W2 + 3 EXAMINABLE CONTENT Flashcards
What is the sensitivity hypothesis?
The causes of variation in attachment security are largely environmental, and caregiver sensitivity to the infant’s attachment cues is the primary environmental determinant.
What is parental sensitivity?
According to Ainsworth, Bell + Stayton (1974), parental sensitivity is the ability to perceive and interpret infant signals to respond appropriately and promptly.
What are the components of the parental sensitivity?
Awareness of Signals
Interpretation of Signals
Appropriate Response
Promptness
What’s the spectrum of parental sensitivity? (Ainsworth, Bell + Stayton, 1974)
A highly insensitive caregiver:
Focuses on own wishes/moods/activity
Initiates interaction based on self.
Delayed/inappropriate response to infant signals.
A highly sensitive caregiver:
Sees things from child’s perspective
Prompt response to subtle cues
Offers appropriate alternatives.
What are the hypotheses of the attachment theory?
CUSS**
Universality and Normativity: All infants will become attached to caregiver. Secure attachment common
Sensitivity: Attachment security is dependent on caregivers’ responsiveness to children’s signals.
Continuity: Patterns of attachment security are stable over the lifespan.
Competence: Secure attachment leads to positive life outcomes
What is universality?
ALL infants show attachment behaviours and a preferential bond with a caregiver.
What is the competence hypothesis?
The competence hypothesis states that secure attachment allows children to confidently explore, learn, and develop a sense of competence and self-efficacy.
What is internalising vs externalising ?
Internalising: These problems are directed inward, affecting the individual’s internal state.
They often involve emotional distress that is not readily visible to others.
Externalising: These problems are directed outward, manifesting as observable behaviors that affect others. They often involve acting out and disruptive behavior.
What are some considerations about the competence hypothesis?
Attachment security unlikely to be necessary or sufficient cause of mental health problems
…
Likely multiple paths exist like equifinality (where diff risk factors lead to same disorder) or multifinality (a given risk factor gives rise to multiple disorders) VERY EXAMINABLE FOR MCQ
What is adult attachment interviews?
Study recollections on early relationships which reveal individual differences in attachment representations.
Standardised interview with 15 questions e.g Describe your relationship with your parents as a young child.. Verbatim transcripts scored by reflection and coherence.
How do the types of attachments react to adult attachment interviews?
Secure attachment → Easily talk about relationships, coherent + consistent, understand past difficulties
Dismissive → Difficulity remembering experiences, describe parents positive w/o evidence, dismiss importance of relationships
Preoccupied → Excessive attention to caregiver memories, confused, angry
Unresolved → experience of trauma e.g separation/abuse, still focus on unresolved past issues
What is temperament?
Temperament refers to individual differences in reactivity and self-regulation, including tendencies towards fearfulness and mood stability
Are there child driven effects on parents?
An infant’s temperament (which is HERITABLE) may affect attachment security.
A child less likely to approach novel situations are fearful, and also stability of mood can lead to a positive or negative affect.
If a child is highly volatile, fearful child and a really sensitive parent better chance of being securely attached.
What tasks we use to measure attachment?
Strange situation procedure
Attachment Q-sort
What is Ainsworth’s Strange Situation?
A standardised, laboratory-based method for observing exploratory and attachment behaviours in 1- to 2-year-old children.
What is the Attachment Q-Sort?
Studies individual differences in ‘secure base’ behaviour in natural settings.
Detailed observation at home
Research sorts set of cards (75-100 items)
Child compared against prototype secure child profile
Calculate the correlation between child’s profile and that of a secure child.
How do the Strange Situation and Attachment Q-Sort differ
Strange Situation is a lab-based test measuring attachment in brief separations and reunions (categorical: secure/insecure). Q-Sort is a home-based observation ranking behaviors on a continuum (more naturalistic).
