Social cognition and attachment Flashcards
Normative processes of attachment
Bowlby- is a behavioural system that is species universal neural program that organises behaviour to increase chance of survival
Activation of attachment behavioural system
Trigger- threat to self
Strategy- Proximity seeking to caregiver
can be symbolic if adult
Goal of attachment system
Distal goal- survival
Proximal - felt security (perceived or actual)
Benefits of attachment security
Exploration, emotional regulation and Wellbeing
Basic principles of attachment theory
predisposed to attach to caregivers
Quality of relationship with primary generates internal working model
evolutionary, cognitive and psychoanalytic theory
Secondary attachment processes - attachment styles
interaction between environment quality and biology determines attachment style
Child attachment styles
Crittenden-
schedule positive responses leads to secure
scheduled negative responses leads to avoidant (de-activation)
Intermittent schedule lead to anxious-ambivalent (Hyper-activation)
Adult attachment styles
Hazan and Shaver- prevalence of each style same as for children ( 60 vs 20 vs 20)
Attachment dimensions/orientations
dimensions of avoidance of intimacy and anxiety about abandonment
L AI L AA - SECURE
L AI H AA - PREOCCUPIED
H AI L AA - DISMISSING AVOIDANT
H AI H AA - FEARFUL AVOIDANT
Attachment styles as schemas
Content - affective, semantic and action scripts
Attachment network
Fluid over-time
variety of attachment styles and most common one indicates dispositional attachment style
Attachment schema hierarchy
general into general parental and peer. peer splits into friendships and romantic and below all is specific people
attachment styles acting like schemas study
Baldwin et al - measured attachment style then ppts did LDT (word vs non-word) task where complete if-then. some attachment related stems and answers (+or -)
faster at completing congruent attachment stems and words
secure faster at positive attachment words and avoidant better at negative
so dispositional attachment style guides processing of attachment stimuli
Typical attachment style priming paradigm
session 1 - dispositional attachment and relationship specific styles
session 2 - prime with orientation (relationship that fits)
Manipulation check
Priming attachment styles study
Baldwin et al - prime with different styles (activate relationship schema) then test attraction to people with description of attachment style
Prime style override dispositional
whichever primed for showed preference for
Lecturer priming attachment styles study
Prime different attachment styles
present list of words (some + and - attachment words) in LDT task
surprise recall task - primed secure way better at pos attach words. no difference for neg words
Priming secure attachment outcomes
Attenuate negative reactions to the outgroup
increase reports of altruistic empathy
Repeated priming of secure
base line measure - self-views, relationship expectations and security
primed with secure or neutral
primed for 3 consecutive days and one week after
collected 2 days after last priming session
all base line measured improved for secure prime
Attachment script study
Baldwin et al- asked how partner would responded to attachment actions changed based on style. lexical decisions task. avoidant automatic association with negative words
Availability and accessability
Availability- present in memory to be used in processing info
accessibility - which model used based on context and motivational effects
Availability and accessibility study
ppts rank relationships to styles and estimate percentage of styles
rate agreement to statements about mum, dad and partner
most used 2+ to label relationships
reported more relationships linked to style they had
anticipated different outcomes based on attachment style linked
availability heuristic study
self-reported attachment styles and ease of calling to relatedness. see how easily they can generate prototypical
shown for secure and anxious-ambivalent but avoidant eaiser to generate secure
