Lecture 8 - Attachment Flashcards
What was Ainsworth (1979)’s definition of attachment?
“a deep-seated emotional tie that one individual forms with another, binding them together in space and enduring over time”
- not born with it
- hard to identify
Why do Ainsworth say attachmennt was important?
Promotes security - safe base for exploration
- Infant uses smiles, hugs, following to promote attachment and ensure security
Why do Bowbly say attachmennt was important?
- Protects child from danger
- “Mother love in infancy and childhood is as important for mental health as are vitamins and proteins are for physical health”
What were Maccoby (1980)s 4 signs of infant attachment
- Proxmity to CG - use distress to bring them close, follow/ gaze at them
- Distress on seperation
- Happy on reunion
- orient actions to CG
- once mobile, they move/ follow CG, not just stare at them
- develop stranger anxiety
- all 4 inidicate an attachment to have taken place
- evident at 7-9 months
- fear of strangers, discriminate people
What are assumptions of attachment theory?
- Parent plays central role
- Cognitive, sensori-motor skills necessary for attachment (e.g. OP) - develops around 7-9 months
- Learning in social interactions is important - watching others, learn to how to act by how CG treats child
- learns cause and effect
What was Bowbly studying?
- Evolutionary-ethological approach
- Inspired by darwin - attachment has surival function
- Need for proxmity to CG seen across species - ensure protection
- Argued children are active in attachment relationship
- Secure base in 2nd half of 1st year
- changes/ develops over life span
Outline Bowbly’s phases of attachment (1969)
- No discrimination (in orientation/ signals) 0-5 months
- reacts same to all - Preferential people 5-7 months
- Better comforted by CG (start of attachment),not much stranger anxiety tho - Preferential proximity 7-9 months
- to discriminated person via signals/ moving. Try to keep CG close
- attachment develops - Goal-corrected 2/3 years
- Child can accomodate to CG’s needs and follow instructions - Lessening attachment (proximity) school age +
- Attachment becomes abstract, trust, approval, affection etc
- Doesnt mind beng seperated
To whom are attachments made?
- used to believe it was just to mother - now its multiple, but strongest is to mother
- Qualities of CG important: responsive, interactive, playfull - not just being a standard CG
Oultine Schaffer & Emerson (1964)
- Interview scottish mothers
- asked who infant was attached to
•7-9 months: 29% had +1 attachment figure
• 18 months: 87% had +1 attachment figure
• 33% infants had strongest attachment to someone not mother
Outline Fox (1977)
- Israeli Kibbutzim
- children were in a nursery with a nurse, spending most of time without mother
- 1-2 year olds were strongly attached to both mother and nurse - both provided safe base/ reassurance
explai Fox (1977) findings: Why?
In agricultural societies - mothers in the field and infant is left with relatives - mother would breast feed though
- Other people have CG roles but infant still forms attachments
- Indicates attachment = universal component of dev
Outline the SS - Ainsworth, Blehar, Waters & Wahls (1978)
- measures how ‘well’ attached/ how secure infants are to CG
- 12-24 month infants
- CG acted as safe base/ comforter
- can the CG comfort them?
- 7/8 episodes
In SS what should a secure infant show?
- explore when CG present
- stressed when CG absent
- Comforted when CG returns
Outline SS procedure
- M and I in room, I explores (3 mins)
- S enters, sits 1 min, talks to M 1 min, plays with I 1 min
- M leaves, S plays with I then just watches, (up to 3 mins)
- M returns, S leaves, M settles I for 3 mins, reaction noted
- M leaves, I alone (for up to 3 mins) - looks at seperation anxiety
- S enters attempts to settle I then withdraw if can ((3 mins)
- M returns, S leaves, M settles I and sits down
END
X - unethical, can be terminated if so
What was the infant rated on?
- CG directed behaviour - +/-, e.g. smile/ seperation anx
- Seeking/ maintaining contact, distance interactions, avoidance/ resistant to contact
- Responses to strangers, comforted?
Outline Type A
Insecure - Avoidance
- avoids CG
- stranger is as effective at calming
- appears indifferent to CG, doesnt cry when they leave
- May look away from CG as they return
- May cry just because they are alone, not cos CG has gone
Outline TYpe B
Secure
- Actively seeks contact with CG
- Seperation anxiety, no comforted by Stranger, happy when CG returns
- explores when CG is there (safe base)
- comforted quickly by CG
Outline Type C
Insecure - Ambivalent
- Some contact/ some resistance
- Upset when CG leaves, mixed emotion when they return
- May ignore, yet seek proximity at same time
- less initial exploration
- not calmed
What were Ainsworths findings?
65% = secure 21% = avoidance 14% = ambivalent/ resistance
Evaluate Ainsworth
√ - universally recognised
X - small, western sample (white, USA)
X - tendendcy to compare A/C to B, or see secure as ‘best’
X - Ignores temperament which may explain behaviour
X - shouldnt label child as insecure - its the relationship
X - can be different with other attachment figures
Who came up with 4th attachment type?
Main & Soloman (1986, 1990)
Outline Main & Soloman (1986, 1990) 4th attachment type
- looked at discarded video tapes of those not fitting A, B or C
Type D: disorganised
- disorientated/ contradictory behaviours
- inconsistent, bizarre behaviour on seperation/ reunion
- E.g. freezing, rocking, crying, didnt want CG but climbed them
- Walked backwards to CG - wanted attention but not too look at them
- can’t make organised decisiions to help their distress
What groups are more likely to be disorganised?
Abused/ maltreated, depressed mothers, parental addictions
Outline differences in America, Germany and Japan
- America: 70% B, 21% A, 14% C
- Germany: 40-50% A (germans encourage independence)
- Japan: 35% type C
X - not standardised, different CG’s different researchers
Outline Japanese in SS
- Very very distressed when left alone at 12 months
- Rare for them to be alone before 12 months
- mothers immediately reassure children in japan - no chance for avoidance
How does disorganised attachment come about?
- Fear of CG
or - Witnessing CG show fear - trauma
- lack of warm home env
- Parents unresolved mental state (abuse, sudden death of child = type D child)
- High maternal EE - extreme over involvement/ over critical
- type D leads to problems later in childhood, aggression, mental health issues
- Hughes et al (2001) still birth study
Outline O’connor & Croft (2010)
Twin study into attachment types
- 70% concordance in MZ
- 64% in DZ
- not significant - genetics not have an impact?
Outline Maternal sensitivity as an environmental cause of attachment type
- Quality/ sensitivity of mother-infant interactions can predict attachment classification
- rejecting/ ignoring infants signals = type D
- inconsistent parenting = type C
Outline Maternal Mind Mindedness as an environmental cause of attachment type
Meins et al (2001)
- maternal sensitivity predicted attachment security
- adults ability to treat infant as individual with own mind
- not just responding to crying
- take into account emotions/ feelings/ preferences
Outline IWM’s as an environmental cause of attachment type
How to interact with others
- template for other relationships, CG- infant interactions tell infant how to behave, and how others are likely to behave
Outline limitations of attachment theory
X - cultural and individual differences ignored (temperament/ traits)
X - Bowlby didnt study it over lifetime, just said it was important for later life, but not how
X - attachment not often assessed beyond infancy
√ - new work assesses attachment in pre-school, school age and adults
