1. Introduction to Attachment

Question 1

What is attachment

Answer 1

• Attachment is a close emotional relationship between an infant & their caregiver.
• ‘Securely attached infants will show desire to be close to their primary caregiver (usually biological mother). They’ll show distress when theyre separated, & pleasure when reunited.

Question 2

Features of caregiver-infant interaction

Answer 2

• There are common caregiver-infant interactions which are seen in attachment.
• These are thought to be involved in developing & maintaining the attachment.

Question 3

What are the features of caregiver-infant interaction

Answer 3

1. Interactional synchrony
2. Reciprocity

Question 4

Features of caregiver-infant interaction: Interactional synchrony

Answer 4

• When 2 ppl interact in a mirror pattern in terms of their emotional, facial & body movements.
• Infants react in time w the caregiver’s speech, resulting in a ‘conversation dance’.
• This includes imitating emotions as well as behaviours.

Question 5

Research on interactional synchrony

Answer 5

Meltzoff & Moore (1977) found that infants between 2-3 weeks of age appeared to imitate the facial expressions & hand movements of the experimenter.

Question 6

Features of caregiver-infant interaction: Reciprocity

Answer 6

• Interaction flows back & forth between the caregiver & infant.
• Caregiver-infant interaction is a two-way, mutual process. The behaviour of each party elicits a response from the other. Each party responds to the action of another’s signal to sustain interaction (turn-taking).
• The responses are not necessarily similar as in interactional synchronicity.

Question 7

Research on reciprocity

Answer 7

• (smiling is an eg of reciprocity- when a smile occurs in one person it elicits a response in the other).
• Tronick et al. (1977) asked mothers to stop moving & maintain a static, unsmiling expression mid conversation. Babies would try to tempt the mother into interaction by smiling themselves, & would become increasingly distressed when their smile did not provoke the usual response.

Question 8

Why do attachment form

Answer 8

Survival:
Infants are physically helpless

Short term: need adults for food, comfort & protection (infant less than 2yrs)
Long term: emotional relationships (child 2yrs - adolescence)

Question 9

Stages of attachment formation

Answer 9

Schaffer identified stages in attachment formation:
1. The pre-attachment (or asocial) phase
2. The indiscriminate (or diffuse) attachment phase
3. The discriminate (or single) attachment phase
4. The multiple attachment phase

Question 10

1. The pre-attachment (or asocial) phase

Answer 10

• First 0-3 months of life.
• Infant bonds with & recognises their caregiver (often mother), but doesn’t have any strong preferences abt who cares for it.
• BUT treat humane & inhumane objects the same (eg. mother & teddybear).
• Baby is happiest in presence of familiar humans.

Question 11

2. The indiscriminate (or diffuse) attachment phase

Answer 11

• 6 weeks - 7 months.
• They display observable social behaviours.
• They prefer humans to inanimate objects.
• They will accept cuddles/comfort from any adult - babies at this stage DO NOT have stranger awareness.

Question 12

3. The discriminate (or single) attachment phase

Answer 12

• 7-11 months.
• Develop stranger awareness - become anxious around strangers.
• They want to be mainly with their primary caregiver.
• Develop separation anxiety from their primary caregiver.
• Their primary attachment is to the person who interacts with them most (shows most reciprocity & synchrony).

Question 13

4. The multiple attachment phase

Answer 13

• 11 months onwards.
• Babies form secondary attachments to people they spend a lot of time with (siblings, cousins, aunts, grandparents, etc.)
• Some attachments may be stronger than others & have different functions (eg. for play or comfort).
• They’re not as nervous with strangers and less separation anxiety.

Question 14

What did Schaffer & Emerson (1964) do

Answer 14

Evidence for attachment stages

Question 15

Method of Schaffer & Emerson (1964)

Answer 15

• 60 babies were observed in their homes in Glasgow every 4 weeks from birth to abt 18 months.
• Interviews were also conducted with their families.

Question 16

Results of Schaffer & Emerson (1964)

Answer 16

• Schaffer’s stages of attachment formation were found to occur.
• Also, at 8 months of age abt 50 of the infants had more than one attachment.
• Abt 20 of them either had no attachment w their mother or had a stronger attachment w someone else, even though the mother was always the main carer.

Question 17

Conclusion of Schaffer & Emerson (1964)

Answer 17

• Infants form attachments in STAGES & can eventually attach to MANY PPL/
• Quality of care is important in forming attachments, so the infant may not attach to their mother if other ppl respond more accurately to its signals.

Question 18

Evaluation of Schaffer & Emerson (1964): PROS

Answer 18

• There is lots of evidence to support Schaffer & Emerson’s results & their stages of attachment formation.

Question 19

Evaluation of Schaffer & Emerson (1964): CONS

Answer 19

• Schaffer & Emerson used a limited sample.
• Evidence from interviews & observations may be biased & unreliable.
• There are some cross-cultural differences that should be considered - Tronick et al (1992) found that infants in Zaire had a strong attachment w their mother by 6 months of age but didn’t have strong attachments w others, even though they had several carers.

Question 20

What else did Schaffer & Emerson (1964) do

Answer 20

Conducted research into the role of the father

Question 21

The father also plays an important role

Answer 21

• Schaffer & Emerson (1964) found that the attachment between caregiver & infant varied across the infants.
• Their mother was the primary attachment for only HALF of the infants.
• A THIRD of the infants preferred their father, whilst the REST had their strongest attachment w their grandparents or siblings.

Question 22

need case studies?