Paper 1 - attachment struggles Flashcards
Name 2 strengths of caregiver interaction + explain
-uses well controlled procedures
-it’s potential value to society
Name 2 limitations and expand on points - Care giver and infant interactions
-difficulty inferring development importance
-hard to know what is happening when observing infants
Name 2 strengths of Schaffer stages of attachment
-external validity
-longitudinally
Name 2 limitation of Schaffer stages of attachment
trigger word: Bowlby 1969
-problem with how multiple attachment is assessed
-problem in studying the asocial year
Name 2 strengths of animal studies
-support for the concept of imprinting
-important practical applications
Name 2 limitations of animal studies
-generalising findings and conclusions from birds to humans
-harlow faced severe criticism for the ethics of his research
Name 1 strength of learning theory
-some elements of conditioning could still be involved
Name 3 limitations of learning theory
-animal studies provide evidence against food as the basis of attachment
-human research shows that feeding is not an important factor
-ignores other factors linked with attachment
Name 2 strengths of Bowlbys monotropic theory
-clear evidence to support the existence and value of social releasers
-support for the idea of an internal working model
what is internal working model and name an example Bowlbys monotropic theory
child forms a mental representation of the relationship with their primary attachment figure. This serves as a template for what relationships are like
Name 2 limitations of bowlbys monotropic theory
-evidence for monotropy is mixed
-socially sensitive because of implications for mothers lifestyle
Name 2 strengths of ains worth
-predictive validity
-very good inter rater reliability
Name 2 limitations of ainsworth strange sit
-culture bound test
-temperament may be a confounding variable
describe the procedure of van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenburg (4)
-looked at proportions of attachment types across a range of countries / variation within and outside a country
-found 32 studies of attachment where the strange situation had been used.
-These were conducted in 8 countries, 15 in the USA overall the studies yielded results for 1,990
-the data were meta-analysed, results being combined and weighted for sample size
Findings and conclusions of van Ijzendoorn and Kroonberg
-there are cultural differences in the distribution of insecure attachment
- variation between results of studies within the same country was actually 150% greater than those between countries
Simonelli et al Procedure
-researchers assessed 76 12 month olds using SS to see whether the proportion of attachment types still matched previous studies
-mother’s were reasonably varied in education levels and their professions
Findings and conclusions Simonnelle et al
-50% B 36% A (lower rate then previous)
- due to increasing numbers of mothers working long hours and using professional childcare
-cultural changes can make dramatic difference in the patterns of attachment
Name 1 strengths of cultural variation in attachment
Name 3 limitations of cultural variation in attachment
-temperament may be a confounding variable in the SS
-not representative of cultures
-biased towards American/ British cultures
what is a critical period BMT
2 years when the infant attachment system is active (viewed more as sensitive period)
if not formed they will struggle to form one later
more time spent with mother is beneficial bc of .. BMT
- law of continuity
-law of accumulated separation
classical conditioning of attachment
UCS(food) +UCR (pleasure)
NS(caregiver) -> no response
UCS(food) +NS(caregiver)->UCR (pleasure)
CS(caregiver) -> CR (pleasure)
what does operant conditioning explain in the learning theory
why babies cry for comfort (an important building block for attachment
Stages of attachment procedure - Glasgow babies
-60 babies from glasgow most from working class families.
visited every month for a year and 18 months
-separation anxiety measure by asking mothers about their children’s behaviour during everyday separations
-stranger anxiety was measured by asking mothers questions about their children’s anxiety response to unfamiliar adults
Stages of attachment Glasgow Study conclusions
- 50% showed separation anxiety towards a particular adult between 25-32 weeks of age. This primary attachment was usually with mother
-attachment tended to be the caregiver who was the most interactive and sensitive to infant signals and facial expressions ( not always most spent with)
Role of the father: What did Field find out
Fathers can be primary caregivers
- filmed 4- month old babies and found that primary care giver fathers spent more time smiling, imitating and holding infants than secondary
Schaffer and emerson - primary attachment usually with mothers sometimes both
ent
Schaffer and Emerson (1964) found that the majority of babies became attached to their mother first (happens around 7 months).
