Attatchment Flashcards
Define attachment
An emotional bond between two people
Define reciprocity
Co-ordination of movements between infant and carer that give the child a foundation for latter attachments
Define interactional synchrony
The imitation of a carers facial expressions and actions to form a sort of conversation
What is needed for an attachment to form?
Child must be able to distinguish the individual
Child must be able to be sociable
Caregiver and child must spend time together and interact
What is stranger anxiety?
Distress if approached by a stranger
What behaviours in a child display a secure attachment?
Proximity seeking Separation protest/ anxiety Pleasure when reunited Secure base effect Stranger anxiety General orientation of behaviour towards primary caregiver
What does a secure base effect mean?
a willingness to explore environment in the presence of caregiver but child will only explore so far
Why is reciprocity important in forming attachments?
Basic rhythm is important for later communication
It develops the carers sensitivity so they know what the child wants and needs
Foundation for later attachment
Who conducted the first studies on interactional synchrony and what did they find?
Meltzoff and Moore (1977)
Found children as young as 2-3 weeks old imitated hand gestures and specific facial expressions
It was innate as infant as young as 3 days old demonstrated interactional synchrony
How does the study by Koepke (1983) challenge Meltzoff and Moores findings on interactional synchrony?
A03
His experiment was exactly the same as M&M’s but didn’t have the same results
But it was a less controlled environment
How did Marian (1996) research challenge Meltzoff and Moores research?
A03
She id the same experiment but with a tape recorder and a live carer and the babies couldn’t tell the difference between the two
How does Abravanel and DeYong’s research support Meltzoff and Moores findings?
A03
Toys simulating facial expressions, one moving tongue the other opening/closing mouth but infants didn’t react with them which suggests they don’t copy toys, only other humans
What is the ‘like me ‘ hypothesis developed by Meltzoff in 2005?
1st - connection between what child sees and imitation of it
2nd - infant associate own actions and mental state
3rd - infant projects own internal mental state onto others performing similar acts
= child acquires and understanding of what other people are thinking and feeling
Who developed the stage theory of attachment ?
Schaffer and Emerson 1964
What are the different stages and ages of attachment?
Indiscriminate attachment - Birth to 2 months
Beginnings of attachment - 2 to 4 months
Discriminate attachment - 4 to 7 months
Multiple attachment stage - 7 to 9 + months
Describe Indiscriminate attachment in the stage theory
Similar response to all objects
Greater preference for people towards 2 months
Reciprocity and interactional synchrony
Describe beginnings of attachment in the stage theory
Seeks attention from individuals
Content when receives attention
Doesn’t show stranger anxiety
Describe discriminate attachment in the stage theory
Strong attachment to one individual
Separation anxiety
Stranger anxiety
Describe multiple attachment in the stage theory
Baby form strong emotional ties with all sorts of people
Secondary attachments
What is a primary attachment?
The person who has formed the closest bond with child ( usually mother)
What is meant by the term multiple attachments?
Having more than one attachment figure - e.g mother and father
What % of children form attachments to their mothers and fathers as first and joint first attachment figures?
65% first to mother 3% first to father
30% joint first mother 27% joint first father
According to Shaffer and Emerson what % of infant had multiple attachments to someone else within one months of forming its first attachment ?
29%
Why might data by Shaffer and Emerson be limited?
A03
Its unreliable as it was based on mothers' reports of their infants and some mothers might be less sensitive to child's protests and some may display social desirability bias The sample was biased - just working class population and sample is old so society would have changed
What was the Glasgow Babies study?
Shaffer and Emerson studied the development of attachment in infants by observing and questioning
What did the Glasgow babies study find?
There’s a positive correlation between attachment and stranger anxiety
Stranger anxiety increases with age
Young babies experience less attachment and less anxiety
What is a strength of Shaffer and Emerson’s Glasgow baby study?
High ecological validity as studying natural behaviour
Explain cultural variations in attachment development
Individualist cultures - USA and UK concerned with own needs primarily
Collectivist culture focus on needs of group and normal for child to be raised with members of the group
Evaluate cultural variations in attachment
A03
Sagi (1994) compared attachment in infants from communal environments ( Israeli Kibbutz) to western cultures and attachments with biological mother was far less likely in Israel therefore the stage theory applies only to individualist cultures
How is the sample used to make Shaffer and Emersons stage theory a limitation?
A03
Only used working class families in 1960's where the mother stays home and father goes to work Nowadays results would differ as care of children ahs changed considerably
How does biology influence attachments ?
Female hormone oestrogen is involved in caring behaviour which men don’t have
What has research found in relation to fathers as primary attachment figures?
Frodi - no difference in response between men and women when shown babies crying
Frank - two parent families where father is primary caregiver, both share the role of primary attachment figure
Outline the role of fathers in the development of attachment
Geiger - fathers play an important role as playmates and in providing challenging situation for child
Less sensitivity provides challenging and cognitive demands on children
Animal studies in attachment?
Harlow and Harlows Rhesus monkeys
Lorenz’s geese
What was Harlow’s aim?
Wanted to demonstrate that mothers love wasn’t based on the feeding bond as predicted by the learning theory
