Lesson 11

Question 1

What did sroufe et al do

Answer 1

They did the Minnesota parent child Project. Began in 1975 and the mother-child pairs are still being studied to this day

Question 2

What was the procedure for the Minnesota parent child project?

Answer 2

Since 1975 - the mothers and childrens behaviour has been assessed using questionnaires and observation. For example the mothers and children were videotaped (intra observer reliability) while playing for a period of 10-15 mins at home. The mothers were aware that they were being videotaped (possible social desirability bias). Two observers analysed the recordings. ( inter observer reliability)

Question 3

What were the findings?

Answer 3

The children who were classed at securely attached were rated the highest for social competence, were less socially isolated, were more popular with their peers, and more empathetic

An infants early attachment creates their internal working model of what relationships are, how partners in a relationship behave towards one another and what they should expect in a relationship. Those securely attached will have a positive internal working model for relationships and so are better at forming and maintaining relationships with others

Question 4

What are the long term effects?

Answer 4

If infants don’t have an early attachment during their critical period, they would not have a positive internal working model for attachment. This could lead to attachment disorder where children have no preferred attachment figure and will have an inability to interact and relate to others. This is evident at the age of 5 and is usually caused by neglect or frequency change of caregivers

Question 5

Evaluation of influence on attachemnt iodjnwunwun

Answer 5

+This study is reliable as Simpson et al found similar results. They asses infant attachment styles at 10months old. They found that those securely attached had higher social competence and were closer to their friends at age 16

• This study implies that early experiences have a fixed effect later on in childhood relations and that those insecurely attached will be doomed to experience emotionally unsatisfactory relationships as children. That makes it deterministic.
• many studies contradict the claims that early attachment affects later childhood relationships. Tizard and hodges found that children raised in care who had never formed any attachments and then adopted at 4 could still form attachments to their new adopted parents