Development of Attachment Flashcards

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1
Q

What is an attachment?

A

An affectional tie that one person or animal forms between himself/herself and another specific one.

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2
Q

What are the three main areas to consider when looking at the development of attachment?

A
  • Theories of attachment - why we form attachment
  • Types of attachment we form with our main carer
  • Stages of attachment - how attachments change over time
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3
Q

What does the behaviourist theory of attachment assume about behaviour?

A

Assumes all behaviour is learned through operant or classical conditioning, and therefore assumes attachment is learned.

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4
Q

What does the behaviourist theory of attachment say about babies and how they learn?

A
  • Babies are born as blank slates and learn everything

- They learn through reinforcement or association to bond with their main carer

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5
Q

What is an example of how an attachment can form between a carer and a baby? (behaviourist)

A

When child is upset, carer makes everything right, therefore the child associates the carer with help and happiness.

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6
Q

What is meant by ‘the cupboard love theory’?

A

Based on the behaviourist perspective - someone is nice to you just to get something they want.

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7
Q

Explain previous research which may show the cupboard love theory to be incorrect.

A

Previous research showed that, given the choice, monkeys would rather spend time with a cuddly surrogate mother made of wire than one which fed them.

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8
Q

What does the evolutionary theory of attachment assume?

A
  • That babies need to bond quickly with mother in order to survive
  • Babies can differentiate mother’s face and voice from others
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9
Q

What have MRI scans of mothers brains shown to do with the evolutionary theory of attachment?

A

That mothers brains respond to social releasers from their own baby but not others, supporting the idea that the attachment process is innate.

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10
Q

What does the psycho dynamic theory of attachment assume?

A

That the ‘driving force’ for forming attachments comes from gratification of hunger and libidinal drives in the first of the psycho sexual stages of development, and attachment is instinct.

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11
Q

What are the four main types of attachment?

A

Secure, Insecure avoidant, Insecure resistant and Insecure disorganised.

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12
Q

What is the carer’s response to the child in the secure stage?

A

Sensitive and loving, such as picking up child and reassuring them.

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13
Q

What are the key child behaviours in the secure stage?

A

Seeks proximity of caregiver.

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14
Q

What is the carer’s response to the child in the insecure avoidant stage?

A

Insensitive and rejecting, such as ridiculing or becoming annoyed.

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15
Q

What are the key child behaviours in the insecure avoidant stage?

A

Avoids caregiver in times of need.

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16
Q

What is the carer’s response to the child in the insecure resistant stage?

A

Insensitive and inconsistent, such as over-reacting or highlighting carer’s own needs.

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17
Q

What are the key child behaviours in the insecure resistant stage?

A

Exaggerates distress and anger to get carers attention.

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18
Q

What is the carer’s response to the child in the insecure disorganised stage?

A

Insensitive and not normal, such as frightening or frightened, or sexualised, a response not always shown when child is distressed.

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19
Q

What are the key child behaviours in the insecure disorganised stage?

A

Bizarre and contradicting behaviour, such as freezing or running away from parent.

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20
Q

What are Schaffer and Emerson’s 4 main stages of attachment and what ages do they correspond with?

A

Indiscriminate attachments (up to 3 months of age), Specific attachments (after 4 months), Single attachment figure (after 7 months) and Multiple attachments (after 9 months).

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21
Q

What is the typical behaviour in Schaffer and Emerson’s Indiscriminate attachments stage?

A

Most babies respond equally to any caregiver.

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22
Q

What is the typical behaviour in Schaffer and Emerson’s Specific attachments stage?

A

Infants distinguish between primary and secondary caregivers but accept care from anyone.

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23
Q

What is the typical behaviour in Schaffer and Emerson’s Single attachment figure stage?

A

Baby looks to a particular person for security, comfort and protection, and show fear of strangers.

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24
Q

What is the typical behaviour in Schaffer and Emerson’s Multiple attachments stage?

A

Baby becomes increasingly independent and forms several attachments to adults with whom they have significant contact.

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25
Q

What are Bowlby’s four stages of attachment and what ages do they correspond with?

A

Pre-attachment (up to 6 weeks), Attachment in the making (6 weeks to around 8 months), Clear-cut attachment (8 months to 18 months) and Formation of reciprocal attachment (18 months to 2 years).

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26
Q

What is the typical behaviour in Bowlby’s Pre-attachment stage?

A

Baby is comfortable being left with unfamiliar person.

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27
Q

What is the typical behaviour in Bowlby’s Attachment in the making stage?

A

Attachment is getting stronger; infants respond differently to familiar people and strangers.

28
Q

What is the typical behaviour in Bowlby’s Clear-cut attachment stage?

A

Attachment to trusted caregivers continues to strengthen; separation anxiety likely in carer’s absence.

29
Q

What is the typical behaviour in Bowlby’s Formation of reciprocal attachment stage?

A

Children now understand that a parent returns home from work at certain time each day; separation anxiety lessens.

30
Q

What can disorganised attachment be linked with?

A

Poor peer relationships and more aggressive behaviours in the classroom.

31
Q

What was the sample of Bowlby’s study into the maternal deprivation hypothesis and what assessments did they have to complete?

A

He looked at 44 juvenile thieves who lived with their parents - they had assessments for intelligence, emotional attitude and psychiatric history.

32
Q

Who did Bowlby compare the thieves to in his study?

A

Compared them to teenagers with emotional problems but not committed any crime.

33
Q

What did Bowlby find about the thieves and the teenagers?

A

He found that the teenagers who were separated from their mothers in the first 2 years of their life were much more likely to show affection less psychopathy.

