Paper 1 - Attachment

Question 2

What are the two main features of caregiver-infant interactions?

Answer 2

Reciprocity and Interactional Synchrony

Question 3

Define reciprocity in the context of caregiver-infant interactions

Answer 3

Reciprocity refers to a two-way interaction where both caregiver and infant are active contributors, taking turns to elicit responses from each other.

Question 4

Define interactional synchrony in caregiver-infant interactions

Answer 4

Interactional synchrony is when two people interact, they tend to mirror each other in terms of their actions and emotions

Question 5

What did Meltzoff & Moore (1977) study in relation to interactional synchrony?

Answer 5

Studied interactional synchrony by exposing two- to three-week-old infants to an adult model displaying facial expressions, then filming the infants’ responses.

Question 6

What were the findings of Meltzoff & Moore (1977) on interactional synchrony?

Answer 6

Found that infants often mirrored the facial expressions displayed by the adult model, demonstrating interactional synchrony.

Question 7

How did Schaffer and Emerson experiment development of attachment

Answer 7

• Studied 60 infants from working class families in Glasgow
• Infants visited at home by researcher every month till 18 months old
• Mother asked about infants response to separation (separation anxiety) and unfamiliar faces (stranger anxiety)

Question 8

What conclusion did Schaffer and Emerson experiment make about the development of attachment

Answer 8

Findings = Constructed description on how attachment develops.
Suggested 4 stages of Attachment : Asocial, Indiscriminate , Specific, Multiple Attachment

Question 9

Explain the 2 pre attachment stages

Answer 9

Asocial 0-2 months: Infants produce similar responses to all objects, whether human or non-human, towards end of stage = preference to humans
Indiscriminate Attachment 2-7 months: They can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar people but accept comfort from any adult, do not display separation or stranger anxiety.

Question 10

Explain the 2 attachment stages and the research to back it up

Answer 10

Specific Attachment 7 months onwards : Infants form an attachment bond to one primary attachment figure, Often the mother; Schaffer & Emerson found the mother to be the primary attachment figure in 65% of cases, They show separation anxiety and stranger anxiety
Multiple Attachment 9 months onwards : They develop multiple attachments with secondary attachment figures, including other familiar adults, they may show separation anxiety with secondary attachment figures

Question 11

What did Schaffer & Emerson (1964) find about the primary attachment figure?

Answer 11

The mother was usually the primary attachment figure (65%)

Question 12

In how many cases was the father the primary attachment figure in Schaffer & Emerson’s study ?

Answer 12

In only 3% of cases.

Question 13

What role did fathers typically have in Schaffer & Emerson’s study and what percentage of infants formed an attachment to their father by 18 months in Schaffer & Emerson’s study?

Answer 13

• Fathers were common secondary attachment figures.
• 75% of infants formed an attachment to their father by 18 months.

Question 14

What role did fathers typically have in Schaffer & Emerson’s study and what percentage of infants formed an attachment to their father by 18 months in Schaffer & Emerson’s study?

Answer 14

• Fathers were common secondary attachment figures.
• 75% of infants formed an attachment to their father by 18 months.

Question 15

What was the focus of Grossman et al.’s (2002) study and what were his findings?

Answer 15

Researched the quality of infant - mother attachments related to the quality of infant father interactions. He found that the quality of the infant-mother attachment was related to the quality of adolescent relationships. However the quality of infant-father attachment had no effect on adolescent relationships instead the quality of fathers’ play was related to the quality of adolescent relationships.

Question 16

What does Grossman et al.’s (2002) study suggest about fathers’ role?

Answer 16

Fathers have a distinct role focused on play and stimulation, rather than emotional bonding.

Question 17

What did Field (1978) study about fathers as primary caregivers and what were his findings?

Answer 17

Field filmed 4-month-old infants interacting with primary caregiver mothers, secondary caregiver fathers, and primary caregiver fathers. He found that primary caregiver fathers spent more time smiling, imitating, and holding infants, similar to mothers

Question 18

What does Field’s (1978) study suggest about fathers’ ability to form close attachments?

Answer 18

Fathers can provide the responsiveness required for a close attachment, especially when they are the primary caregiver.

Question 19

Explain Lorenz’s study on attachment and its procedure ?

Answer 19

• Randomly divided a clutch of goose eggs in half
  -Half hatched with the mother goose in their natural environment.
• The other half hatched in an incubator, where Lorenz was the first moving object they saw.

Question 20

Explain Lorenz’s study on attachment and its findings ?

Answer 20

• Incubator group imprinted on Lorenz and followed him.
• Natural group imprinted on the mother goose and followed her.
• When mixed, the goslings divided themselves: incubator group returned to Lorenz, ignoring their natural mother.

Question 21

Explain Lorenz’s study on attachment and its conclusions ?

Answer 21

Demonstrated the process of imprinting in which the bird imprints and follows the first moving object it sees.

Question 22

Explain Lorenz’s study on attachment and the critical period from imprinting ?

Answer 22

• Imprinting must occur within a critical period, as short as a few hours post-hatching (species-dependent).
• If missed, imprinting will not occur.

