of each other, and tend to do so in a coordinated way
M&T study - evidence for reciprocity in infant-caregiver interaction
Mother and infant playing with each other
Mother then adopts a still face and doesn’t respond to infant
Infant tries to regain mother’s attention and becomes distressed
Babies are active in two way communication (supports Brazzleton)
M&M study - evidence for imitation in infant-caregiver interaction/interactional synchrony
Infants were presented with one of three facial expressions (tongue pull, lip protrusion and open mouth) and one of three distinctive gestures, such as a hand movement (sequential finger movement)
A dummy was placed in the infant’s mouth to prevent any movement before and during the presentation by the adult model
After presentation of the behaviour by the adult, the dummy was removed and the child’s immediate response was recorded on a close-up video
Independent judges then rated the infant’s response for likeness to any of the four target behaviours (they were not told which expression / movement the child had just seen.
They said the photo which the infant had seen
What is motherese (modified language)?
Adults modifying their language when speaking with young children as a way of drawing them into attention
Research into role of father in attachment
S&E - found that majority of babies became attached to their mother first at around 7 months and then form secondary attachments a few months later
Lamb - found that infants approach each parent equally, however they tend to seek out their mothers when they’re distressed
Field - filmed 4 month old babies in face to face interaction with caregivers, infants tend to smile more with their mothers than their fathers
Shaffer’s stages of attachment
Stage 1 - Asocial: baby is recognising and forming bonds with carers, behaviour towards humans and objects is similar
Stage 2 - Indiscriminate attachment: babies prefer people than objects and accept comfort from any adult
Stage 3 - Specific attachment: babies show separation anxiety towards one particular adult, primary CG is the who offers most interaction
Stage 4 - Multiple attachments: shortly after primary attachment establishes, babies usually extend attachment to multiple other adults
Evaluation on role of fathers
- Inconsistent findings
- If fathers have a distinct role, why aren’t children without fathers different
- Expectations about gender roles may cause bias
- This research has important economic implications
What two types of surrogate mothers were used in Harlow’s experiment?
- Cloth mother that dispensed milk
- Wire mother that did not dispense milk
What was measured to assess the monkeys’ preferences?
Who they spent the most time with.
What additional measure of attachment-like behaviour was observed in the monkeys?
Their reactions to frightening situations.
What did baby monkeys prefer when given a choice between the cloth and wire mother?
They spent more time cuddling the cloth mother.
What behaviour did the monkeys exhibit when frightened?
They would go towards the cloth mother.
What role did the cloth mother play in an unfamiliar environment?
They used the cloth mother as a secure base.
What long-term effects did maternal deprivation have on the monkeys?
- More aggressive
- Less sociable
- Less skilled in mating
- Neglected and sometimes killed their own offspring
