Caregiver-infant interactions, stages of attachement, multiple attachment Flashcards
what is an attachment
a close two way bond between two individuals where they seek eachother for their own emotional security
what are the three behaviours people display which represent attachment
proximity
seperation distress
secure-base behaviour
what does proximity refer to
people try to stay physically close to those they are attached to
what does seperation distress refer to
people are distressed when an attachment figure leaves their presence
what does secure-base behaviour refer to
people tend to return to their attachment figures even when being independent
what is a caregiver
any person who provides care for a child
what is an infant
a child in their first year of life
what are caregiver-infant interactions
communication between a caregiver and an infant
what are the two types of caregiver-infant interactions
reciprocity and interactional synchrony
what is reciprocity
a two way process in which each party responds to the other’s signals in turns
what is interactional synchrony
when a caregiver and infant reflect the actions and emotions of the other in a coordinated way, at the same time like mirroring
which study supported the existence of interactional synchrony
meltzoff and moore
what did the meltzoff and moore study find
observers found an association between the expression/gestures of an adult and the actions of babies, having only seen the infant reaction
how many stages of attachment were identified by schaffer
4
who came up with stages of attachment
schaffer
what is schaffer’s first stage of attachment called
the asocial stage
when is an infant in the asocial stage
birth - 2 months
what does the asocial stage involve
babies behaviour to human/non-human objects is very similar but by the end of the stage infants become increasingly calmer in the presence of other humans due to caregiver-infant interactions
what is schaffer’ second stage of attachment called
indiscriminate attachment
when is an infant in the indiscriminate attachment stage
2 months - 7 months
what does the indiscriminate attachment stage involve
babies show a preference for people than inanimate objects, distinguish between familiar (preffered) and unfamiliar adults but can be comforted by any adult
what is schaffer’s third stage of attachment called
specific attachment
when is an infant in the specific attachment stage
at 7 months
what does the specific attachment stage involve
forms a primary attachment figure (65% time the mum) , beginning of stranger and seperation anxiety
what is schaffer’s fourth stage of attachment called
multiple attachments
when is an infant in the multiple attachment stage
after 7 months
what does the multiple attachment stage involve
secondary attachments form, other adults they regularly spend time with, formed by 1 year old
what is a primary attachment figure
the person whom an infant is most intensely attached to
what is a secondary attachment figure
the person an infant recieves additional support from, broader emotional safety net
what was the method of schaffer and emerson’s study
60 Glasgow babies, working class families, longitudinal study, observation and interviews with mother to assess stranger and seperation anxiety in different situation
what were the findings of schaffer and emerson’s study
- 50% babies showed seperation anxiety at 6-8 months
- 65% time mother is primary attachment figure
- 3% time father is primary attachment figure
- 75% babies had attachment with father by 18 months
what is the biological explanation for different mother and father roles
female hormones like oestrogen create higher levels of nurturing
what is the social explanation for differing mother and father roles
result of traditional gender roles and stereotypes in society
what is the role of the father
provide children with a secure environment to learnt o be brave, importance as ‘playmates’ since they encourage children to take risks while being safe
which study suggested fathers can be primary attachment figures
Field
what was field’s study
filmed 4 month old babies interaction with primary mothers/fathers
what were the findings on field’s study
primary fathers spent more time smiling, imitating and holding infants just like primary mothers
what can we learn from Field’s experiment
the key to attachment relationships is the level of responsiveness not the gender of the parent
Which study provides evidence for the importance of interactional synchrony
Isabella et al
What were the findings of Isabella et al’s study
high levels of synchrony were associated with better quality attachments
