Chapter 3 - Attachment Flashcards
1
Q
Define interactional synchrony
A
when the mother and infant reflect both action and emotion of the other
2
Q
define reciprocity
A
when each person responds to the other and elicits a response
3
Q
give a positive for the observation of infant interactions in attachment
A
good control- lab studies, filmed for close observation and babies unaware of being filmed
4
Q
give 2 negatives for the observation of infant attachment
A
- 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
5
Q
outline 3 studies of infant attachment
A
- 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
6
Q
evaluate research onto attachment figures (4)
A
- 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
7
Q
outline the method used by Schaffer and Emerson (3)
A
- mothers + infants visited every month for the first year then again at 18 months
- asked mothers reactions of infants to everyday separation
- 60 babies
8
Q
outline the findings of Schaffer and Emerson’s Glasgow babies (3)
A
- 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
9
Q
state the stages of attachment (ages and behaviour)
A
- 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
10
Q
state 2 positives of Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment
A
- good external validity - own homes
- longitudinal study - no participant variables
11
Q
state 4 negatives of Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment
A
- 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
12
Q
Outline Lorenz’s research into attachment
A
- randomly divided clutch of goose eggs and raised one half
- control group followed mother
- followed attachment figure even when groups mixed
13
Q
outline the findings of Lorenz’s research into attachment
A
- identified a critical period for imprinting after which it could not occur
- birds raised by humans later displayed courtship towards humans
14
Q
evaluate Lorenz’s research into animal attachment (2)
A
- 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
15
Q
outline Harlow’s research into attachment (3)
A
- 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
16
Q
outline Harlow’s findings (4)
A
- 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
17
Q
evaluate Harlow’s research (4)
A
- 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
18
Q
who proposed that infant attachments could be explained by learning theory?
A
Dollard and Miller
19
Q
what was the reasoning behind the idea that infant attachment can be explained by learning theory? (3)
A
- hunger thought to be primary drive
- drive reduction, motivated to reduce hunger
- attachment is therefore secondary drive, learned by association with comfort of food
20
Q
evaluate learning theory as an explanation of attachment (5)
A
- 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
21
Q
outline Bowlby’s theory of monotropy (4)
A
- 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
22
Q
evaluate Bowlby’s theory of monotropy (5)
A
- 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
23
Q
What was Ainsworth’s strange situation designed to test?
A
the security of attachment with caregiver
24
Q
what were the behaviours observed by Ainsworth’s strang situation?
A
- proximity seeking
- secure-base behaviour
- stranger anxiety
- separation anxiety
- reunion behaviour
25
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
26
what were the findings of Ainsworth's strange situation
- secure attachment 60-75%
- insecure avoidant 20-25%
- insecure resistant 3%
27
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
28
what did Ijzendoorn research?
cultural variations in attachment
29
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)
30
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)
31
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
32
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
33
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
34
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
35
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
36
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
37
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
38
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
39
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
