week 9 - attachment Flashcards
What was the 1940s behaviorist approach to parenting?
Reward good behaviors and punish bad behaviors, which may lead to harsher punishment. This approach included feeding on a schedule, allowing babies to cry, and not rewarding with affection, aiming to prepare children for a “tough world.”
What did Watson believe about giving children affection?
Watson believed that affection would spread a “disease of the mind” and cause children to develop psychological issues.
What is attachment and why is it important?
Attachment is a critical part of social, emotional, and cognitive development.
What did Harlow’s monkey experiment demonstrate?
It challenged the behaviorist view that biological needs are primary. Monkeys spent more time with a cloth mother rather than a wire mother with milk, showing the importance of comfort and emotional care.
What were the findings from orphanages during WWII?
Children received proper physical care but little social care, leading to withdrawn, isolated, and abnormal social behaviors, and by adolescence, a history of stealing, violence, and sexual misdemeanors.
What were John Bowlby’s observations of children in institutions?
Children were listless, depressed, emotionally disturbed, had feelings of emptiness, and were unable to develop healthy emotional relationships.
What were the differences in development for children in orphanages vs. those kept with their mothers in prison?
- Orphanage at age 1: 25% died, average IQ was 72
- Prison with mother at age 1: 0 died, average IQ was 105
- Orphanage at age 2: 37% died
- Prison with mother at age 2: 0 died
What did Mary Ainsworth’s stranger situation identify?
It identified four attachment styles (1 secure, 3 insecure) by observing child behavior during separations and reunions with the caregiver.
What are the characteristics of securely attached children?
They use the parent as a secure base, show some distress when the parent leaves, and are happy to see the parent return.
What are the characteristics of insecure/resistant (anxious-ambivalent) children?
They are clingy, explore less, are very upset when the parent leaves, and seek contact but resist comfort when the parent returns.
What are the characteristics of insecure/avoidant children?
They are indifferent to the parent before separation, show no stress when the parent leaves, and avoid contact upon the parent’s return.
What are the characteristics of disorganized/disoriented attachment?
Children show no consistent pattern, have confused facial expressions, and appear to want to approach the parent but also fear doing so.
How do attachment styles predict long-term outcomes?
Securely attached children have closer relationships with peers, better emotional understanding, less anxiety and depression, and more positive romantic relationships. Insecurely attached children are more socially withdrawn, less curious, and have fewer close friends and more disruptive behaviors in adolescence.
What predicts infant attachment styles?
Differences in parenting sensitivity, which involves noticing, correctly interpreting, and consistently responding to a child’s signals.
What were the results of the intervention study on at-risk infants?
The intervention group showed more sensitive parenting behaviors and higher rates of secure attachment (72% vs. 28% in the control group) at 18 months old.
