Chapter 3 - Attachment Flashcards
Define interactional synchrony
when the mother and infant reflect both action and emotion of the other
define reciprocity
when each person responds to the other and elicits a response
give a positive for the observation of infant interactions in attachment
good control- lab studies, filmed for close observation and babies unaware of being filmed
give 2 negatives for the observation of infant attachment
- can be hard to tell what is going on from infants perspective, or if they are even conscious of their actions
- the observations don’t suggest any purpose for the interactions despite the fact that (Feldman showed) these interactions can be reliably observed
outline 3 studies of infant attachment
- Schaffer and Emerson, attachment to mother first
- Grossman, found the role of mother/father attachments e.g. fathers play affecting adolescent attachment
- Field, showed fathers can be more nurturing figures, key is responsiveness not gender
evaluate research onto attachment figures (4)
- inconsistent findings on role of father - looks at either primary of secondary attachment not the role
- children without fathers develop normally
- gender roles or hormones?
- socially sensitive - working mums, suggests parenting style could be detrimental to infant development
outline the method used by Schaffer and Emerson (3)
- mothers + infants visited every month for the first year then again at 18 months
- asked mothers reactions of infants to everyday separation
- 60 babies
outline the findings of Schaffer and Emerson’s Glasgow babies (3)
- 25-32 weeks 50% showed separation anxiety, meaning specific attachment
- not always person who spent most time with infant
- 40 weeks 30% showed multiple attachments
state the stages of attachment (ages and behaviour)
- Asocial stage up to 8 weeks; behaviour towards humans and objects is similar
- indiscriminate attachment 2-7 months; more preference to humans than objects but not yet separation anxiety
- specific attachment 7 months plus; stranger anxiety and attachment to primary caregiver/ primary attachment figure
- multiple 7 months plus; secondary just after specific, majority by the age of 1
state 2 positives of Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment
- good external validity - own homes
- longitudinal study - no participant variables
state 4 negatives of Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment
- limited sample - all from the same area and class, only 60 may lack generalisability
- asocial stage is difficult to study - not much observable behaviour
- collectivist cultures - form multiple attachments from outset
- measured behaviour too simplistic, may show similar behaviour in response to separation from playmates
Outline Lorenz’s research into attachment
- randomly divided clutch of goose eggs and raised one half
- control group followed mother
- followed attachment figure even when groups mixed
outline the findings of Lorenz’s research into attachment
- identified a critical period for imprinting after which it could not occur
- birds raised by humans later displayed courtship towards humans
evaluate Lorenz’s research into animal attachment (2)
- generalisability - research conducted on birds, mammals form a strong emotional bond to young and attachments don’t only form within a critical period
- questionable observations - the impact on mating behaviour is not permanent, they learn
outline Harlow’s research into attachment (3)
- 16 baby rhesus monkeys reared with 2 wire model mothers
- 1 condition milk dispensed from one or other (soft or wire)
- monkeys always chose comfort regardless of which had food
outline Harlow’s findings (4)
- wire mother monkeys - highly dysfunctional adult monkeys
- both conditions developed poor social skills and more aggression
- were bad parents themselves
- concluded critical period for normal development
evaluate Harlow’s research (4)
- theoretical value - highlights the importance of early relationships
- practical value - helps prevent child abuse and deprivation e.g. institutions
- ethics - human-like suffering of monkeys, was it really worth it?
- limited application to humans - much disagreement
who proposed that infant attachments could be explained by learning theory?
Dollard and Miller
what was the reasoning behind the idea that infant attachment can be explained by learning theory? (3)
- hunger thought to be primary drive
- drive reduction, motivated to reduce hunger
- attachment is therefore secondary drive, learned by association with comfort of food
evaluate learning theory as an explanation of attachment (5)
- counter evidence from animal studies e.g. Harlow
- counter evidence form human studies e.g. Schaffer and Emerson
- ignores other factors e.g. interactional synchrony
- attachment is atleast partly conditioning, associate caregivers with comfort e.g. crying for mum when hurt
- SLT, parents teach children to love them by modelling attachment behaviour
outline Bowlby’s theory of monotropy (4)
- primary attachment figure most important, accumulated separation (suggested should be no separation), contunuity (consistent reliable care = stronger attachment)
- social releasers - cute behaviour
- suggests critical /sensitive period of about 2 years
- internal working model for all future relationships
evaluate Bowlby’s theory of monotropy (5)
- mixed evidence - Schaffer and Emerson monotropy yet minority form multiple attachments from outset
- social releasers - existence of interaction synchrony - Brazleton found babies lie motionless when they find their actions elicit no response from caregivers
- IWM passed through generations
- socially sensitive nature of monotropy
- ignores temperament - overemphasis on early attachment yet ignores biology
What was Ainsworth’s strange situation designed to test?
the security of attachment with caregiver
what were the behaviours observed by Ainsworth’s strang situation?
