Social development

Question 1

Parents: attachment

children’s earliest social relationship is with?

Answer 1

Primary caregiver is a child’s most significant early social
relationship.

Question 2

what did psychoanalysts find with children in orphanages?

Answer 2

• Mid 20th century: psychoanalysts noticed that children
reared in orphanages had compromised development.
• Emotionally unstable.
• “lacking in conscience”
• Mentally impaired.

Question 3

Describe attachment children have with primary caregiver

for this to occur, attachment needs to be

Answer 3

A desire for proximity to an attachment figure.
• A sense of security derived from caregiver’s presence.
• Feelings of distress when caregiver is absent.

dynamic: it involves **reciprocal interaction **
between child and caregiver.

Question 4

where did the first empirical evidence of attachment come from?

Answer 4

Harlow

Perceived security, not food, is the crucial element in
forming attachment relationships in primates – Harlow
called this contact comfort.

Question 5

what did bowlby propose?

Answer 5

BOWLBY (1969)

Proposed an evolutionary theory of attachment.
• Young animals imprint on figures during sensitive periods early in
life (Lorenz, 1935).
• This confers an evolutionary advantage:
a vulnerable animal that stays with its
attachment figure stays safe and is
nourished.

• Bowlby argued same mechanism
drives attachment in humans.

Question 6

in what years does attachment develop?

Answer 6

first 2 years of life

Question 7

describe development of attachment up to 5-6 months

Answer 7

Newborns have general preference for social stimuli (e.g., faces).
• Visual recognition of primary caregiver at 3 months.
• At 5-6 months recognise primary caregiver from across room

Question 8

Development of attachment

what happens during 6-7 months?

Answer 8

infants show separation anxiety.
• Emerges at same time cross-culturally.
• Blind children show comparable pattern.
• Suggest maturational basis for attachment.

Question 9

are there individual differences in response to separation?

Answer 9

yes there are

Question 10

what did Ainsworth (1973) develop

Answer 10

the Strange Situation
procedure

1. Mother leaves young child (12 – 18 months) in a room alone.
2. Child joined briefly by a stranger.
3. Mother returns and greets the child.

initially become distressed; how they react
when mother returns determines their attachment

Question 11

what are 4 attachment styles, which is most common

Answer 11

1. Secure (approx. 65%)
2. Avoidant
3. Ambivalent (Resistant)
4. Disorganised

Question 12

describe secure attachment style

Answer 12

65% May or may not be distressed by separation; on reunion they
actively approach their parent for comfort and support, reducing
distress.

Question 13

describe avoidant attachment style

Answer 13

21%Usually not distressed by separation from parent; on reunion are
slow to seek comfort from parent.

Question 14

describe Ambivalent (Resistant) attachment style

Answer 14

14% Usually distressed by separation; on reunion they approach parent
for support but display anger and resistance to comforting.

Question 15

describe Disorganised attachment style

Answer 15

unclear estimate of percentage

Display greatest amount of insecurity; on reunion show confused
behaviours such as looking away while parent holding them or
dazed facial expressions.

Question 16

what happens to attachment behaviour once child becomes independent?

Answer 16

Attachment is fluid across middle childhood in response to
significant life events (e.g., starting school, divorce).
• Attachment figures change throughout lifespan.

Question 17

what happens when there is problematic attachment

Answer 17

Insecure attachment => emotional and behavioural difficulties in
childhood and adolescence.

Question 18

what are two subsequent significant sources of peer interaction/ relationships?

Answer 18

Children have two significant but different sources of
peer interaction:

friends and siblings.

Question 19

what are majority of friendships

Answer 19

same-sex peers.
• A mere 5% of friendships are cross-sex.

Question 20

what may be the influence of same-gender peers?

Answer 20

Partly due to socialisation – children are encouraged to engage in
gender-consistent activities.
• Partly genetic: twin studies show moderate to substantial genetic
influence in ‘sex-typed’ behaviours (Iervolino et al., 2005).
• Boys: physical play; Girls: fantasy/pretend play

Question 21

at what age does friendship emerge? what are features?

Answer 21

Friendships marked by **commitment and reciprocity **
(sharing, give and take) emerge around 3 years.
• Very stable even at this young age.

Question 22

how does friendship change through development?

Answer 22

Young children (approx. 6 years and under): friends are other
children “who given you things or let you play with their toys”.
• Middle childhood (7 – 12-years): understand friendship as an
enduring source of companionship.
• Adolescents: understand friendship as an intimate relationship.
• Girls disclose more than boys, who typically disclose to girls.

Question 23

sibilings share how much of the same DNA

Answer 23

50%

Question 24

how can sibling relationship be paradoxical?

Answer 24

• Compete for resources (e.g., parental attention, food, family
wealth).

Question 25

how can birth of sibling be traumatic for young children?

Answer 25

increased dependency, anxiety, bed-wetting.
• Common to see behavioural “regressions” (e.g., toilet accidents).
• Hostility to newborn child.

Question 26

Birthorder effects

Describe 1st born

Answer 26

undivided attention of parents,

lack of siblings =
less exposure to peers

Question 27

birthorder effects

2nd child

Answer 27

2nd born:

1. parental attention divided
2. sibling interaction
3. parents more experienced.

Question 28

birthorder effects

3rd child

Answer 28

3rd born:

1. parental attention divided further
2. higher sibling interaction,
3. parents more experienced.

Question 29

what was suggested in studies regarding birthorder effects?

Answer 29

Changes in family dynamics => decreases in IQ.
• Zajonc & Markus (1975): Intellectual environment diluted as family
has more children.

Question 30

what was the confound in the research that found lower IQ in later born children?

Answer 30

All past studies used cross-sectional data.
• People of different birth orders from different families were being
compared against each other.
• Better design is to compare siblings from the same family.

Question 31

what study reinforces birthorder effects have no influence on IQ

Answer 31

Wichman et al. (2006): effect disappears when siblings
compared.
• There is no effect of birth order on IQ.