Temperment and Attachment

Question 1

What are the four stages of attachment

Answer 1

1. indiscriminate social responsiveness (birth-2months)
2. discriminating social responsiveness (2-3 mths-6-7 mths)
3. active proximity seeking or true attachment (6-7 mths-3 years)
   - separation protest (7-8 mths), proximity seeking - true attachment (9mths+)
4. goal-corrected partnership (3+yrs)-takes parent perspective into account

Question 2

What are three things infants are able to do as they develop?

Answer 2

1. exert more control over interactions with caregivers
2. initiate rather than simply respond to caregiving
3. early attachment behaviour repertoire limited.. goes from crying to proximity seeking

Question 3

What does IWM depend on?

Answer 3

object permanence & capacity for mental representations

Question 4

What is significant in attachment?

Answer 4

the quality of attachment rather than whether they are attached or not

Question 5

What are the two qualitative differences in attachment

Answer 5

secure/insecure

organised/disorganised

Question 6

What is an attachment system

Answer 6

a “control system” designed to maintain a steady state - quiescent when caregiver present (i.e. child should be in exploratory mode)

Question 7

What is the classical way to assess attachment relationships

Answer 7

Strange Situation Procedure

Question 8

Discuss the Strange Situation Procedure

Answer 8

initial play - mother, baby
stranger enters - stranger, mother, baby
mother leaves - first separation - baby, stranger
mother returns - first reunion
mother leaves - second separation - baby alone
stranger joins child
mother returns - second reunion

Question 9

What does secure attachment have a healthy balance of?

Answer 9

environment exploration & relationship closeness

Question 10

What is the avoid ant attachment tipped towards?

Answer 10

environment exploration

Question 11

What is the ambivalent attachment tipped towards

Answer 11

relationship closeness

Question 12

What are the early psychological defence mechanisms re attachment theory

Answer 12

avoidant - attachment system hypo activated (denial)

ambivalent - attachment system hyper activated (somatisicing)

Question 13

What are some behaviours of the securely attached infant

Answer 13

-eager to interact with and engage the parent
-can communicate distress to caregiver
-readily comforted
CAREGIVER - PROMPT, PREDICTABLE APPROPRIATE RESPONSES

Question 14

What are some behaviours of the insecure/avoidant infant

Answer 14

-very little interaction with parent
-does not appear distressed by separation
-may play equally well with stranger
-does not seek comfort from caregiver
CAREGIVER - DISCOURAGES PHYSICAL CONTACT, INTRUSIVE

Question 15

What are some behaviours of the insecure/ambivalent infant

Answer 15

-communicates distress to caregiver-but very intensely with an “angry” component
-not easily comforted by caregiver - either infant or mother move away too quickly
-balance favours monitoring/clinging t5o parent over autonomous activities
CAREGIVER - inconsistent, delayed responsiveness, uncertain

Question 16

Children who have had multiple carers or lived in institutions are more likely to

Answer 16

have a damaged IWM or pathological attachment - disorganised attachment

Question 17

Discuss disorganised infants

Answer 17

• infants experience caregivers as frightening or frightened
• fear underlies disorganisation
• predicament - fear without a relationship solution, relationship repair is unpredictable
• child panics/moves away quickly from parent, child ‘freezing/rocking when seeing parent

Question 18

What is the disorganisation attachment paradox

Answer 18

where the caregiver is both the safe haven and the source of fear

Question 19

What percentage of the population has disorganised attachment

Answer 19

10%

Question 20

Discuss cross-cultural validity of SSP

Answer 20

Japanese and Isareli infants show high degrees of stress in separation in a strange situation & are more anxious/ambivalent
in cultures where mothers have many children- more avoid ant attachment