Introduction to attachment Flashcards
what is an attachment
a close two-way emotional bond between two individuals in which both see the other as essential for their own emotional security
what is reciprocity
mother-infant interaction is reciprocal meaning both infant and mother respond to each others signals and each elict a response from the other
what is interactional synchrony
mother and infant reflect both the actions and emotions of the other and do this in a co-ordinated(synchronised) way
what do Feldman and Eidelman say about reciprocity
babies have period ‘alert phases’ to signal they are ready for interaction and mothers tend to pick up and respond to these two thirds of the time
what are some key points of reciprocity
involves close attention to eachothers verbal signals and facial expressions
what are some key points of interactional synchrony
- their actions mirror eachother
- important for development of mother-infant attachment
what does Isabella et al say about interactional synchrony
found high levels of synchrony were associated with better quality mother-infant attachment
what does Brazeleton say about reciprocity
mother and child take turn to initiate actions and baby takes an active role
AO3 points for caregiver-infant interaction- research(strengths)
supportive research for reciprocity: -Feldman and Eidelman -Brazeleton et al supportive research for interactional synchrony: -Meltzoff and Moore -Isabella et al
AO3 points for caregiver-infant interaction-research(weaknesses)
-studies into interactional synchrony lack generalisability:
the parent-child relationships are subjective to the parents own upbringing and later experiences, meaning none will be the same
AO3 points for caregiver-infant interaction-evaluation of research(strengths)
-research has good internal validity
>controlled observations of mother-infant interactions are generally well controlled, with both mother and infant being filmed from multiple angles- so very fine details of behaviour can be recorded and later analysed
>babies dont know or care that they are being observed so behaviour does not change
AO3 points for caregiver-infant interaction-credibility(weaknesses)
-it is difficult to truly know the reason for actions in babies therefore inferences are made
AO3 points for caregiver-infant interaction-practical application(strengths)
- interaction can be seen with all caregiver and infants even if it differs between relations
- can be applied to real life and explain why some infants have a stronger bond than others
AO3 points for caregiver-infant interaction-practical application(weaknesses)
lots of factors can affect attachment that can put further strain on the mother
other AO3 evaluation points for caregiver-infant interaction
- practical issues- babies are often asleep or being fed
- some studies failed to replicate earlier findings e.g.Koepke
- may be socially sensitive
what did Schaffer and Emerson find about primary attachments
majority of babies become attached to their mother first- around 7 months
what did Schaffer and Emerson find about secondary attachments
within a few weeks/months after primary attachment is formed a secondary attachment to other family members is formed
-in 75% of infants studied, an attachment with father was formed by 18 months
what did Grossman say about the role of the father in attachment
fathers have a different role in attachment- more to do with play and stimulation
what was the procedure of Field
filmed 4 month old babies in face to face interaction with primary caregiver, secondary caregiver and primary caregiver fathers
what did Field find in his study
the key to the attachment relationship is the level of responsiveness not the gender as primary caregiver fathers, like mothers, spent more time smiling, imitating and holding infants than secondary caregiver fathers
what is meant by primary attachment figures
the first people we form attachments with, usually parents- these are our most influential attachments
what is meant by secondary attachments
can be interpreted to mean ‘less important’ in terms of attachment e.g. grandparents, aunts, uncles
what is a longitudinal study
an observational research method in which data is gathered for the same subjects repeatedly over a period of time
A03 points for role of the father-research (strengths)
Grossman- fathers important secondary caregiver role
A03 points for role of the father-research(weaknesses)
McCallum and Golombok- children do not develop differently in lesbian/single mum families
A03 points for role of the father- evaluation of research(strengths and weaknesses)
longitudinal study- quality of data
longitudinal study- attrition rates(reliability)
what was Grossmans study
longitudinal study that looked at both parents behaviour and its relationship to the quality of children’s attachments into their teens
what did Grossman say about the importance of father attachment
it was less important than mother attachment
A03 points for role of the father- credibility(weaknesses)
questionable research hypothesis- what are they studying?
conflicting research
A03 points for role of the father- practical application (strengths)
paternity leave laws and policies have been adapted- from 2003 UK paternity leave was introduced
what is the uk paternity leave law
fathers are given the option to have 2 weeks of entitled paternity leave and get payed
A03 points for role of the father- practical application (weaknesses)
socially sensitive research- same sex parents, extra anxiety (economic pressures)
what is meant by multiple attachment
having more than one attachment figure
what is meant by separation anxiety
the distress shown by an infant when separated from their caregiver- not necessarily the child’s biological mother
what is meant by stranger anxiety
the distress shown by an infant when approached or picked up by someone who is unfamiliar
what was the aim of Shaffer and Emerson’s study
investigated the formation of early attachments and also focused on what age attachments developed their emotional intensity and to whom they were directed
what was the procedure of Schaffer and Emerson’s study
- 60 babies from Glasgow majority from skilled working class backgrounds
- babies and mothers visited in their homes every month for the first year and again at 18 months
- researchers asked questions about the kind of protest their babies showed in seven everyday separations
- they assessed the infants separation anxiety and stranger anxiety
what were the findings of Schaffer and Emerson’s study
- between 25 and 32 weeks about 50% of babies showed signs of separation anxiety towards a particular adult
- attachment tended towards the caregiver who was most interactive and sensitive to signals and facial expressions
- by 40 weeks, 80% of babies had a specific attachment and almost 30% displayed multiple attachments
what are the 4 stages of Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment
1- asocial attachment
2- indiscriminate attachment
3- specific attachment
4- multiple attachments
what is asocial attachment stage of Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment
- stage 1
- similar response to all objects
- towards the end, child shows preference for being with people
- time reciprocity and time synchrony help to establish the child’s relationships with others
when does asocial attachment occur in Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment
birth-2 months
what is indiscriminate attachment stage of Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment
- stage 2
- child shows a marked preference for people rather than inanimate objects
- recognise and prefer inanimate objects
- recognise and prefer familiar adults
- accept comfort from any adult
- do not show stranger or separation anxiety
when does indiscriminate attachment occur in Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment
2-7 months
what is specific attachments stage of Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment
- stage 3
- infant start to show stranger anxiety and distress when separated from a specific adult
- specific attachment formed
- adult who the child has formed the specific attachment with is the primary caregiver
when does specific attachment occur in Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment
around 7 months
what is multiple attachments stage of Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment
stage 4
-child displays attachment behaviour towards other people with thom they are familiar- these are secondary attachments
when does multiple attachments occur in Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment
about a month after having formed a specific attachment
evaluation points for Schaffer and Emerson’s study- validity
high external validity
- study was carried out in family homes and most of the observation was done by parents
- meaning behaviour of the babies was unlikely to be affected by the presence of the observers so there is a high chance ppts behaved naturally while being observed
- therefore behaviour was accurate to the real life context of caregivers and baby
evaluation points for Schaffer and Emerson’s study- generalisability
low generalisability
- the study involved 60 babies from Glasgow and majority were from skilled working class backgrounds
- we cannot generalise findings from the study to other areas as results may be different in other families or cultures
- sample used cannot be applied to other families as it it limited
evaluation points for Schaffer and Emerson’s study- application
practical application
- can help parents to understand why their child is upset when they leave them with another adult
- can be useful for a parent as they gain reassurance that their child is behaving in a normal way
- useful to parents and can be applied to different settings such as nursery or day care
