CAREGIVER/INFANT + FATHER

Question 1

What is ATTACHMENT?

Answer 1

• emotional bond between 2 things
• each seeks closeness
• feels more secure in the presence of attachment figure

Question 2

What is STRANGER ANXIETY?

Answer 2

-distress of an infant in the presence of unknown individuals

Question 3

What is RECIPROCITY?

Answer 3

• two ways or something that is mutual
• infant and caregiver both active contributors in the interaction
• responding to eachother

Question 4

What is INTERACTIONAL SYNCHRONY?

Answer 4

• timing and pattern of the interaction

- infant and caregiver mirroring each others behaviour and emotion

Question 5

What are the main assumptions of CAREGIVER-INFANT INTERACTIONS?

Answer 5

• rhythmic and mutual
• infant and caregiver promoting conversation involving similar sounds, emotions and contact
• each can anticipate how the other will respond
• interactional synchrony and reciprocity

Question 6

What is a positive evaluation for INTERACTIONAL SYNCHRONY and RECIPROCITY? (1)

Answer 6

RESEARCH SUPPORT

• condon and sander (1974)
• caregiver-infant interactions in response to adult speech
• used frame by frame analysis of films of babies
• found babies move in time with the rhythm of conversation which shows turn taking

Question 7

What is a positive evaluation for INTERACTIONAL SYNCHRONY and RECIPROCITY? (2)

Answer 7

RESEARCH SUPPORT

• Isabella (1989)
• observed 30 mothers and infants in their homes
• measured degree of synchrony
• found mother’s who showed more interactional synchrony=more securely attached

Question 8

What is a negative evaluation for INTERACTIONAL SYNCHRONY and RECIPROCITY?

Answer 8

• difficult to interpret infants perspective
• often babies hand movements and facial expressions are random
• don’t know for certain behaviours seen in caregiver-infant reaction have special meaning
• even if INTERACTIONAL SYNCHRONY and RECIPROCITY reliably observed, they don’t tell us the purpose

Question 9

What are the 4 stages of attachment identified by SCHAFFER?

Answer 9

• pre attachment stage
• indiscriminate attachment stage
• discriminate attachment stage
• multiple attachment stage

Question 10

What is the PRE ATTACHMENT STAGE?

Answer 10

• birth to 6 weeks
• similar responses to objects and people
• preferences for faces and eyes

Question 11

What is the INDISCRIMINATE ATTACHMENT STAGE?

Answer 11

• 6 weeks to 6 months
• preference for human company
• can distinguish between people
• doesn’t care who comforts them

Question 12

What is the DISCRIMINATE ATTACHMENT STAGE?

Answer 12

• 7 months and onward
• infant shoes preference for one caregiver
• displays separation and stranger anxiety
• baby looks to particular people for security, comfort and protection

Question 13

What is the MULTIPLE ATTACHMENT STAGE?

Answer 13

• 10 months onwards
• attachment displayed to two or more people
• fear of strangers weakens

Question 14

What was BOWLBYS main assumption?

Answer 14

• infants form one primary attachment that forms internal working model
• influence all other secondary attachments in the future
• quality of main attachment is vital
• known as BOWLBYS MONOTROPIC THEORY

Question 15

What is the fathers role in attachment?

Answer 15

• traditionally limited/minor role
• they provide resources while mothers stay at home
• recently their role has changed significantly

Question 16

What are the roles fathers are thought to play in attachment?

Answer 16

Some researchers say:

• men not equipped to form attachments
• caring hormone oestrogen is scarce in men
• fathers have playmate role instead for caregiver
• if fathers show sensitive responsiveness they can form emotional bond

Question 17

What is a positive evaluation for fathers role as playmate

Answer 17

• research support Geiger (1996)
• fathers play interactions more exciting and pleasurable
• mothers more nurturing and caring
• shows father is playmate, mother is caregiver

Question 18

What is a negative evaluation for fathers ability to form bonds?

Answer 18

• research by hrdy (1999)
• found fathers less able to detect low levels of infant distress
• supports lack of oestrogen in men as they are unequipped to form bonds
• fathers role biologically determined by their biological make up

Question 19

What is a positive evaluation for sensitive responsiveness?

Answer 19

• research found fathers can form close bonds if in intimate marriage
• belsky et al (2009)
• fathers with high marital intimacy=secure father-infant attachment
• fathers with low marital intimacy=insecure father-infant attachment
• strength of their father-infant attachment depends on marital relationship
• fathers role is determined but also mediated by environment

Question 20

What did Shaffer and Emerson find and how?

Answer 20

• They conducted a longitudinal study on working-class mothers in Glasgow
• measuring attachment in natural settings in two ways (separation protest and stranger anxiety)
• found these stages were correct
• although 39% of attachments were not to the primary caregiver
• Stronger attachments resulted in parents who responded to the child’s needs quickly, effectively and often.
• 87% of children had multiple attachments at 18 months
• 31% had five or more attachments

Question 21

What is caregiverese?

Answer 21

• The infant and caregiver beginning to understand each other through their different noises and actions
• a mother knowing that a certain sound means the child is hungry, but nobody else understands this