Attatchment Flashcards
Attachment
A close two way emotional bond between two individuals in which each individual sees each other as essential for their own emotional security
How is attachment measured
Separation anxiety
Stranger anxiety
Reunion behaviour
Willingness to explore
Caregiver infant interactions
Interactional synchrony
Reciprocity
Stages of attachment
Role of father
Interactional synchrony
A theory of social communication where behaviours of one or more individuals become synchronised e.g. Infant and mother smiling simultaneously
Meltzoff and Moore
Observed beginnings of interactional synchrony in infants from two weeks old
An adult displayed on one three facial expressions/ gestures
The child’s response was filmed
An association was found between the expression/gesture and response of baby
Interactional synchrony was found to be important for the development of mother infant attachment
Interactional synchrony and Reciprocity Evaluation Strengths
Controlled observation
All behaviours were filmed so can later be analysed
Babies behaviour will not change in observation (good internal validity)
Interactional synchrony and Reciprocity Evaluation Limitations
Observing in infants is hard -
Changes in expression may not be deliberate
Doesn’t explain why
Only describes behaviours - less useful
Socially sensitive
Suggests children are disadvantaged by particular child rearing practices
Schaffer and Emerson Evaluation Strengths
High external validity
Behaviour unlikely to be affected by presence of observer
Longitudinal
No individual difference- high internal validity
Helped to formulate 4 stages of attachment
Schaffer and Emerson Evaluation Limitations
Social desirability bias from mothers
Difficult to establish cause and effect
Lacks population and temporal validity
Stages of attachment Evaluation Strengths
Easily replicable
Reliable - has been replicated and universal evidence to show attachment develops in these stages
Stages of attachment Evaluation Limitations
Individual differences Asocial stage - difficult to make judgements Lacks temporal validity Only make observational assumptions Doesn’t explain why
Lorenz Evaluation
\+ Suggests cause of attachment is nature - Can’t generalise birds to humans Mammalian attachment system differs from birds Human babies born without motor skills Impact of imprinting is not permanent - Guiton et al (Yellow gloves)
Harlow Evaluation
+
Shows attachment develops due to contact comfort
Importance of early relationships
Application - importance for animals in zoos to have attachment figure
-
Cannot generalise to humans
Ethical issues - monkeys showed depression signs
Bowlbys monotropiv Theory Strengths
IWM
Bailey et al - mothers with poor attachment to their parents were likely to have the same with their children
Evidence to show cute infant behaviours intend to initiate social interaction
Bowlbys montoropic Theory Limitations
Not supported by Schaffer and Emerson who say you can have multiple attachments at the same time
May be genetic makeup that determines social behaviour rather than attachments
Deterministic
- not every child has a bad future if they have a bad childhood