Section 3 : Attachment - Attachment Flashcards
define attachment
a strong emotional bond
what is attachment
attachment is a close emotional relationship between an infant and their caregiver
what do securely attached infants show
a desire to be close to their primary caregiver (biological mother)
what do securely attached infants show when seperated and reunited with their caregiver
distress when separated
pleasure when reunited
what are the common feature of a caregiver infant interaction
sensitive responsiveness
imitation
interactional synchrony
reciprocity/turn taking
motherese
what does sensitive responsiveness refer to
the caregiver responds appropriately to signals from the infant
what does imitation refer to
the infant copies the caregiver’s actions and behaviour
what does interaction synchrony refer to
infants react in time with the caregiver’s speech resulting in a ‘conversation dance’
what does reciprocity refer to
interaction flows back and fourth between the caregiver and infant
what does motherese refer to
the slow high pitched way of speaking to infants
Caregiver-Infant Interactions
Intro
From birth, babies engage in meaningful social interactions with caregivers, which are crucial for the development of attachment.
Caregiver-Infant Interactions
Reciprocity
Reciprocity
Definition: Interaction where each person responds to the other’s signals to sustain communication (turn-taking).
Example: A caregiver smiles at a baby, and the baby smiles back.
Research: Mothers typically pick up and respond to their baby’s ‘alert phases’ about two-thirds of the time (Feldman & Eidelman, 2007).
Development: After 3 months, reciprocity becomes more frequent and involves both mother and baby paying close attention to each other’s signals (Feldman, 2007).
Caregiver-Infant Interactions
Interactional Synchrony
Interactional Synchrony
Definition: When caregiver and baby mirror each other’s actions in synchrony (e.g., facial expressions, gestures).
Research:
Meltzoff & Moore (1977) – Found babies as young as 2 weeks old mirror adults’ expressions/gestures.
Isabella et al. (1989) – High levels of synchrony were associated with better quality attachment.
Caregiver-Infant Interactions
Evaluation
✅ Strength: High Reliability of Observations
✅ Strength: High Reliability of Observations
Filmed observations allow for detailed analysis.
Meltzoff & Moore (1977) used independent observers → improves inter-rater reliability.
Babies don’t change behaviour when being observed, making findings more valid compared to research with adults.
Counterpoint:
Observers may be biased – difficult to determine if an infant’s actions are conscious social responses or random movements.
Caregiver-Infant Interactions
Evaluation
❌ Limitation: Difficulty in Observing Infants (Low Internal Validity)
❌ Limitation: Difficulty in Observing Infants (Low Internal Validity)
Young babies have poor coordination and lack muscle control, making it hard to interpret their behaviours.
Difficult to distinguish intentional communication from random movements.
Example: A baby’s facial expression (e.g., smiling) might not be in response to an adult’s action – could be a natural reflex.
Implication:
Lowers validity of conclusions – cannot be certain that reciprocity and synchrony are deliberate social behaviours.
Caregiver-Infant Interactions
Evaluation
❌ Limitation: Lack of Explanation for Developmental Importance
❌ Limitation: Lack of Explanation for Developmental Importance
Feldman (2012):
Reciprocity and synchrony describe behaviours but don’t explain why they are important for attachment development.
Alternative View: Could simply be innate motor responses rather than attachment mechanisms.
Counterpoint:
Isabella et al. (1989) found that high levels of synchrony were linked to better quality attachment.
Suggests early social interactions may play a role in later emotional development.
Caregiver-Infant Interactions
Evaluation
❌ Limitation: Controlled Observations – Low Ecological Validity
Most studies (e.g., Meltzoff & Moore, 1977) take place in a lab → unfamiliar setting may affect caregiver’s behaviour.
Artificial settings may not reflect real-life interactions between babies and caregivers.
Counterpoint:
Filmed observations increase reliability as they allow detailed, frame-by-frame analysis.