34
Q

What did Spitz and Wolfe find about children raised in orphanages?

A

They were less likely to survive beyond one year, and those who did showed more symptoms of depression compared to children who lived in a prison but were cared for by mothers.

35
Q

What kind of study did Hodges and Tizard carry out and on whom?

A

Longitudinal study on children who were admitted to a children’s home before the age of 6 months and then either adopted or returned to their biological mother by the age of 4.

36
Q

What did Hodges and Tizard find about the children who were adopted?

A

They found that relationships were more easily formed if children were adopted - the parents worked hard on relationships.

37
Q

What did Hodges and Tizard find about the children who were returned to their biological mother?

A

They found it more difficult to form relationships.

38
Q

What were the long-term behavioural effects on children who were adopted in Hodges and Tizard’s study?

A

At the age of 15, they generally had fewer friends, were more likely to bully and had less positive relationships.

39
Q

What is meant by deprivation in terms of attachment?

A

Bond formed but then broken due to separation.

40
Q

What is meant by privation in terms of attachment?

A

No bond formed, potentially leads to most negative consequences.

41
Q

What are the three stages of behaviour when a child is separated from it’s carer?

A

Distress, despair then detachment.

42
Q

What is the main aim of Ainsworth and Bell’s study?

A

To observe in a laboratory situation the attachment behaviours of a child using the ‘strange situation’ as an illustration of these behaviours.

43
Q

How many participants were used in Ainsworth and Bell’s study and how were they brought up?

A

56 children brought up in a family with white, middle class parents.

44
Q

How many participants were observed from birth and when were they put into the strange situation?

A

23 were observed from birth and put into the strange situation at 51 weeks old.

45
Q

How many participants were from another study and when were they observed?

A

33 were from another study and were observed when they were 49 weeks old.

46
Q

Describe the room where the strange situation happened.

A
  • 9’ x 9’ ^ 2 and was marked into 16 squares to record positions of the child
  • At one end of room was childs chair surrounded by toys, at other end was a chair for their mother, and near the door a chair for a stranger
47
Q

What did they do to the participants?

A

They put the child in the room and left them to move freely. Observers were in an adjoining room and observed through a one-way mirror.

48
Q

What was the situation in episode 1?

A

Mother carries baby into room, observer follows then leaves.

49
Q

What was the situation in episode 2?

A

Mother puts child down in specific place and sits down in her chair; only participates if child seeks attention.

50
Q

What was the situation in episode 3?

A

Stranger enters, sits for one minute, talks to mother for one minute and approaches baby with a toy; mother leaves at end of three minutes.

51
Q

What was the situation in episode 4?

A

Stranger sits if baby happy; if baby inactive stranger engages with toys; if baby distressed, stranger tries to distract or comfort, for three minutes unless child becomes distressed and can’t be comforted.

52
Q

What was the situation in episode 5?

A

Mother enters and waits at door for baby to see and respond; stranger leaves; once child is settled with toys mother leaves saying ‘bye-bye’.

53
Q

What was the situation in episode 6?

A

Baby left alone for three minutes unless distressed.

54
Q

What was the situation in episode 7?

A

Stranger enters and sits if baby happy; if baby inactive, stranger engages with toys; if baby distressed, stranger tries to distract or comfort, for three minutes unless child becomes distressed and can’t be comforted.

55
Q

What was the situation in episode 8?

A

Mother returns and stranger leaves.

56
Q

What were the three exploratory behaviours measured?

A

Locomotor, manipulatory and visual.

57
Q

How often was behaviour analysed and what was the maximum score per episode?

A

Behaviour analysed every 15 seconds and therefore maximum score was 12.

58
Q

What four behaviours were rated for strength of behaviour and it’s frequency and duration?

A
  • Proximity and contact-seeking behaviours
  • Contact-maintaining behaviours
  • Proximity and interaction-avoiding behaviours
  • Contact and interaction-resisting behaviours
59
Q

How were the behaviours rated?

A

Higher ratings for actual behaviours rather than signalling.

60
Q

What were the main results for exploratory behaviour when child was left with stranger and what happened when the mother returned?

A

It sharply decreased and when mother returned, child showed more interest when mother engaged with child.

61
Q

What were the main results to do with crying?

A
  • Minimal crying when stranger enters room, but rose when mother left, and declined when mother returned
  • Child cries when mother leaves second time and doesn’t stop when stranger enters
62
Q

What were the main results to do with search behaviour?

A

Was shown by child moderately when mother left, but increased slightly when stranger was present, and increased most when child was left alone.

63
Q

What were the main results to do with proximity-seeking and contact-maintaining behaviours?

A
  • Proximity-seeking shown most after mother returned and contact-maintaining shown most after second reunion
  • Occasionally these behaviours were shown to strangers, but much less often
64
Q

What were the results to do with contact-resisting and proximity-avoiding behaviours?

A
  • Resistant behaviour generally not shown until reunion
  • This behaviour increased with each separation
  • Less of this behaviour due to stranger
  • Avoidant behaviours shown in about half of the children in each reunion
65
Q

What are the main conclusions of Ainsworth and Bell’s study?

A
  • Attachment can occur without attachment behaviours
  • Attachment behaviours shown more in threatening situations
  • Attachment behaviours shown less after prolonged absence of attachment figure
66
Q

What has changed in hospitals to support attachment-friendly environments?

A
  • Parents used to not be able to visit children in hospital

- To help attachment parents now allowed to either be in accommodation with child or close by

67
Q

How can an attachment-friendly environment be made in nurseries and day care?

A
  • Supplementary attachment figures needed

- Key person would act as parent - provide comfort, meet with child beforehand, greet child a day care etc