Attatchment

Question 1

Define attachment

Answer 1

An emotional bond between two people

Question 2

Define reciprocity

Answer 2

Co-ordination of movements between infant and carer that give the child a foundation for latter attachments

Question 3

Define interactional synchrony

Answer 3

The imitation of a carers facial expressions and actions to form a sort of conversation

Question 4

What is needed for an attachment to form?

Answer 4

Child must be able to distinguish the individual
Child must be able to be sociable
Caregiver and child must spend time together and interact

Question 5

What is stranger anxiety?

Answer 5

Distress if approached by a stranger

Question 6

What behaviours in a child display a secure attachment?

Answer 6

Proximity seeking 
Separation protest/ anxiety 
Pleasure when reunited 
Secure base effect 
Stranger anxiety 
General orientation of behaviour towards primary caregiver

Question 7

What does a secure base effect mean?

Answer 7

a willingness to explore environment in the presence of caregiver but child will only explore so far

Question 8

Why is reciprocity important in forming attachments?

Answer 8

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

Question 9

Who conducted the first studies on interactional synchrony and what did they find?

Answer 9

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

Question 10

How does the study by Koepke (1983) challenge Meltzoff and Moores findings on interactional synchrony?
A03

Answer 10

His experiment was exactly the same as M&M’s but didn’t have the same results
But it was a less controlled environment

Question 11

How did Marian (1996) research challenge Meltzoff and Moores research?
A03

Answer 11

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

Question 12

How does Abravanel and DeYong’s research support Meltzoff and Moores findings?
A03

Answer 12

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

Question 13

What is the ‘like me ‘ hypothesis developed by Meltzoff in 2005?

Answer 13

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

Question 14

Who developed the stage theory of attachment ?

Answer 14

Schaffer and Emerson 1964

Question 15

What are the different stages and ages of attachment?

Answer 15

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

Question 16

Describe Indiscriminate attachment in the stage theory

Answer 16

Similar response to all objects
Greater preference for people towards 2 months
Reciprocity and interactional synchrony

Question 17

Describe beginnings of attachment in the stage theory

Answer 17

Seeks attention from individuals
Content when receives attention
Doesn’t show stranger anxiety

Question 18

Describe discriminate attachment in the stage theory

Answer 18

Strong attachment to one individual
Separation anxiety
Stranger anxiety

Question 19

Describe multiple attachment in the stage theory

Answer 19

Baby form strong emotional ties with all sorts of people

Secondary attachments

Question 20

What is a primary attachment?

Answer 20

The person who has formed the closest bond with child ( usually mother)

Question 21

What is meant by the term multiple attachments?

Answer 21

Having more than one attachment figure - e.g mother and father

Question 22

What % of children form attachments to their mothers and fathers as first and joint first attachment figures?

Answer 22

65% first to mother 3% first to father

30% joint first mother 27% joint first father

Question 23

According to Shaffer and Emerson what % of infant had multiple attachments to someone else within one months of forming its first attachment ?

Answer 23

29%

Question 24

Why might data by Shaffer and Emerson be limited?

A03

Answer 24

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

Question 25

What was the Glasgow Babies study?

Answer 25

Shaffer and Emerson studied the development of attachment in infants by observing and questioning

Question 26

What did the Glasgow babies study find?

Answer 26

There’s a positive correlation between attachment and stranger anxiety
Stranger anxiety increases with age
Young babies experience less attachment and less anxiety

Question 27

What is a strength of Shaffer and Emerson’s Glasgow baby study?

Answer 27

High ecological validity as studying natural behaviour

Question 28

Explain cultural variations in attachment development

Answer 28

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

Question 29

Evaluate cultural variations in attachment

A03

Answer 29

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

Question 30

How is the sample used to make Shaffer and Emersons stage theory a limitation?
A03

Answer 30

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

Question 31

How does biology influence attachments ?

Answer 31

Female hormone oestrogen is involved in caring behaviour which men don’t have

Question 32

What has research found in relation to fathers as primary attachment figures?

Answer 32

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

Question 33

Outline the role of fathers in the development of attachment

Answer 33

Geiger - fathers play an important role as playmates and in providing challenging situation for child
Less sensitivity provides challenging and cognitive demands on children

Question 34

Animal studies in attachment?

Answer 34

Harlow and Harlows Rhesus monkeys

Lorenz’s geese

Question 35

What was Harlow’s aim?

Answer 35

Wanted to demonstrate that mothers love wasn’t based on the feeding bond as predicted by the learning theory