Introduction to Attachment Flashcards
What is the definition of an attachment?
An attachment is a close two way emotional bond between two individuals in which each individual sees the other as an essential for their own emotional security
What behaviours show than an infant and caregiver have an attachment?
Proximity: people try to stay physically close to those whom they are attached to.
Separation distress: people are distressed when an attachment figure leaves their presence
Secure base: Even when we are independent of our attachment figures we tend to make regular contact with them.
How do babies and mothers interact with each other?
What role does the infant have?
Feldman and Eidelman - babies have periodic ‘alert phases’ which signals they are ready for interaction Mothers pick up + respond to infant alertness 2/3 of the time.
From 3 months onward, this interaction becomes more frequent and involves more close attention to each other’s verbal signals and facial expressions. Reciprocity is key in this interaction.
Babies take an active role, as both mother and infant can initiate interactions and thy appear to take turns doing so.
What is the definition of reciprocity?
What is the definition of interactional synchrony?
Reciprocity is when each person responds to the other and elicits a response from them
Interactional synchrony is when the mother and infant reflect both the actions and emotions of the other and do this in a synchronised way
Describe Metlzoff and Moore’s experiment into interactional synchrony
Meltzoof and Moore: Adults displayed one of three facial expressions or one of three distinctive gestures to infant. Infant’s response was filmed and identified by independent observers.
Results:
Association found between facial expression or gesture by the adult and the actions of the infant.
In later research, Meltzoof and Moore found this same synchrony in infants on 3 days old, which suggests this behaviour is innate.
Describe Isabella et al’s experimnet into interactional synchrony
-observed 30 mothers and infants together + their degree of synchrony
-also assessed quality of mother - infant relationship
RESULTS:
High levels of synchrony associated with bettter quality mother-infant relationship
Describe research into parent-infant attachment
Schaffer and Emerson found:
- Majority of babies form attachment with mother first (around 7 months) and then within a few weeks or months form a secondary attachment figure to other family members.
- 75% infants form attachment with father by age of 18 months.
Describe research into the father’s role of parenting
- Grossman carried out longitudinal study into the the relationship between parent’s behavior and children’s attachment into their teens.
- He found that qualty of infant attachment with mothers, unike with fathers affected attachment in adolescent years. suggesting father’s role less important.
- But, quality of father’s play with infants affected adolescent attachements, suggesting fathers have a different role in attachment - one more to do with play and stimuation and less with nurture.
Describe research into fathers as a primary attachment figure
- When father’s become primary caregiver, they sometimes adopt behaviour that is often associated with mothers.
- Fields examined the relatonship between 4 month babies in face to face interaction with primary caregiver mothers, primary caregiver fathers and secondary caregiver fathers.
- Primary caregiver fathers spent more time smiling, imitating and holding infants than secondary caregiver fathers.
- shows father can be nurturing caregiver & attachment is based on imitaton not gender.
Evalute research into recipriocity and ineractional synchrony
A lot of the research involving observation of interactions between mothers and infants, have shown the same patterns of interaction. However, what is being observed is merely hand movements or changes in expression.This opposes meltzoof and moore’s research, as it suggests that because infants move a lot, it is difficult to distinguish whether the observed movements are reciporcal. Therefore it is not clear whether the observed gestures and movements are random or intentional so it questions the validity of research into reciprocity.
Isabella et al found that more strongly attached infant-caregiver pairs showed greater interactional synchrony.
Heimann found that infants who demonstrated a lot of imitation from birth onwards had been found to have a better quality of relationship with that caregiver.
This opposes Meltzoof and Moore’s original research because it suggests not all children engage in interactional synchrony and that their original findings may have overlooked individual differences which could be a mediating factor. However, this lacks clear causation as we don’t know if interactional synchrony creates attachment or if it is created at birth.
Abravanel and DeYoung found that infants (aged 5-12 weeks) made little response to object simulating movement.
This further supports interactional synchrony in development of attachment as it shows that an infant’s imitation behaviour is a unique bond with their attachment figure which indicates it’s intentional behaviour.
Murray and Trevarthen found that when infants were shown a videotape of their mother, not responding to their facial and bodily gestures, the result was one of acute distress. They tried to attract their mothers interest but, gaining no response, turned away.
This supports Meltzoof + Moore’s research as it suggest that infants are active partners in interaction rather than just displaying rewarded responses. This is because we see the infant’s stress when the mother does not respond which shows there is a special bond, which is conscious and deliberate in order to engage with their primary caregiver.
Evaluate the role of the father in attachment
Fathers play a role as secondary attachment figures. Research has consistently highlighted the fact that fathers are more playful, physically active and generally better at providing challenging situations for their children whereas mothers are more conventional and tend to read stories to their children. This is supported by the fact that fathers use a wider range of vocabulary and literary techniques such as sarcasm when talking to their child. Fathers involve more boundaries when interacting with their child and speak to them more rationally. This supports Grossman’s research as it shows father’s behave differently than mothers and have a distinct role.
That Father’s part to play in a child’s development as a secondary attachment figure. however, McCallum and Colnbrook have found that children growing up in single parent families do not develop any differently from those into parent hex heterosexual families. This indicates the father’s role is not unique or significant as it can easily be replaced by a woman or not involved in a child’s life without any negative consequences. However, there is research that shows hen a father is absent, daughters tend to speed up their biological development and mature faster as they tend to reach puberty 1 year- 6 months earlier.
Research suggest children may be disadvantaged by particular child rearing practices by not having a father. So could be offensive, to child who have grown up in single parent or same sex paernt families.
However, advantages of research into the role of the father is that it can have real life applications such as supporting court cases deciding the custody of children, as it encourages a fair and equal chance for fathers to get custody rather than being pro-mother.
The fact that father’s tend not to become primary attachment figures could simply be the result of traditional gender roles. In which women are expected more to be caring and nurturing than men. Therefore, fathers simply don’t feel they should act like that. However, it could be argued that female hormones (e.g oestrogen) creates higher levels of nurturing behaviour and therefore women are biologically predisposed to be the primary attachment figure. However this could be argued by the fact that father’s also experience hormonal changes when having a child to perhaps also prepare them for the role.
