Week 2: Attatchment Flashcards
What is attatchment?
An enduring emotional tie to a specific person characterised by the tendency to seek and maintain closeness, especially in times of stress
When seperatd from care givers, what 3 stages do children go through?
Protest
Dispair
Detatchment
What is a secure attatchment?
Children use their caregiver as a secure base for exploration and develop an internal working model of themselves and their care giver. This then forms the basis of future relationships
How many stages are there in the attatchment process?
5 (Birth to school age)
What is the first stage of the attatchment process? (Newborns)
Do not discriminate between people
Make noise to attract care givers
What is the second stage of the attatchment process? (5-7 months)
More likely to smile at their care giver and begin to discriminate between people
They’re more easily comforted by people they know
What is the third stage of the attatchment process? (7-9 months)
They maintain proximity to their preferred people and protest when they leave
Develop a fear of strangers
What is the fourth stage of attatchment? (2-3 years)
A goal-correct partnership forms where children begin to understand object permenance and the fact that their care giver will return (Deferred immitation)
They learn to accomodate their caregiver’s needs
What is the final stage of attatchment? (4/5 years)
They develop an abstract version of trust and affection as well as a full internal working model
Their attatchment lessens and they are able to be without their caregiver
Who developed the strange situation paradigm?
Ainsworth
What is an anxious/avoident attatchment in the strange situation?
Children may not be distressed when their mother leaves and will avoid her when she returns
What is an anxious/resistant/ambivalent attatchment in the strange situation?
Children become severely distressed when the mother leaves. When they return, the child will simultaneously seek comfort and turn away
What is a disorganised attatchment in the strange situation?
Doesn’t fit into any other pattern
What kind of brain activity do insecurely attatched children show in the strange situation?
More activity in the righ prefrontal cortex (Specalising in negative emotion)
What are the two main hypothesis of attatchment theory?
Sensativity hypothesis
Compentence hypothesis
What is the sensativity hypothesis
The more sensative the caregiver, the more secure the attatchment
Why isn’t warmth and ‘loving’ related to being an idea care giver?
While it’s the cultural norm in the west, it’s not the same everywhere
What did Seifer et al (1996) find?
Sensativity was not linked to the results of the strange situation test
Temperment of the child was most related to maternal sensativity
What is the still face paradigm?
Mother is unresponsive and just looks at the infant for 2 minutes without reacting
How do insecurely attatched children behave in the still face paradigm?
They’re less sensative to the change
How do securely attatched children behave in the still face paradigm?
They do anything to get their mother’s attention
What is the competence hypothesis?
We assume that people who are more securely attatched are more socially compentant
How are children with avoidant attatchments rated by their peers?
Seen as more agressive
What was the Dwyer 2010 study into attatchment and attribution?
Scenario (imagined) where friend drops milkshake on child. The child is asked which explanation makes sense
What were the results of the Dwyer 2010 study?
Girls with insecure paternal attatchments attributed it externally (they wanted to make fun of you) while boys attributed it internally (they did something to make it happen)
Who is the main person to critisize attatchment theory?
Rothbaum
How does Rothbaum critisize attatchment theory?
Cultural differences in the sensativity hypothesis. In Japan dependence is normal but in the US they value independence
What defines an adult avoidant attatchment?
Less invested in close relationships Describes parents as cold and rejecting Don't use touch to communicate intimacy Withdraws from people when they are distressed Doesn't open up to people
What defines an adult anxious attatchment?
Deeply invested in relationships but still contributes to break ups
Describes parents as intrusive and unfair - still angry at them
One negative memory opens up many more
Self discloses too much
What defines an adult secure attatchment?
Favourable opinions of parents
Values and enjoys relationships
Copes with stress by seeking support
What is the childcare debate?
Over if daycare makes children less attatched to their parents
Who argues that daycare has a negative effect on children?
Belsky
Who argues that daycare has a positive effect on children?
McCartney
What was the NICHD 1997 study?
Compared children with and without daycare
Found no difference in attatchment
Why did Belsky argue that daycare is negative?
Mothers overcompensate when the child gets home and overwhelm them with too much affection
What is the validity issue with studying childcare?
Middle class families are more able to afford childcare so that could be the effect as they also tend to have less behavioural issues anyway
