Paper 1: Attachments

Question 1

Define the difference between reciprocity and interactional synchrony

Answer 1

Reciprocity: Both infant and mother respond to each others signals
Interactional synchrony: Mother and baby reflect each others actions in a synchronised, co-ordinated way

Question 2

What percentage of infants in a schaffer and emmerson study became attached to their father by 18 months and what was the sign of attachment that was observed?

Answer 2

75% - observed that the baby protested when the father would walk away

Question 3

What type of study did Grossman conduct (2002) and what did he find?

Answer 3

Longitudinal study - Found that the role of the father was centred around play and was particularly important during adolescence

Question 4

Identify a weakness when studying infants

Answer 4

They are difficult to observe as hand movements and facial expressions may not be deliberate and may be random

Question 5

Identify one weakness of Grossman’s study into the role of the father

Answer 5

It ignores single parent families or same-sex parents - Children don’t develop any differently, suggesting that the fathers role is unimportant

Question 6

Outline Schaffer and Emmerson’s findings

Answer 6

25-32 weeks of age: 50% of babies show separation anxiety towards particular adult (mother)
Attachment tended to be towards caregiver that showed the most reciprocity
By 40 weeks: 80% babies had developed a specific attachment and 30% displayed multiple attachments

Question 7

Define the term ‘multiple attachments’

Answer 7

Attachments to two or more people

Question 8

Outline the stages of Schaffer and Emmerson’s stages of attachment

Answer 8

1. Asocial: Baby’s behaviour towards objects and humans is similar. Some preference towards particular adults
2. Indiscriminate attachment: Preference for people over objects. Act the same towards anyone but they prefer familiar adults
3. Specific attachment: Anxiety towards strangers + especially when away from one particular adult. (the person who offers the most interaction = specific attachment)
4. Attachment behaviour to other adults that they spend time with as well as specific attachment = secondary attachments

Question 9

According to Schaffer and Emmerson, what age range does the indiscriminate attachment stage take place?

Answer 9

2-7 months

Question 10

According to Schaffer and Emmerson, what age range does the specific attachment stage take place?

Answer 10

from 7 months

Question 11

Give one strength of Schaffer and Emmerson’s research

Answer 11

Good external validity - conducted in their own houses - by their own parents.

Question 12

Give one weakness of Schaffer and Emmerson’s study

Answer 12

Limited sample - Working class families, only Glasgow = culture bias

Question 13

What did Lorenz find in his imprinting investigation?

Answer 13

The incubator group followed Lorenz everywhere but the control group followed the mother. He identified a critical period: a few hours after birth

Question 14

What were Harlow’s findings?

Answer 14

The baby monkeys cuddled the soft object more when frightened regardless of which one dispensed milk - contact comfort was more important than food

Question 15

Why is it difficult to generalise animal studies to humans?

Answer 15

Mammalian attachment is different to birds + humans experience different stressors in the world - may affect attachment through evolution

Question 16

Outline the ethical issues of Harlow’s research

Answer 16

The monkeys suffered psychological harm into adulthood - killing their children and becoming more aggressive than other monkeys due to maternal deprivation

Question 17

In terms of classical conditioning, explain attachment in 5 points.

Answer 17

Food = unconditioned stimulus ==> unconditioned response (pleasure)
Caregiver = neutral stimulus (over time…) ==> conditioned stimulus
After association of food and caregiver, sight of caregiver = pleasure = conditioned response

Question 18

In terms of operant conditioning, explain attachment

Answer 18

Crying causes the caregiver to comfort them, reinforcing crying. = positive reinforcement
Simultaneously, the care giver receives negative reinforcement as the crying stops

Question 19

Which psychologist(s) suggested that attachment is a secondary biological drive?

