Definition Flashcards
what is a definition of attachment?
an emotional bond between two people where each seeks closeness and feels secure in the presence of the attachment figure
why is forming bonds important?
for the basis of forming attachments later in life
what is proximity seeking?
staying physically close to the attachment figure
what is separation distress?
distressed when away from attachment figure
what is secure base behaviour?
when we make regular contact with our attachment figure
what is reciprocity?
responding to the action of one person with your own reaction
what is interactional synchrony?
taking turns
eg both people smile at the same time
what did Meltzoff and Moore (1977) study?
interactional synchrony
controlled observation of infants (12-27 days old)
adult model displayed one of three facial expressions or hand movements
independent observers observed the infants reaction
found an association between infant behaviour and that of the adult (imitation)
what did Isabella et al (1989) find?
securely attached mother-infant pairs had shown more interactional synchrony in the first year of life
what did Dr Tronick study?
the mother engaging with her baby and the baby is happy
she stops engaging and the baby is distressed
infant is happy when the mother engages again
what are the limitations of caregiver infant interactions?
hard to know what’s happening when observing infants
observations don’t tell us the purpose of synchrony and reciprocity
not found in all cultures
what did Le Vine et al (1994) find?
Kenyan mothers have little physical interaction with their infants but the infants are securely attached
may be ethnocentric
