Chapter 1 - Introduction

Question 1

A baby has developed an attachment if they show what 3 characteristics?

Answer 1

Separation distress - cries when carer leaves the room
Proximity seeking - reaches out to be held by carer
Stranger anxiety - wary of strangers

Question 2

Define reciprocity

Answer 2

When carer and baby mutually respond to each other’s behaviour. E.g. The carer speaks to the baby and the baby responds with “cooing” or “babbling”

Question 3

Define interactional synchrony

Answer 3

Detailed mimicry and mirroring between baby and carer which forms the early basis of communication. E.g. A baby copying a carers facial expression such as sticking tongue out

Question 4

What did Meltzoff and Moore (1977, 1983) find in there research and what happened?

Answer 4

They showed that infants as young as 3 days old can imitate facial expressions.
Controlled conditions/videoed babies faces/coded by independent observer.

Question 5

What is meant by attachment?

Answer 5

A strong, enduring, emotional and reciprocal bond between two people, especially an infant and caregiver

Question 6

What is longitudinal study?

Answer 6

A study done over a long period of time which gives strong evidence for cause and effect

Question 7

Is a child automatically attached to their parent when they are born?

Answer 7

No

Question 8

Where was the Schaffer and Emerson study conducted?

Answer 8

Glasgow

Question 9

What kind of study was Schaffer and Emerson (1964)?

Answer 9

Longitudinal

Question 10

What background were the participants from the Schaffer and Emerson study from?

Answer 10

Mainly working class

Question 11

How many babies were involved in Schaffer and Emersons study?

Answer 11

60 babies - 31 male and 29 female

Question 12

What was the process in Schaffer and Emersons study?

Answer 12

Each child was observed every 4 weeks until they were 1yr old then again at 18 months.

Question 13

What was the aim of Schaffer and Emersons study?

Answer 13

To identify the different stages of attachment and how to identify between them

Question 14

What is the 1st stage of attachment and describe how we see this?

Answer 14

The first stage of attachment is called Pre-Attachment which is between the ages of 0-2 months. Baby initially shows little response to humans compared to objects but during this stage they start to show a preference for human faces.

Question 15

What is the 2nd stage of attachment and describe how we see this?

Answer 15

The 2nd stage of attachment is called the Indiscrimatd attachment which happens between the ages of 2-7 months. At the start of this stage the baby shows little difference in their response to a familiar carer (can be comforted by a stranger). Gradually the baby starts to show a preference for familiar people (beginning of stranger anxiety)

Question 16

What is the 3rd stage of attachment and describe how we see this?

Answer 16

The 3rd stage of attachment is called the Discriminate attachment which happens between the ages of 7-9 months. The baby is showing a clear. Attachment to one or two people (PCG). The baby cries if the carer goes and is happy when they came back.

Question 17

What is the 4th stage of attachment and describe how we see this?

Answer 17

The 4th stage of attachment is Multiple attachments which happens between the ages of 9 months and onwards. The baby begins to show clear attachments to other people. The majority of children (87%) were attached to more than one person by 18 months.

Question 18

Research that challenges Schaffer and Emerson’s findings

Answer 18

Newborns have a tendency to prefer faces rather than non-faces. This challenges the pre-attachment phase as u abides do not treat humans and objects in a similar way.

Question 19

Support for Schaffer and Emerson’s study

Answer 19

Important study as its findings had implications for other theories such as learning theory; this argues that babies become attached to whoever feeds them and the study provided evidence to contradict this theory as 39% of children were NOT attached to the person who regularly fed them

Question 20

What types of validity does. Schaffer and Emerson’s study lack?

Answer 20

Low population validity and temporal validity.

Question 21

Why can’t Schaffer and Emerson’s findings be generalised to a bigger population?

Answer 21

Because it was a small sample size only using working-class people from Glasgow

Question 22

What percentage of babies showed attachment to their fathers by 18 months?

Answer 22

75%

Question 23

How does a fathers attachment differ from a mothers attachment to a baby?

Answer 23

Fathers are usually seen as the carer that the baby plays games with whereas a Mother is usually for comfort.

Question 24

What study investigates the role of fathers in attachment?

Answer 24

Geiger (1996) found that fathers tend to engage in more exciting, physical games with their children than mothers.

Question 25

What evidence does Geiger give that suggests the role of fathers

Answer 25

1. Fathers are less able to detect low level infant distress
2. Could suggests that women are more evolved to be good at nurturing
3. Fathers tend to spend less time with their children due to society

Question 26

What did Belsky (2009) discover about the role of fathers?

Answer 26

Fathers tend to have more secure relationships with their children when the relationship with the mother was a positive one.