Chapter 1 Attachment

Question 1

What is reciprocity?

Answer 1

When a baby and carer mutually respond to each other’s behaviour
E.g If a baby cries the carer pick the baby up

Question 2

What’s interactional synchrony?

Answer 2

Detailed mimicry + mirroring between a carer and baby

E.g baby copying facial expressions

Question 3

What evidence is there for interactional synchrony?

Answer 3

MELTZOFF & MOORE

• Asked models to display one of three expressions to a baby in controlled conditions
• shows that babies as young as three days old can imitate facial expressions

Question 4

Are babies just copying patterns or are they trying to communicate?

Answer 4

MURRAY + TREVATHEN 1985
2 month of babies interacted with their mums via a screen and the first time the mum responded
The second time the mum didn’t response,causing the baby to show distress-Supporting the idea that babies are actively trying to communicate

Question 5

What evidence is their to show the stages in development of attachment?

Answer 5

SCHAFFER AND EMERSON

• Conducted a longitudinal study over the first two years of life of 60 babies,each child was assessed every 4 weeks up to 1 and then at 18 months
• Assessed if the child was attached and how many people it was attached too

Question 6

What were the findings of Schaffer and Emersons study?

Answer 6

• Infants form attachments and can eventually attach to many people
• Quality of care is important

Question 7

What are the four stages of attachment?

Answer 7

Pre attachment
Indiscriminate
Discriminate
Multiple

Question 8

Pre attachment characteristics?

Answer 8

Age - birth to 2 months

• little difference shown in response to humans and other objects
• start to show preference to human faces

Question 9

Indiscriminate attachments characteristics?

Answer 9

Age 2-7 months

• initially little difference shown in response to stranger+carer
• gradually shows preference to familiar people

Question 10

Discriminate attachment features?

Answer 10

Age 7-9 months

• clear attachment to one or two people
• cries when separated from carer

Question 11

Multiple attachment characteristics?

Answer 11

Age 9+ months

• 87% attached to more than one person by this stage
• slightly less stranger anxiety

Question 12

Example of multiple attachments?

Answer 12

Israeli kibbutzim-children brought up communally by more than one adult -more likely to form multiple attachment before singe

Question 13

Evidence for the role of fathers in attachment?(Geiger)

Answer 13

Geiger 1996-Father engage in more exciting games + are less able to detect levels of infant distress.May be due to biological differences or fathers spending less time with chid due to society commitments

Question 14

Evidence for the role of fathers in attachment (field)?

Answer 14

Filmed 4 months old with their mum and dad’s

• if father was main carer they spent more time smiling and holding their child that if they were the secondary carer.
• Gender doesn’t matter

Question 15

What a definition of attachment?

Answer 15

A close emotional relationship between two people,characterised by mutual affection and the desire to maintain proximity

Question 16

what is the study to show that interactional synchrony is important in the development of attachment?

Answer 16

Isabelle
Observed 30 mothers and children and measured the amount of interactional synchrony

-the conclusion was that securely attached children had more interactional synchrony