Question 23

Explain Lorenz’s study on attachment and the impact on sexual imprinting ?

Answer 23

• Relaruionship between impr9nting and adult male preferences
• He observed a peacock raised in a zoo’s reptile house, where the first moving object it saw was a giant tortoise.
• As an adult, the peacock exhibited courtship behaviour to the giant tortoises.
• Lorenz concluded that imprinting can have a lasting impact on mate preferences.

Question 24

Explain Harlows study of attachment and is procedure ?

Answer 24

• Created two types of mothers : one with bare wire and another wrapped in soft cloth
• 16 infant rhesus monkeys were removed from their mother at birth
• 8 mothers had a milk bottle attached to the cloth miter her and the other 8 had the mild bottle attached to the bare wire mother
• He studied the time the monkeys spent with each mother, reaction to fear and new toys over 165 days

Question 25

Explain Harlows study of attachment and is findings ?

Answer 25

• All 16 monkeys spent most of their time with the cloth mother, regardless of milk.
• They fed quickly and returned to the cloth mother
• When frightened they clung to the cloth mother for comfort
• When introduced to new toys they explored while keeping a foot on the cloth mother for reassurance.

Question 26

Explain Harlows study of attachment and its conclusions ?

Answer 26

Harlow concluded that infants do not necessarily form an attachment with the person who feeds them
They form an attachment with the person who offers them contact-comfort

Question 27

Explain Harlows study of attachment and the further research he conducted regarding their social abnormalities ?

Answer 27

They froze or fled when approached by other monkeys.

Question 28

Explain Harlows study of attachment and the further research he conducted regarding their social abnormalities ?

Answer 28

They lacked normal mating behavior ad they failed to cradle their infants. Some attacked or killed their infants.

Question 29

Explain Harlows study of attachment and the further research he conducted regarding contact comfort alone ?

Answer 29

Contact-comfort alone with an unresponsive mother-figure is insufficient for healthy social and emotional development.

Question 30

Define the learning theory of attachment ?

Answer 30

The learning theory of attachment suggests that an infant learns to form an attachment to a caregiver through classical and operant conditioning

Question 31

What is classical conditioning in attachment?

Answer 31

Learning through association, where the infant associates the mother with food, leading to attachment

Question 32

What happens before, during and after conditioning in attachment (can include a diagram)

Answer 32

According to this explanation, food (UCS) produces pleasure (UCR) in an infant
The mother (NS) initially causes no response in the infant
However, the infant learns to associate the mother with the food, and soon, the mother alone (CS) will produce the pleasure (CR) that is usually produced by food
The infant will therefore form an attachment to the mother as she creates a sense of pleasure

Before conditioning Food (UCS) > Pleasure (UCR)
Mother (NS) > No response
During conditioning Food (UCS) + Mother (NS) > Pleasure (UCR)
After conditioning Mother (CS) > Pleasure (CR)

Question 33

What is operant conditioning in attachment?

Answer 33

Learning through consequences, where an infant’s behaviour is reinforced by food (primary reinforcer) and the caregiver (secondary reinforcer).

Question 34

Explain operant conditioning in attachment related to food, mother and pleasure ?

Answer 34

When the infant is fed, their discomfort is reduced, producing feelings of pleasure . Food is therefore the primary reinforcer

The infant also learns to recognise the person who provides food .This person is the secondary reinforcer

If the infant is remains in close proximity to this person, they will be fed (positive reinforcement) and will avoid the discomfort of hunger (negative reinforcement)

The infant will therefore repeat the behaviour of remaining in close proximity to this person, and will form an attachment to them

Question 35

What is the “cupboard love” theory of attachment?

Answer 35

Proposes that attachment bonds are formed based upon the provision of food

Question 36

What type of theory is Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment?

Answer 36

It is an evolutionary theory.

Question 37

According to Bowlby, why are infants born with an innate drive to form attachments?

Answer 37

Infants are born with this drive because forming an attachment to a caregiver ensures they are fed and protected, increasing their chances of survival

Question 38

What is the critical period according to Bowlby?

Answer 38

Period of time which caregiver interactions are most likely to form (between 4-6months), outside this window its hard to form attachments

Question 39

What is the function of secure base according to Bowlby?

Answer 39

The caregiver acts as a secure base, allowing the infant to explore the world and return to safety when threatened. This promotes independence within the infant.

Question 40

What is monotropy in Bowlby’s theory and give the two laws involved ?

Answer 40

Monotropy = bias towards one individual (PAF), Bowlby believed that the more time an infant spent with the primary attachment figure, the better
He put forward two principles to clarify this
The law of continuity: The more constant and predictable a child’s care, the better the quality of their attachment
The law of accumulated separation: The effects of every separation from the primary attachment figure add up and the “safest dose is therefore a zero dose” (Bowlby, 1975)

Question 41

What is the internal working model in Bowlby’s theory?

Answer 41

Based upon our relationship with our primary attachment figure, we develop a mental model of relationships and it serves as a model for what relationships are like

Question 42

What does the continuity hypothesis propose?

Answer 42

The continuity hypothesis suggests that the relationship with the primary attachment figure shapes future relationships.