In only 3% of cases the father was the first sole object of attachment.
In 27% of cases the father was the joint first objectof attachment with the mother.
Procedure of Bowlbys 1944 44 thieves study (3)
-sample in the study was 44 delinquent teenagers accused of stealing
-families were also interviewed to establish any prolonged separation from mothers
-all ‘thieves’ were interviewed for signs of affection-less psychopathy characterised by a lack of affection, guilt and empathy
Findings and conclusions of Bowlbys 1944 thieves study (4)
-14 of the 44 thieves could be described as affection less psychopaths.
-12 experience prolonged separation from their mothers (first 2 years of their life)
-5 of the 30 ‘thieves’ had experienced separations.
-suggests prolonged early separation/ deprivation caused affectionless psychopathy
Bowlbys TMD : What 2 developments is lowered when maternal deprivation occurs and why
-intellectual development ( mental retardation and abnormal low IQ if deprived during critical period. Goldfarb found lower IQs in children from institutions compared to foster children)
-emotional development ( deprivation linked to affectionless psychopathy)
Bowlbys TMD : what is critical period
if a child is separated from their mother (without substitute emotional care) for an extended time during the first 30 months, psychological damage is inevitable
Bowlbys TMD: name difference between separation and deprivation
separation: child not being physically in the presence of the primary attachment figure
deprivation: losing emotional care as a result of separation
separation does not always equal deprivation
Bowlbys TMD: thoughts on the mother
-continued emotional care from the mother is essential
-separation from mother may lead to maternal deprivation
Bowlbys TMD: Name 3 limitations
-sources of evidence for maternal deprivation are flawed (Goldfarb)
-counter-evidence which does not support Bowlbys findings (Lewis 1954) replication
-later research suggests that the critical period is more of a sensitive period (Koluchovas
Bowlbys TMD Name a strength and an issue Levy et al ratatouille
animal studies have demonstrated maternal deprivation
name 2 effects of institutionalisation
-disinhibited attachment : link to adaption to multiple caregivers
-damage to intellectual development: institutionalised children often show signs of mental retardation (unless adopted b4 6 months )
Procedure of Rutter et al 2011 english and romanian adoptees studies
-group 165 romanian orphans who experienced very poor conditions before being adopted in Britain
-longitudinal study tested the extent to which good care can make up for poor early experiences in institutions. PIES has been assessed at 4,6,11 and 15 years old
-control group 52 adopted British children
findings Rutter et al: institutionalisation IQ
-half of orphans showed mental retardation when they came to the UK at age 11
recovery rates = age of adoption
-adopted b4 6 months : mean IQ of 102
-adopted between 6 months and 2 years had a mean IQ of 86
- those adopted after two years had a mean IQ of 77
conclusions Rutter et al orphan studies
-frequency of disinhibited attachment related to the age of adoption
-after 6 months clinginess attention seeking and indiscriminate affection to strangers
-before 6m rare in children
support the view that there is a sensitive period in the development of attachments
Procedure of Zeanah et al 2005 BEIP
used the SS to assess attachment in 95 children aged 12-31 months who spent most of their lives in institutional care
compared to a control group of 50 children who had never experienced institutional care
Findings and conclusions of Zeanah et al 2005 Bucharest Early Intervention Project
-only 19% of the institutionalised group were securely attached
-65% classified with disorganised attachment
2 Strengths of Zeanah et al 2005 Bucharest Early Intervention Project
-important practical applications (improvements in the way children are cared for in institutions)
-fewer confounding variables than other research ( possible to study institutionalisation without confounding variables bc most were abandoned at birth
2 limitations of Roman orphan studies
- issues with generalisability
-not randomly assigned to conditions (Rutter et al) and BEI study
Influence of early attachment on later relationships; hazan and Shaver 1987 procedure
the research analysed 620 replies to a ‘love quiz’ printed in an american newspaper
the quiz assessed three different aspects of relationships:
-respondents’ current and most important relationship
