Untitled Deck Flashcards
What is attachment?
A close two-way emotional bond between two people in which each person sees the other as essential for their emotional security. This takes a few months to develop.
What influences the development of attachment?
It is the responsiveness of the caregiver to the infant’s signals that has deep effects.
What behaviors indicate attachment?
Proximity, Separation Distress, Secure-Based Behaviour, and Reciprocity.
What is proximity in attachment?
People try to stay physically closer to those whom they are attached.
What is separation distress?
People are distressed when an attachment figure (AF) leaves their presence.
What is secure-based behaviour?
Even when we are independent of our attachment figures, we tend to make regular contact with them.
E.g. infants return to AF regularly while playing.
What is reciprocity in attachment?
Both infant and caregiver respond to each other’s signals and elicit a response from the other.
What role does interaction play in attachment?
From around 3 months, both mother and baby pay close attention to verbal signals and facial expressions.
What are alert phases in infants?
Babies have periodic ‘active phases’ in which they signal they are ready for some interaction.
How often do mothers respond to their baby’s alertness?
Mothers typically pick up and respond to their baby’s alertness approximately 2/3 of the time.
What is active involvement in attachment?
Both babies and caregivers can initiate interactions, and they appear to take turns in doing so.
What is interactional synchrony?
Caregiver and infant reflect both the actions and emotions of the other in a coordinated way.
What did Meltzoff and Moore (1977) observe?
Beginning interactional synchrony as young as 2 weeks old, where the child’s response was filmed after an adult displayed facial expressions or gestures.
What does the still face experiment by Tronick (1975) demonstrate?
It shows how a baby responds when their caregiver does not or cannot join in on the ‘interactional dance.’
Are all attachments of equal quality?
All babies form attachments, but they are not all of equal quality.