Lab settings control extraneous variables, improving internal validity.
Caregiver-Infant Interactions
Evaluation
❌ Limitation: Ethical & Social Implications
❌ Limitation: Ethical & Social Implications
Research suggesting interactional synchrony is important for attachment may pressure mothers to stay at home with their babies.
This could be socially sensitive research:
Implication: Mothers who return to work early might feel guilty or be judged for harming their baby’s attachment.
Feminist critique: May reinforce traditional gender roles rather than supporting working parents.
Counterpoint:
Practical applications: Findings have helped develop interventions (e.g., Parent-Child Interaction Therapy for improving caregiver-baby bonds).
Caregiver-Infant Interactions
Evaluation Extra
Evaluation Extra: Practical Applications vs. Ethical Concerns
✅ Practical Applications
Crotwell et al. (2013):
Found 10-minute Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) improved interactional synchrony in low-income families.
Supports the idea that improving reciprocity/synchrony can strengthen attachment bonds.
❌ Ethical Concerns
Findings may be misinterpreted to suggest mothers should always stay at home, leading to unnecessary social pressure.
Application: Policies should focus on supporting parental well-being rather than prescribing ‘ideal’ parenting styles.
what are the 4 different stages of attachment formation
-pre attachment phase
-indiscriminate attachment phase
-discriminate attachment phase
-multiple attachment phase
what does the pre attachment phase refer to
during the first 0-3 months the baby learns to separate people from objects but doesn’t have any strong preferences about who cares for it
what does the indiscriminate attachment phase refer to
from between 6 weeks - 7 months the infant starts to clearly distinguish and recognise different people, smiling more at people it knows than strangers. No strong preference about who cares for it
what does the discriminate attachment phase refer to
from 7-11 months the infant becomes able to form a strong attachment with an individual. shown by being content when that person is around
what does the multiple attachment phase refer to
-from about 9 months the infant can form many attachments to many different people.
-some attachments may be stronger than others and have different functions.
-Schaffer found that the original attachment is the strongest
what was the method of schaffer and emerson 1964
-60 babies observed in their homes every four weeks
-from birth to about 18 months
-interviews conducted with their families
what were the results of schaffer and emrson 1964
-Schaffer’s stages of attachment found to occur
-around 8 months, 50 infants had more than one attachment
-20 of them either had no attachment with their mother or had a stronger attachment with someone else even though the mother was the main carer
give the evaluations of Schaffer and Emerson 1964
- lot of evidence to support Schaffer and Emerson results and stages of attachment
- limited sample
- evidence of interviews may be biased and unreliable
- cross-cultural differences (Tronick et al 1992)
what did Tronick et al find
that infants in Zaire had a strong attachment to their mothers by 6 months old but didn’t have a strong attachment with others even though they had several carers
what did schaffer and emerson find that varied across infants
1/2 had strong attachment with mother
1/3 had strong attachment with father
rest had strong attachment with grandparents or siblings
what does a lot of initial research into attachment focus on
focused on the mother being the caregiver while the role of the father was ignored
what was Goodsell and Meldrum 2009
a large study into the relationship between infants and their fathers
what did goodsell and meldurm find
they found that those with a secure attachment to their mother are also more likely to have a secure attachment to their father
what did ross et al show
that the number of nappies a father changed was positively correlated to the strength of their attachment
what was ross et al supported by
Caldera 2004, Caldera found that when the father was involved in care giving activities they were much more likely to develop a strong attachemnt
what research suggests the role of a mother and father plays can be different
geiger 1996
what did geiger 1996 suggest
suggested a mothers relationship is primarily nurturing and caring but a fathers relationship is focused more on play
What are the economic implications of research into the role of the father in attachment
- increasingly fathers remain at home contribute less to the economy
- more mothers return to work to help economy
- gender pay gap may be reduced if parental roles are regarded as more equal
- bowlby suggests fathers should provide an economic function rather than emotional
