DEVELOPMENTAL - Attachment - Studies Flashcards
What study disproves the learning theory approach to attachment?
Harlow & Harlow
What were Harlow & Harlow looking into?
Whether baby monkeys would prefer a source of food or a source of comfort
Harlow & Harlow: Method
Laboratory Experiment
- Using baby monkeys raised in isolation
- Baby monkeys were provided with two surrogate mothers. -One provided food the other comfort.
Harlow & Harlow: Results
- Monkey spent most time with comfort mother. Only going to the other mother when hungry.
- The comfort mother acted as a safe base when the monkey was in new situations.
- When the monkeys grew up they showed signs of emotional and social disturbance and were unable to be good parents.
Harlow & Harlow: Conclusion
- Infant monkeys created an attachment with the figure that provided comfort, not food.
- Growing up isolated affected development.
Harlow & Harlow: Evaluation
- Laboratory experiment, therefore high control of variables.
- Cannot generalise results from monkeys to humans.
- Low ecological validity
- Cannot be replicated for ethical reasons.
Which study investigated separation anxiety & stranger distress?
Schaffer & Emerson
Schaffer & Emerson: Method
- Longitudinal study: studied 60 babies at monthly intervals for the first 18 months of life in their own home.
- interactions with their carers were observed, and carers were interviewed.
- attachment was noted through separation anxiety.
Schaffer & Emerson: Results
Up to 3 months - newborns are predisposed to attach to anyone. Most babies respond equally to any caregiver.
After 4 months - Preference for certain people. Infants they learn to distinguish primary and secondary caregivers but accept care from anyone.
After 7 months - Special preference for a single attachment figure. Shows stranger and separation anxiety.
After 9 months - Multiple attachments. The baby becomes increasingly independent and forms several attachments.
Schaffer & Emerson: Conclusion
attachments were most likely to form with those who responded accurately to the baby’s signals, not the person they spent most time with.
Schaffer & Emerson: Evaluation
- Relies on report by parents which may not be accurate.
- Natural experiment therefore increased validity.
Hazan & Shaver: Method
Participants volunteered to take part in the study.
They completed 2 questionnaires, one looked at early relationships with parents, the second at their adult romantic attachments.
Hazan & Shaver: Results
Those who had worse relationships with parents had less secure adult relationships.
Hazan & Shaver: Conclusion
Early attachments do affect later, romantic attachments.
Hazan & Shaver: Evaluation
- Self selecting sample: Not a cross section of the public.
- Questionnaire: People may not answer truthfully in order to make themselves look good.
- Retrospective: Based on recall which may not be accurate
- Correlation does not prove causality.
Which theory supports Bowlby’s idea of an internal model?
Hazan & Shaver
Which study disproves Bowlby’s ideas of monotropy?
Schaffer & Emerson
Lorenz: Method
split goose eggs, got half to be hatched by their mother and the rest were hatched in an incubator and saw Lorenz when hatching.
Lorenz: Results
Those who hatched in an incubator became immediatly attached to Lorenz. Became distressed when separated.
Lorenz: Conclusion
There is a critical period for imprinting.
Which study explored different types of attachment?
Ainsworth et al
Ainsworth et al: Method
Baby (12-18 months) and mother are placed in a room in which several scenarios are created. e.g. being left alone, approached by a stranger,mother returning.
The babies’ reactions were observed closely.
Ainsworth et al: Results
Type A (insecure-avoidant): 15% Type B (secure): 70% Type C (insecure-resistant): 15%
Ainsworth et al: Conclusion
Infants showing different reactions to the strange situation have different types of attachment.
Ainsworth et al: Evaluation
- Artificial environment, low ecological validity
- Reliable as high control over variables
- Mother aware of observation, may result in unnatural behavior of parent, perhaps effecting the child’s behavior.
- Mother may not have been the child’s main attachment figure.
Which study repeated ‘The Strange Situation’ cross-culturally
Ijzandoorn & Kroonemberg
Which trends emerged from Van Ijzendoorn & Kroonemberg?
- Percentages of secure & insecure attachments were similar across all of the tested countries.
- Secure attachments were the most common.
- In Western cultures the most dominant type of insecure attachment was avoidant. In non Western countries it was resistant.