Introduction to Attachment

Question 1

Explain Bowlby’s theory of attachment
- Attachment is an i____ d____
- Draws on how behaviours such as c____, c____ and s____ serves to elicit r____ from caregivers
- 1969 -> developed theory further to highlight the n____ of the attachment behaviour in which environmental c____ triggered a____ behaviours… the ‘g____-c____ s____’

Answer 1

Bowlby (1958) argued that attachment was an innate drive, drawing on how behaviours such as crying, clinging and smiling serves to elicit responses from caregivers.
1969 - developed his theory further to highlight the nature of the attachment behaviour in which environmental cues triggered attachment behaviours. The ‘goal-corrected system’

Question 2

What did Bowlby believe the primary purpose of attachment was?

Answer 2

Retain proximity to the caregiver

Question 3

Bowlby recognized that the attachment relationship depended on what?

Answer 3

The infant’s cognitive development, and the ability to recognize that a caregiver was not present

Question 4

Bowlby argued that infants would the miss the attachment figure until they had developed what?

Answer 4

Object permanence (8 months)

Question 5

What are Bowlby’s four phases of attachment?

Answer 5

1. Pre-attachment
2. Attachment-in the making
3. Clear-cut attachment
4. Goal-corrected partnership

Question 6

Describe Bowlby’s first phase of attachment

Answer 6

Pre-attachment - (0-2 months) little differentiation between familiar and unfamiliar people

Question 7

Describe Bowlby’s second phase of attachment

Answer 7

Attachment-in-the-making - (2-7 months) infants begin to recognize attachment figure

Question 8

Describe Bowlby’s third phase of attachment

Answer 8

Clear-cut attachment - (after 7 months) infants protest at being separated from caregiver and show ‘stranger anxiety’

Question 9

Describe Bowlby’s fourth phase of attachment

Answer 9

Goal corrected partnership - (around 2 years) increased independence and recognition of caregivers needs

Question 10

Name and describe Bowlby’s four characteristics of attachment
1. S____ h____
2. S____ b____
3. P____ m____
4. S____ D____

Answer 10

Safe Haven - The child can rely on their caregiver for comfort at times whenever they feels threatened, frightened or in danger.
Secure Base - The caregiver gives a good and reliable foundation to the child as they go on learning and sorting out things by themself.
Proximity Maintenance - The child aims to explore the world but still tries to stay close to their care giver.
Separation Distress - This means that the child becomes unhappy and sorrowful when they become separated from their caregiver

Question 11

What are the eight stages of The Strange Situation (Ainsworth, 1978)

Answer 11

1. Caregiver and infant introduced to room
2. Caregiver and infant alone, infant free to explore
3. Strange enters room, sits, talks to caregiver, then tries to engage the infant in play
4. Caregiver leaves, stranger and infant alone
5. First reunion. Caregiver returns and stranger leaves, caregiver settles infant if necessary and returns to play
6. Caregiver leaves, infant alone
7. Stranger returns and tries to settle infant if necessary, attempts to engage in play
8. Second reunion. Caregiver returns and stranger leaves, caregiver settles infant if necessary

Question 12

Ainsworth’s coding scheme examines what four things?
1. P____-s____
2. C____-m____
3. R____
4. A____

Answer 12

1. Proximity-seeking
2. Contact-maintenance
3. Resistance
4. Avoidance

Question 13

What are Ainsworth’s three categories of attachment?

Answer 13

1. Securely attached infants (Type B)
2. Insecure avoidant infants (Type A)
3. Insecure resistant infants (Type C)

Question 14

What is the fourth category Main and Solomon (1986, 1990) identified?

Answer 14

Insecure-disorganised
These infants seem disorientated, and show no clear strategy for coping

Question 15

What did Van Ijzendoorn, Schuengel, and Bakermans-Kranenburg (1999) meta-analysis of the prevalence of attachment types reveal?

Answer 15

62% secure
15% insecure-avoidant
9% insecure-resistant
15% insecure-disorganized

Question 16

What is an internal working model?

Answer 16

Children use early experiences with caregivers to form internal-working models
These incorporate representations of themselves, their caregivers and their relationships with others

Question 17

What do children use internal working models for?

Answer 17

Templates for future interactions

Question 18

What were the results of Van den Boom (1994) study to test the hypothesis that enhancing maternal sensitive responsiveness will improve quality of mother-infant interaction, infant exploration, and attachment

At ____ months, intervention mothers were significantly more r____, s____, v____ attentive and c____ of their infant’s bejaviour than control mothers
Invervention i____ had higher scores on s____, s____-s____ and e____, and they c____ less
At 12 months, significantly more intervention group dyads were s____ a____ than control group dyads

Answer 18

At 9 months, intervention mothers were significantly more responsive, stimulating, visually attentive, and controlling of their infant’s behavior than control mothers.
Intervention infants had higher scores on sociability, self-soothing, and exploration, and they cried less.
At 12 months, significantly more intervention group dyads were securely attached than control group dyads

Question 19

What did Cassidy and Marvin (1992) find were predictors of anxiety disorder at age 9?
1. T____
2. Maternal o____ i____
3. Maternal n____
4. Maternal a____
5. A____

Answer 19

1. Temperament (inhibition)
2. Maternal over involvement
3. Maternal negativity
4. Maternal anxiety
5. Attachment

Question 20

What were the results of the visual cliff experiment?
____ of the infants crossed over to the ____ side if the mother posed a ____ expression. Infants ____ or showed ____.
However, when the mothers looked ____, ____ of the infants crossed to the ____ side.

Answer 20

None of the infants crossed over to the deep side if the mother posed a fearful expression. Infants retreated or showed distress.
However, when mothers looked happy, three-quarters of the infants crossed to the deep side