How do we form attachments Flashcards
how many stages of attachment are there?
4
name all the 4 stages of attachment in order.
pre-attachment stage, indiscriminate stage, discriminate stage, multiple attachment stages.
explain the first stage of attachment
pre attachment stage: The first stage of attachment occurs in the first 3 months of a baby.
Babies don’t show a preference for anyone, because they haven’t formed an attachment yet. They treat all people the same.
Explain the second stage of attachment.
indiscriminate stage: occurs between 3-7 months. Infants begin to recognise familiar people . They show a preference for familiar people, rather than strangers.However they don’t yet have a strong attachment to any particular person.
Explain the third stage of attachment.
discriminate stage: occurs between 7-9 months. Infants begin to show a clear, obvious preference for one particular person. This is because the have formed an attachment to that person (their caregiver usually). Infants begin to show separation and stranger anxiety.
Explain the fourth stage of attachment.
multiple attachments: occurs beyond 9 months. Babies are now able to form attachments to more than one person.
Which piece of research provides evidence for stages of attachment?
Schaffer and Emerson
Describe Schaffer and Emersons research method
AIM: To investigate how babies form attachments to their parents over time,
Method: They conducted a longitudinal, naturalistic, overt observation.
They investigated a total of 60 babies, from Glasgow.
The followed the 60 babies and their families from birth, to 18 months.
Babies were observed in the presence of strangers, to assess stranger anxiety.
Babies were observed, when the caregiver was taken away, in order to assess separation anxiety.
In addition, interviews were conducted with family members, to ask mothers questions about what kind of protests, babies show, in order to measure the infants attachment.
Describe the findings of Schaffer and Emerson.
87% of babies formed attachments with two or more caregivers.
evidence for the 4 stages of attachment.
babies who formed strongest attachment, had caregivers who displayed the most sensitive responsiveness.
Briefly outline the evaluation points of Schaffer and Emersons study.
STRENGTH: It was a naturalistic observation, therefore high ecological validity, however less control over extraneous variables.
WEAKNESS: Observer bias, because it was an observation. Researcher may be subjective, instead of objective.
WEAKNESS: Social desirability bias, because researcher used interviews.
Explain what is meant by sensitive responsiveness.
When caregiver is sensitive to infants needs, and respond quickly when infant tries to interact with them.
Explain what is meant by reciprocity.
When the infant and caregiver, both take turns in an interaction, so that they respond to each others actions.
The more reciprocity, the stronger the attachment bond.
Explain what is meant by interactional synchrony
When infant and caregiver perform similar actions, at the same time. The more interactional synchrony, the stronger the attachment bond.
Name the piece of research that supports interactional synchrony and reciprocity.
Isabella et al, and [Condon and Sander].
Describe Isabella et al research into interactional synchrony and reciprocity.
Isabella et al, used frame by frame video analysis, meaning she observed and analysed the fine movements of the babies and mothers.
she measured the amount of stranger and separation anxiety babies experienced, in order to operationalise the strength of attachment.
She then split her participants into two groups. One group of mothers had to show interactional synchrony and reciprocity to the babies, and the others didn’t.
