Lecture 16 Flashcards
what is attachment
strong enduring affectionate connection that humans share with the special people in their lives
what is the cupboard view of attachment
freud and others said that it was attachment based on the provision of food needed for survival
what is the comfort view of attachment
harlow and others said that attachment goes beyond physical need
babies also need contact comfort and love
what did harlow’s study show
despite surrogate supplying food the infant monkey formed attachment to cloth surrogate
contact comfort preferred
what is the attachment theory
3 principles
importance of relationships in our lives from cradle to the grave
believed mother infant bond is evolved response
babies born with built in behaviours that keep parent nearby and fuel bond
when is secure attachment most clearly seen ir what ages
6-8months to 18months-2years
what is secure attachment intensified
intensified by anxiety in stressful situational
what does secure attachment serve to do in stressful situation
reduce anxiety
what is separation/stranger anxiety in secure attachement
upset at departure of familiar caregiver/dear of stranger
what is attachment style measured by
how does it work
strange situation paradigm
controlled situation, series of standard episodes of separation and reunion with parents and interaction with stranger
what are the 4 patterns of attachment
secure
insecure avoidant
insecure-anxious/ambivalent
disorganised
what are the percentage of children with secure attachment pattern
around 60%
what are the percentage of children with insecure avoidant attachment pattern
15-20%
what are the percentage of children with insecure-anxious/ambivalent attachment pattern
15-20%
what are the percentage of children with disorganised attachment pattern
5-10%
what are the 2 characteristics of secure attachment patterns
use caregiver as a secure base
parental responsiveness highest
what are the 2 characteristics of insecure avoidant attachment patterns
infants indifferent to parent’s return/departure
parental responsiveness lowest
what are the 2 characteristics of insecure-anxious/ambivalent attachment patterns
distress at departure, infant first seek and then avoid caregiver upon return
parental response inconsistent
what are the 2 characteristics of disorganised attachment patterns
depressed/unresponsive with spurts of sudden emotion
confused about approaching or avoiding parent
what is secure attachment in infancy related to in development
positive social, emotional and cognitive development
what are the 5 factors that affect the development of attachment
quality of caregiver
child temperament
family context
culture
opportunity to establish close relationship
what is the best predictor of secure attachment
sensitive, responsive parenting
what is sensitive, responsive parenting
parents ability to perceive and interpret childs signals and intentions, respond appropriately and promptly
what are the 4 types of parenting and adjustment
authoritative vs permissive
authoritarian vs uninvolved
what are 3 types of genetically prewired behaviours that facilitate basic processes of parenting
caregiver natural tendency to hold, talk, smile and respond to infant cry
motherese = infant directed speech
infant babbling, smiles, facial expressions to engage parent
what 2 things may be linked to individual differences in attachment
hormone oxytocin
what is a serve and return relationship
what is the serve and what is the return
serve = infant prewired and ongoing behaviour to engage adult
return = adult may/may not respond appropriately
what 3 things is the serve and return relationship influenced by
what are examples of each factor
child factors = temperament
parent factors = mental illness/drug use
family factors = family violence
what is a childs temperament
early appearing and stable dispositions
what is a childs temperament largely based on
2 things
biologically and genetically based
what does a childs temperament do through adulthood
persists although likely to become less extreme
what areas is childs temperament involved in
activity
emotion
attention
self regulation
sociability
what are the 2 dimensions of a childs temperament
reactivity
self regulation/effortful control
what 2 things does a child’s temperament predicts
cognitive and social functioning
what are the 3 types of a child’s temperament
what percentage of children fall into each category
easy 40%
difficult 10%
slow to warm up 15%
what are the 2 types of temperament defined by kagan
what is the factor it is defined by
bold/uninhibited and inhibited
sensitivity to physical and social stimulation
what are characteristics of bold/uninhibited temperament in toddlers
4 things
talkative, sociable, behaviourally spontaneous or bold
show low levels of fearfullness in unfamiliar contexts
what are characteristics of bold/uninhibited temperament in infants
lower levels of crying and excitability or reactivity
what are links of bold/uninhibited temperament to health risk behaviours
impulsivity
unsafe sex
dangerous driving
alcohol dependence
what are characteristics of shy/inhibited temperament in toddlers
consistently shy, quiet and timid/more fearful in unfamiliar situations
what are characteristics of shy/inhibited temperament in infants
pattern associated more with crying
what is the goodness of fit in terms of shy/inhibited temperament
sensitive parenting to encourage adaptive functioning and positive development
what happens to those with a shy/inhibited temperament as children as they mature
responses less extreme as they mature but rarely shift categories
what is the family context in terms of childrens social development
parent factors, circumstances and life transitions that affect parent child interaction
what are 5 factors belonging a family context that affect parent child interactions
low SES
family stress/violence
parental mental health/substance abuse
parent attachment history
major life changes
how can the family context affect parent and children relationships
3 things
makes it harder to deal with challenges of parenting
influence sensitivity and responsiveness
flow on effect on quality of attachment
the model of parent and child relationships was made based on what culture and values?
what might this affect
based on western/individualist culture, values and traditional families
awareness of biases and differences that may not reflect dystfunction
what are 3 origins/sources of child maltreatment
the family
the community
the larger culture
what are 3 ways that children may be maltreated on a family level
isolated from social supports, highly stressed
alcohol/drug abuse, abusive family backgrounds
unrealistic expectations
what are 2 ways that children may be maltreated on a community level
mistrust, avoid others
few links between family and community
what are 2 ways that children may be maltreated on a larger cultural level
social deprivation and poverty challenges
societies that view violence as appropriate to solve problems, including physical force in parent child relations
(child abuse is rare where physical punishment is not accepted)
what are 3 types of developmental consequences of maltreatment
behavioural, social-emotional and cognitive developmental consequences
what are behavioural development consequences of maltreatment
6 things
physical abuse, exposure to violence promotes use of aggressive behaviour by child
conduct problems, antisocial behaviours
sexualised/risky behaviour association with childhood sexual abuse
negative effect on schooling through non-compliance, poor motivation
substance abuse
what are social-emotional development consequences of maltreatment
6 things
negative effect on social adjustment/skills and self esteem
problem with emotional regulation
insecure attachment
impaired parenting = more likely to abuse their own children
increased risk for wide range of mental health problems
abusive mothers more likely to have experience abuse while boys more likely to abuse partners
what are cognitive development consequences of maltreatment
4 things
at risk pf learning problem, cognitive delays
more difficulty completing tasks
may not achieve max intellectual capacity
undermines chance of success at school
the adverse child experiences (ACE) study showed what results
number of ACEs/adverse family characteristics correlated with adult health outcomes
early adversity affects the developing brains of children
ACEs lead to what in terms of the HPA axis and immune system
chronic activation of HPA axis functioning and affects developing immune system
what is the dose response relationship between ACEs and the number of adult physical and mental health outcomes
higher the ACE score, the worse health outcomes
those who experienced ___ or more ACEs compared to those with none are at increased risk of health conditions
4 or more
what are 6 ways to prevent maltreatment on a family, community, health service and society level
identify at risk families
getting support in place to ease parental stress
community resources
alleviating child poverty
effective interventions and education
reporting abuse
what can be done to prevent maltreatment on a child level
removing child from harm
