Attatchments Flashcards
Describe bowlbys theory of attachment
Evolutionary theory
When babies are born they rely on care givers and so pre programmed biological abilities that allow close proximity with the care giver for survival such as crying
Then the adult wishes to interact with the child which allows the infant to learn from the adult which ensures long term survivial
Describe learning theory
Classical conditioning UCS - food. UCR - pleasure UC FOOD UC CAREGIVER. - UCR PLEASURE UCS CARE GIVER - CR PLEASURE
operant conditioning
Spontaneous behaviour causes a consequence which increases the likelihood of the response being given
And infant cries and food is given so the baby cries again
List and describe research that has investigated explanations of attachment
Klause and kennel tested skin to skin contact to see if it had an effect between the mothers and there babies
The ps were two groups of mothers
It was a field experiment
One controlled group on conditioned group. They visited the mothers once after a month and once after a year and made notes on changes by the babies and made a conclusion
What are some strengths of the klause and kennel study
It’s a field experiment so good extraneous variables
It supports bowlbys theory of attachment
Some weaknesses of klause and kennel
Field experiment means poor internal validity
Doesn’t account for participant variables such as how the mothers are with the babies when the researchers are not around
How does this study support theory’s of attachment
It supports bowlbys theory of attachment as the babies with more skin to skin contact appear to have better attachments this supports the theory as the better the relationship the better the IWM
Describe Ainsworths strange situation
Aim to investigate if attachments differ between children.
Procedure
Was a structured observation lab experiment. 1-parent and infant alone2-stranger joins3-parent leaves4-parent returns stranger leaves5-parent leaves6-stranger returns7-parent returns. Infants measured on willingness to explore separation anxiety reunion behaviour. Measured on a 1-7 scale
What were the results of the strange situation
70% secure
10% insecure avoidant
20%insecure resistant
Some strengths of the strange situation
Good ecological validity
Repeatable
Some weaknesses of the strange situation
Could be researcher bias Poor internal validity due to situation Culturally restricted Poor population validity Unethical
Describe the characteristics of a secure attachment
The child trusts the mother not to leave
Plays seriously different upset and disrupted
Still distressed without mother treats stranger differently.
Wants immediate comfort on mothers return
Describe the characteristics of a insecure avoidant child
Shows an indifference towards the mother play hardly affected
Little or no stress
Few signs of stress doesn’t care
Actively avoids mother
Describe the characteristics of a insecure resistant child
Anxious and clingy to mother
Very distressed
Actively resists stranger
Shows anger towards mother but wants contact
Why are there different types of attachments in children
It’s caused by the mothers proximity with the child
Describe cultural variations research
Takahashi Aim to consider whether it's appropriate to use the strange situation with Japanese children ie whether it is valid. The participants were 60 middle class male and female infants aged 1 and their mothers were observed in the strange situation
What were the results of takahashis experiment
68%secure
0%avoident
32%resistant
What are strengths of takahashis experiment
Good use of the strange situation to test cultural differences
Good ecological validity
What are some weaknesses of takahashis experiment
Unethical
Poor internal validity
Could be bias
Poor population validity
Define disruption
A already formed attachment is taken away/broken
Describe research that has looked into the effects of disruption
Bowlbys 44 thieves study
Aim to test maternal deprivation hypothesis
88 children aged between 5-16
Who referred to child guidance clinic.
