Child Flashcards
Attachment
An emotional bond between 2 people that occurs over time.
Can lead to certain behaviours such as clinging and proximity-seeking + serves to protect the baby, promoting psychological wellbeing
Bowlby (1958)
Believe that human babies have an innate tendency to form a bond with their caregiver (evolutionary approach)
Applied Imprinting principles to human babies and investigated complex social + emotional bonding processes
Imprinting
Innate ability to recognise the caregiver
Critical period
Imprinting can only happen within the first 3 years of a babies life
Monotropy
A special attachment to 1 person whom they respond most sensitively to + spend the most time with
Social releasers
Encourages caregivers to stay close and provide for the baby.
Includes crying and smiling
Babies gain an internal working model if
The emotional bond and care proves their expectations
Secure base hypothesis
Suggests that if the infant can rely on their caregiver + feel secure then they are likely to explore their environment + develop independence
Why do parents take care of babies
Are motivated because the baby carries half their dna + being close to the baby encourages a strong emotional bond
Lorenz (1935)
Tested attachment by having goslings imprint on him
Mixed up his goslings with those of a mother gose + some that never imprinted
Goslings always follow their caregiver + those that don’t imprint wader aimlessly
The continuity hypothesis
Successful early attachment will result in long term benefits for the child
If a baby doesn’t form an attachment
ST: child can’t get insight into the caregivers behaviour so can’t influence their behaviour to survive + form a partnership
LT: expectations for relationships won’t be formed on what a loving relationship looks like
Stages of attachment: phase 1
First few months of life
Baby responds indiscriminately towards any adult figure
Baby orients themselves towards an adult by contact, smiling, grasping
Will learn social responses
Stages of attachment: phase 2
3-6 months
A child will use social releases to promote proximity but behaviour is targeted towards primary caregiver
Stages of attachment: phase 3
6 months - 3 years old
Baby shows intense attachment to the primary caregiver to maintain close proximity + have a safe base
Show stress at separation + joy at reunion
Treat strangers with fear + cry to raise alarm
Ainsworth + Bell (1970)
Wanted to see how a child behaved towards strangers + their caregivers under controlled conditions of stress
Sample of strange situation
100 middle class American mothers + children
Procedure of SS
mum + child enter room + mother responds to baby if they seek attention
Stranger enters room + speaks to mum + slowly approaches baby + mum leaves room
Stranger let’s child play + encourages it if shows inattention
Mum enters room, stranger leaves + mum leaves again
Stranger enters room+ plays with child
Mother returns + stranger leaves
Results of SS
B: Secure attachment (60-65%)
A: Anxious avoidant (20%)
C: Anxious resistant (12%)
Measured contact maintaining, proximity, contact seeking, avoidance, resistance, sensitivity to caregiver
Evaluation of SS
Valid as measures true aim
Reliable as replicable
Doesn’t focus on ID + cultural differences
No demand characteristics
Ethical issues for distress but was avoided wherever possible
Hazen + Shaver (1987) aim
Researched early attachments forming templates for later romantic partners
Used a questionnaire related to childhood relationship with parents + individual beliefs about romantic relationships
Results of Hazen + Shaver
Was published in the local newspaper + received 620 replies
Categorised into securely + insecurely attached
Found those who were securely attached were more likely to believe in romantic relationships being enduring + trusting
Insecurely attached people though of relationships to be obsession + jealousy
Hazen + Kilpatrick (1994)
Replicated Hazen + Shaver with same respondents + 30% changes attachment type 4 years onwards
X self reported data so demand characteristics
X sampling bias as volunteer sample so not representative
X reliant on memory so retrospective
Maternal Deprivation
The loss of emotional care that is normally provided by a primary caregiver
Robertson + Bowlby (1952)
Studies children who had brief separations
Over time the child’s response changed to their caregivers arrival + departure.
Protest-despair-detachment model
Protest (PDD model)
First response is to act acutely distressed at the caregiver to try to get them to return. Can last hours to weeks
Despair (PDD model)
Child becomes less active + may cry of rock themselves for self comfort
Their quietness comes across as desires but is actually hopefulness
Detachment (PDD model)
Child accepts the attention of others to be sociable but if the caregiver arrives they will remain remote + apathetic
Maternal deprivation hypothesis (MDH)
Bowlby (1953)
Considered the long term effects of Maternal Deprivation
Believed that children need a ‘warm, intimate + continuous relationship’ for normal mental health which can also benefit physical health
Only applies during the critical period in development (30 months or less)
Preventing negative effects of maternal deprivation
It can be prevented by avoiding loss of maternal care
Good quality care whilst the mother is away can cause fewer ill effects
Bowlby: 44 juvenile thieves (1944)
Determines if there’s a correlation between maternal deprivation + adolescent delinquency
Studied 44 juvenile thieves who attended a child guidance clinic + compared them to 44 adults who were emotionally disturbed but didn’t steal
14 thieves were affection less
Found there’s a correlation
X correlation not causation
X relies on recollections of pps so could be unreliable
Main + Soloman (1990)
Introduced ‘disorganised’ classification for the strange situation to encompass a variety of behaviours
Don’t show a pattern + are mix of A + B
On reunion seemed confused, is associated with depressed caregivers or child abuse
Privation
The complete lack of any attachment during a critical period of development
Effects of privation
Disinhibited attachment - children don’t discriminate between ppl who they chose as attachment figures
Physical underdevelopment- children are physically small due to lack of emotional care
Poor parenting - have difficulty parenting their own kids
Genie - Curtiss (1989)
Extreme privation + abuse for 13 years
