Lecture 8 - Attachment Theory and Research

Question 1

(lecture reading):

Siegler, R., Saffran, J., DeLoache, J., Gershoff, E. T. & Eisenberg, N. (2017). How Children Develop. Chapter 11.

Answer 1

(lecture reading):

Question 2

(lecture summary):

This lecture provides an overview of attachment theory and the factors that influence individual differences in attachment relationships.

Attachment bonds develop in the first years of life and can be measured using the Strange Situation.

Attachment style is shaped by parenting style i.e. maternal sensitivity.

A child’s style of attachment has implications for future social and behavioural adjustment. It leads to an internal working model of relationships.

Attachment style is generally stable but can be altered. The intergenerational transmission of attachment style from parent to child is not inevitable.

Answer 2

(lecture summary):

Question 3

(lecture study question):

Are secure children ‘inoculated’ against behavioural and emotional problems in later life?

Answer 3

(lecture study question):

Question 4

(lecture):

What is attachment? define it.

Answer 4

(lecture):

A close, enduring bond with a parent or other primary caregiver.

• Seek closeness
• Enable exploration of world
• Management of arousal and emotions

“Mother love in infancy and childhood is as important for mental health as are vitamins and proteins for physical health.”
(Bowlby, 1952)

Question 5

(lecture):

Describe Bowlby’s attachment theory.

Answer 5

(lecture):

Preattachment (birth – 6 weeks)
- Baby’s innate signals (crying) attract the caregiver; infant is comforted by the caregiver.

Attachment-in-the-making (6 weeks – 6-8 months)
- Develops a sense of trust that caregiver will respond when signaled – developing expectations. Infant responds preferentially to familiar people.

Clear-cut attachment (6-8 months – 1 ½ years)
- Infant actively seeks contact with caregivers. Mother becomes a “secure base”. Separation anxiety.

Reciprocal relationships (1 ½ - 2 years onward)
- Increased understanding of parents’ feelings, goals, and motives. Better able to establish proximity to parents – working partnership. Separation anxiety reduces.

Question 6

(lecture):

Measuring attachment:
Describe “The Strange Situation”.

Answer 6

(lecture):

See slide 8-9

Question 7

(lecture):

What are the different styles of attachment in children?

Answer 7

(lecture):

See slide 10-13

Question 8

(lecture):

Describe the maternal sensitivity hypothesis

Answer 8

(lecture):

See slide 15 - 16 +17

Question 9

(lecture):

Can genes affect the way environment influences attachment security?

Answer 9

(lecture):

See slide 18 - 19

Question 10

(lecture):

Read slides 20-21

Answer 10

(lecture):

Question 11

(lecture):

What working model would be used for ‘secure attachment’?

And which would be used for ‘avoidant attachment’?

Answer 11

(lecture):

See slide 22-23

(watch lecture at the 24 min mark)

Question 12

(lecture):

Describe the adult attachment interview (styles)

Answer 12

(lecture):

See slide 24-25

Watch lecture back around 28 mins in

Question 13

(lecture):

Read slide 26 - to the end

Answer 13

(lecture):

Watch lecture back around 30 mins in