Answer 19

Sears et al (1957)

Question 20

Outline two criticisms of the learning theory

Answer 20

Animal studies have shown that they don’t necessarily imprint on those who feed them. - Lorenz and Harlow
Schaffer and Emmerson - Feeding isn’t an important factor as specific attachments still formed even though other carers did most of the feeding

Question 21

Identify Bowlby’s five features of the monotropic theory

Answer 21

Adaptive, monotropy, social releasers, critical period, internal working model

Question 22

Define monotropic

Answer 22

A central attachment - different from other attachments and is significant for the child’s development

Question 23

When does the critical period end for babies (bowlby)?

Answer 23

If an attachment isn’t formed before the age of two, the child will find it difficult to form an attachment later in life

Question 24

What is the internal working model?

Answer 24

A mental representation of the child’s relationship with the primary caregiver - models future relationships

Question 25

Why can monotropy be considered socially sensitive?

Answer 25

It has major implications on lifestyle choices that mothers make when children are young - places a burden on working mothers

Question 26

There is research support for internal working models… finish the PEEL in bullet points

Answer 26

It is testable because it predicts patterns of attachment across generations
Bailey et al - found that mothers who reported poor attachment to their own parents in the interviews had poor attachments with their own children (observation and interview)

Question 27

What were the 5 behaviours Ainsworth used to identify attachment?

Answer 27

Proximity seeking, Exploration, Stranger anxiety, Separation anxiety, Response to reunion

Question 27

What research method did Ainsworth use in the strange situation?

Answer 27

Controlled observation

Question 28

Outline and describe the three attachment types in Ainsworth’s study

Answer 28

Secure: Children display proximity-seeking and secure base behaviour. Moderate stranger and separation anxiety
Insecure-avoidant: Explore but don’t seek proximity or show secure base behaviour. Disinterest in strangers, caregiver leaving and returning.
Insecure-resistant: Seek greater proximity so explore less. Show increased stranger and separation anxiety and resist comfort when caregiver returns.

Question 29

In Britain, what is the most common attachment type (Ainsworth)?

Answer 29

Secure

Question 30

Describe one weakness of Ainsworth’s study

Answer 30

Culture bias: Japanese mothers are rarely separated from their children causing the most common attachment type to be insecure resistant while Germany encourages separation from a young age - insecure-avoidant.

Question 31

Give two strengths of Ainsworth’s study

Answer 31

High validity: Observational method in a domestic setting - encourages domestic behaviour.
Inter-rater reliability - multiple observers agree

Question 32

Give a weakness of Bowlby’s theory

Answer 32

He argues that it is innate and biological - biological reductionism

Question 33

Define maternal deprivation

Answer 33

Extended separation of the infant from mother, resulting in damage to psychological and emotional development

Question 34

Outline the findings of Bowlby’s 44 thieves study

Answer 34

14/44 thieves = affectionless psychopaths
12/14 = prolonged separation from mother during the first 2 years of their lives
2/44 control group = prolonged separations

Question 35

Give a piece of evidence that supports Bowlby’s idea that maternal deprivation affects intellectual development

Answer 35

Goldfarb 1947 - lower IQ in children who had remained in institutions as opposed to those who were fostered

Question 36

What psychologist conducted the Romanian orphanage studies?

Answer 36

Rutter (2011)

Question 37

Define disinhibited attachment and 3 symptoms

Answer 37

attachment style developed by children adopted after 6 months - clingy, social behaviour directed at all adults, attention seeking

Question 38

Compare the mean IQ of children adopted before 6 months and after 2 years in Rutter’s study

Answer 38

6 months - 102
after 2 years - 77

Question 39

Describe 2 strengths of Rutter’s study

Answer 39

Real-life application: led to improvements in institutions - large number of caregivers is avoided so the child can develop a central attachment
Fewer extraneous variables than other orphan studies: Don’t have confounding variables - children instituionalised from birth - high internal validity

Question 40

Give one weakness of the Romanian orphan studies

Answer 40

Ethical issues: children weren’t randomly assigned to adopters - the more sociable ones may have been picked affecting the findings