- proximity seeking
- secure-base behaviour
- stranger anxiety
- separation anxiety
- reunion behaviour
outline the sequence of Ainsworth’s strange situation (7)
- child encouraged to explore
- stranger enters and interacts with child
- caregiver leaves
- caregiver returns and stranger leaves
- caregiver leaves child alone
- stranger returns
- caregiver returns
what were the findings of Ainsworth’s strange situation
- secure attachment 60-75%
- insecure avoidant 20-25%
- insecure resistant 3%
evaluate Ainsworth’s strange situation (5)
- validity, predictive of future development
- inter-rater reliability, easily observable behavioural categories
- culture bound findings, parents behaved most differently in cultural variations e.g. Japanese mothers scooped up infants
- may be a measure of anxiety rather than attachment and therefore temperament
- atleast 1 more attachment type known as disorganised but also disinhibited
what did Ijzendoorn research?
cultural variations in attachment
outline Ijzendoorn’s method and findings (4)
- strange situation 32x in 8 countries
- 30% resistant in Israel (highest)
- Germany highest avoidant, values independence in children
- cultural variations most observable within countries (rather than between them)
evaluate Ijzendoorn’s variations in attachment
- large samples = good reliability
- samples may not be representative - measured between countries not cultures
- biased assessment - imposed etic
- attachment is innate universally - shows biology
- ignores temperament (SS)
outline Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation (3)
- negative effects of separation can be counteracted by substitute emotional care
- critical period is 30 months in humans, separation during this time results in inevitable psychological harm
- development, delayed intellectual development, stunted emotional development can lead to affectionless psychopathy and criminality
outline the procedure of Bowlby’s thieves study (3)
- 44 thieves interviewed for signs of A.P.
- families also interviewed to establish prolonged separation when younger
- control group with no criminality
state the findings of Bowlby’s 44 thieves study (2)
- 14 showed signs of A.P.
- 12 out of 14 had experienced prolonged separation in the first two years of life
evaluate Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation (5)
- poor validity of evidence e.g. children may have been traumatised
- counter evidence from Lewis, larger sample showed separation did not predict criminality
- critical period more of a sensitive period if the children are given appropriate aftercare e.g. Czechoslovakian twins recovered after 7 years old
- animal studies show affects
- doesn’t distinguish between deprivation and privation
outline Rutters research into Romanian orphans
- studied children adopted into the UK from institutions in Romania
- those adopted at 6 months to 2 years had a significantly lower IQ in later life
- those adopted after 6 months showed disinhibited attachments
- before 6 months developed normally
outline the research of the Bucharest early intervention project and its findings (4)
- used strange situation on institutionalised orphans (95 kids + control group of 50)
- 19% secure attachment
- 65% disorganised
- 44% disinhibited
evaluate Romanian orphan studies into attachment (5)
- real-life application in institutions
- few extraneous variables, less trauma than other studies of institutionalised orphans
- Romanian orphanages not typical of institutions, therefore findings may not be generalisable
- ethics, Bucharest project randomly allocated orphans to conditions whereas Rutter merely observed them
- more long term effects not yet clear
outline the influence of attachment on later relationships (5)
- internal working model, passed down
- Smith (1998) suggested IR are bullies and IA are victims
- romantic partnership, love quiz by McCarthy, secure attachments most likely to have success in romance
- parenting style, most women have the same attachment as mother to own baby
evaluate research into attachment and later relationships
- little relationship between quality of infant attachment and adolescent attachment
- validity issues e.g. questionnaire social desirability bias
- correlation not causation
- exaggerated influence of early attachment - more conscious of actions later
- self-report is conscious yet attachment is unconscious
