Introductions to Attachment

Question 1

What is an attachment?

Answer 1

• An affectional tie to another person or an animal binding over space and time
• Gain and maintain a degree of proximity

Question 2

What is developmental psychology concerned about?

Answer 2

-How children and adults change as we get older

Question 3

How came up with the characteristics of attachment?

Answer 3

Maccoby

Question 4

When did Maccoby come up with the characteristics of attachment?

Answer 4

1980

Question 5

What were the three characteristics of attachment?

Answer 5

• Proximity seeking
• Separation distress
• Secure base behaviour

Question 6

What is reciprocity?

Answer 6

one person responds to the other

Question 7

Does interaction with infants take place with verbal or non-verbal communication?

Answer 7

Non verbal communication

Question 8

When can reciprocity be increasingly demonstrated in infants?

Answer 8

3 months

Question 9

What types of close attention should each person be looking for in reciprocity?

Answer 9

• Facial

- Verbal

Question 10

Who researched into reciprocity?

Answer 10

Brazleton et al

Question 11

When did Brazleton et al research into reciprocity?

Answer 11

1975

Question 12

What did Brazleton et al (1975) say about reciprocity?

Answer 12

Interaction is like a dance as each person responds to each others move

Question 13

What is interactional synchronicity?

Answer 13

Another type of communication involves infants imitating specific gestures

Question 14

When has interactional synchronicity shown to be playing apart in infants?

Answer 14

As young as 3 days old

Question 15

What did Meltzof and Moore (1977) research into?

Answer 15

Interactional synchronicity

Question 16

Describe what Meltzof and Moore (1977) did:

Answer 16

• Observed the beginnings of interactional synchronicity in infants as young as 2 weeks
• Adult display 1 of 3 facial expressions or gestures

Question 17

What did Meltzof and Moore (1977) find?

Answer 17

An association between expression/gesture and action of a child

Question 18

What has a high levels of interactional synchrony shown about development of attachment?

Answer 18

Higher quality of attachment

Question 19

What did Isabella et al (1989) research into?

Answer 19

Interactional synchrony and its effect on attachment

Question 20

Describe what Isabella et al (1989) did:

Answer 20

• Observed 20 mothers and infants

- Assessed degree of synchrony and quality of mother-infant attachment

Question 21

What did Isabella et al (1989) find?

Answer 21

High levels of synchrony were associated with better quality

Question 22

What has researchers shown babies to be?

Answer 22

Active not passive

Question 23

What are the limitations of observing infants?

Answer 23

Cannot know if definitely cause and effect or if behaviours have a special meaning

Question 24

What are the strengths of well-controlled procedures?

Answer 24

• Normally filmed to fine details of behaviours are recorded

- Babies do not know that they are being watched = low demand characteristic

Question 25

Why does observing behaviours of mothers and infants not tell us the purpose of synchrony nor reciprocity?

Answer 25

Simply describes behaviours

Question 26

Is research into mother-infant interactions socially sensitive?

Answer 26

Yes

Question 27

Why is mother-infant interaction research socially sensitive?

Answer 27

Suggests that those children lacking in attachment are at a disadvantaged (mothers shouldn’t go back to work)

Question 28

Why does identification of interactional sychrony help society?

Answer 28

Practical applications into therapies

Question 29

What is the role of the father affected by?

Answer 29

• Culture
• Economic factors
• Social policy
• Biological factors

Question 30

Can fathers be primary caregivers?

Answer 30

Yes

Question 31

What did Field (1978) find?

Answer 31

That primary caregiver fathers, like mothers, spent more time smiling, imitating and holding infants than secondary caregiver father

Question 32

What has researchers seen the role of fathers to be?

Answer 32

Play more than nurture

Question 33

What did Grossmann (2002) do?

Answer 33

• Longitudinal study

- Parents behaviours and its relationship to quality of attachment into their teens

Question 34

What did Grossmann (2002) find?

Answer 34

Views fathers roles as less important in long-term emotional development

Question 35

Why is research into the role of the father difficult?

Answer 35

As researchers are interested in either fathers as a primary caregiver or as a secondary caregiver

Question 36

What did Schaffer and Emerson (1964) find?

Answer 36

That fathers mainly form secondary attachment

Question 37

Why is evidences of undermining ideas of the fathers having a distinct roles a limitation?

Answer 37

As shows fathers role to not be important

Question 38

What evidence shows undermining ideas of the father’s role having a distinct role?

Answer 38

-Same-sex or single parent families don’t develop differently than those with two-parent families

Question 39

Is there a clear answer about fathers and primary attachment?

Answer 39

No

Question 40

What are the economical implications of researching into role of the father?

Answer 40

• Mothers feel pressured to stay at home

- Research into the fathers can cause more comfort for mothers when having to make a hard choice about going to work