44 of the children were referred because of stealing
Bowlbys identifies 16 of them as affectionless psychopaths
The other 44 were emotionally sound none of this control group were psychopaths
What were the findings of the bowlbys 44 thieves study
Found 86%who were diagnosed as affection less psychopaths had experiences Early prolonged separation from there mothers
Only 17%of the other thieves Were not in this classification
Even fewer 4% of non thieves had frequent early separation
What are some strengths of the 44 thieves
Natural experiment
High external validity
Supports the theory of maternal deprivation hypothesis
Some weaknesses if of bowlby 44 thieves study
Low internal validity
It’s subjective
Using research look at the effects of short term disruption
Robertson and Robertson looked at Thomas and John as a case study
They found 3 stages protest despair and detachment
Protest would make end up with then crying pitifully refusing food won’t sleep
Despair ends with jobs
And detachment results in ignoring of father and mother
What is privation
Not knowing the maternal care giver so an attachment isn’t formed
Describe research that has looked into privation
Genie case study by Curtiss
Natural experiment
Majority of the information gathered from observing genie and working with her in regular sessions
Her Info was deemed some what unreliable
What the results of the genie case study
Genie improved socially
Intellectual development was gathered
Like a two year old for eating bout 8-9 for bathing herself
Some understanding or numbers
Delayed responses
Beginning to learn English correctly in the end despite extreme privation
What are some strengths of the genie study
The data is rich/ thorough and in depth with both qualitative and quantitive data gathered from multiple research methods
Researchers took care of genie and the aim of the study was to provide her with good quality care and the primary aim was to help genie to see if she could develop.
Genie was given a pseudonym to keep her identity a secret that so get family cannot be traced and would not be recognised constantly and be bothered by the media - ethical strength
What are some weaknesses of the study of genie
One issue is it could not have been shown without developmental problems which she may have had in infancy so her later inability to develop later in life may have been from inherent problems not privation
Whilst the researches took good care of genie there are ethical issues that she was the subject of a study and was exposed to a great deal of research, observations and psychological questioning which might be seen as not treating her properly
What are the effects of privation
They cause a problem with the IWM which determines all futures attachments and social development shown by the genie study
What is day care
Daytime care for people who cannot not be fully independent such as children or elderly people
Define social development
A child’s ability to get on with other children make friends co operate and share
Define institutional care
Long-term nursing care, treatment or services received in a Medicaid-certified long-term care facility.
Describe a study into institutional care
Hodges and tizard
Natural experiment
65 children aged 16 had all been in institutional care from the age of four
During this time have not been able to form attachments due to turn over of staff by the age of two each child had, had 24 carers on average. These children were assessed over a 16 year period
What methods were used to gather data in the hodges and tizard study
1 interview with adolescents
2 interview with mother some cases father present
3 self repot questionnaire concerning social difficulties
4 a questionnaire completed by participants school teachers, which identifies psychiatric problems such as depression.
5 Rutter B scale which is a type of psychometric test completed by teachers which identifies psychiatric problems such as depression
What were the findings of the hodges and tizard study
At 16 the majority of the adoptive mothers 17/21 felt there child was
Deeply attached to them. Whereas only half of the restored children were descried as deeply attached to their father than the restored group
Ex institutional children had greater problems with siblings than a comparison group
Strengths of the hodges and tizard study
Natural experiment - high external validity
Longitudinal study - lots of data gathered
Wide range of participants more data and better varied results
Weaknesses of hodges and tizard
Natural experiment
Low internal validity
Amount of children in each section eg fostered adopted etc was uneven gives uneven data
Used questionnaires which could be lied on and interviews that could be lied in
What are the effects of institutional care
Causes children a deprivation of close long lasting attachments to adults in their first year of their lives. Which could affect the IWM of the children concerned.
Describe research that has investigated the effects of daycare on aggression and peer relations
Shea
Video taped threes and four year old children in the playground during there first ten weeks at nursery school.
What were the findings of Shea
Sociability and peer interaction went up over time and distance to the nearest child decreased. Sociability was defined as seeking out and enjoying company of others. This increase on sociability was greater in children attending nursery for five days a week than those attending for two days a week
This was also true for aggression accept it decreased over time.
What does the findings of Shea suggest
That it was experience of nursery rather than some other factor, such as increasing maturity, which led to increased sociability
What are some strengths
Of Sheas experiment of daycare on peer relations and aggression
Natural experiment
High external validity
Videotaped so it can be reviewed to reduce chance of miss observing
What are some weaknesses or Sheas experiment of daycare on aggression and peer relations
Natural experiment
Poor internal validity
Could be subjective
Doesn’t account for individual differences some children could be naturally sociable and others not
What are the characteristics of a good quality daycare
Physical setting Child to career ratio Career qualification Daily activities Relationships with parents Continuity and stability Adult child interaction Developmental appropriate curriculum