-general love experiences
-attachment types
Influence of early attachment on later relationships; hazan and Shaver 1987 findings and conclusions
56% of respondents were identified as securely attached, with 25% insecure-avoidant and 19% insecure-resistant
their attachment type was reflected in thier romantic relationship
-secure respondents were the most likely to have good and longer lasting relationships
-avoidant respondents tended to be jealous and fear intimacy
name all stages of attachment and briefly describe
S1- asocial - few weeks (baby’s behaviour towards people and inanimate objects is quite similar
S2 indiscriminate attachment 2-7 months (babies now display more observable social behaviour, with preference for people rather than inanimate objects -no stranger or separation anxiety)
S3 specific 7m ( stranger and separation anxiety with primary attachment figure (65% cases mother)
S4 multiple 1yr( 2ndary attachment with other adults form after )
describe the role of the father as primary attachment
XX remove
schaffer and emerson 1964 found out that the majority of babies became attached to their mothers 7m
3% father
27% both
when do children usually form attachment with fathers
75% secondary by 18 months ( indicated by signs of attachment )
evidence on fathers as primary attachment figures
field 1978 filmed 4 month babies and found that primary caregivers fathers, like mothers spent more time smiling, imitating and holding babies than secondary caregiver fathers
these behaviours are related to interactional synchrony and the formation of an emotional attachment
why is level of response important in the role of the father
smiling, imitating and holding. babies ( interactional synchrony are behaviours important in building a primary attachment with babies
the key to the attachment relationship is the level of responsiveness not gender
2 limitations of the role of the father research
-confusion over research question
-bias in this research
a strength in role of the father research
using findings in parenting advice
what did grossmann do into the role of the father
Grossmann et al. (2002) carried out a longitudinal., looking at parents’ behaviour and its relationship to the quality of children’s attachments into their teens.
This research found that quality of attachment with to father was less important for adolescent attachment than the quality of attachment with the mother.
Therefore fathers may be less important in long-tem emotional development.
influence of early attaching later relationships: name 2 studies which link with friendships and bullying
Securely attached babies tend to go on to form the be quality childhood friendships (Kerns 1994).
Securely attached children are less likely to be involved in bullying whereas insecure-avoidant children are most likely to be victims and insecure-resistant are most likely to be bullies (Myron-Wilson and Smith 1998).
name 2 studies link with parenting style (b) and romantic relationships
People base their parenting style on their internal working model. Bailey et al. (2007) found the majority of mothers had the same attachment classification to their babies as they had to their own mothers.
Hazan and Shaver (below) found a link between attachment type and quality of adult romantic relationships.
describe the procedure of SS
The procedure has seven ‘episodes’, each lasting three minutes.
1. Baby is encouraged to explore by caregiver.
2. Stranger enters and talks to caregiver, approaches baby.
3. Caregiver leaves.
4. Caregiver returns, stranger leaves.
5. Caregiver leaves baby alone.
6. Stranger returns.
7. Caregiver returns.
describe a secure attached child type B
Ainsworth and Bell found distinct patterns in the way babies bet.
They identified three main types of attachment.
Secure attachment (Type B: 60-75% of British toddlers):
• Baby happy to explore but seeks proximity to caregiver (secure base).
• Shows moderate separation anxiety and stranger anxiety.
• Requires and accepts comfort from caregiver on reunion.
describe insecure-avoidant type A
Insecure-avoidant attachment (Type A: 20-25% of British tobiler
• Baby explores freely but does not seek proximity (no secure bag
• Shows little/no separation and stranger anxiety.
• Avoids contact at the reunion stage.
insecure-resistant attachment: Type C
Insecure-resistant attachment (Type C: 3% of British toddlers.
. Baby explores less and seeks greater proximity.
. Shows considerable stranger and separation anxiety.
• Resists comfort when reunited with caregiver.
