Introduction to Attachment

Question 1

What is an attachment?

Answer 1

Emotional relationship that involves 2 people (mutual).

Question 2

What is a bond?

Answer 2

A set of feelings that ties one person to another: parents often feel strongly about their new-born babies.

Question 3

How did Shaffer describe an attachment? (1993)

Answer 3

“a close emotional relationship between 2 persons, characterised by mutual affection and a desire to maintain proximity (closeness)”.

Question 4

What did Maccoby do in 1980?

Answer 4

Identified four key behaviours of attachment:

Question 5

What were the 4 key behaviours of attachments Maccoby identified? (1980)

Answer 5

Seeking proximity (to the primary cave giver).

Distress on separation (with the primary cave giver).

Pleasure when reunited (with the primary care giver).

General orientation of behaviour (towards primary care giver).

Question 6

What are the 5 attachment formation methods?

(Attachment formation)

Answer 6

Bodily contact.

Mimicking.

Caregiverese.

Interactional Synchrony.

Reciprocity.

Question 7

Outline bodily contact as an attachment formation method.

(Attachment formation)

Answer 7

Physical interactions between carer and infant help to form the attachment bond, especially in the period immediately after birth.

Question 8

Outline mimicking as an attachment formation method.

(Attachment formation)

Answer 8

Infants seem to have an innate ability to imitate a carers’ facial expressions.

Suggesting it is a biological device to aid the formation of attachments.

Question 9

Outline caregiverese as an attachment formation method.

(Attachment formation)

Answer 9

Adults who interact with infants use a modified form of vocal language that is high-pitched, song-like in nature, slow and repetitive.

This aids communication and helps strengthen the bond.

Question 10

Outline interactional synchrony as an attachment formation method.

(Attachment formation)

Answer 10

Mother and infant reflect (mirror) both the actions (behaviour) and emotions of the other and do so in a co-ordinated (synchronised) way.

Mother and infant move in a similar pattern.

Question 11

Outline reciprocity as an attachment formation method.

(Attachment formation)

Answer 11

Interactions between carers and infants result in mutual behaviour, both mother and infant being able to respond to each other’s signals and elicits a response from each other.

This helps to fortify the attachment bond.

Question 12

When did Shaffer and Emerson proposed their stages of attachment development?

Answer 12

1964.

Question 13

What were Shaffer and Emerson’s 4 stages of attachment development?

Answer 13

Pre attachment phase.

Indiscriminate phase.

Discriminate phase.

Multiple attachment phase.

Question 14

Outline the pre-attachment phase, as part of Shaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment development.

Answer 14

From 6 weeks of age.

Infants become attracted to other humans, preferring them to objects and events.

This preference is demonstrated by their smiling at peoples’ faces.

Question 15

Outline the indiscriminate attachment phase, as part of Shaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment development.

Answer 15

Takes place 3 to 7/8 months.

Infants begin to discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar people, smiling more at known people, although they will still allow strangers to handle and look after them.

Question 16

Outline the discriminate attachment phase, as part of Shaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment development.

Answer 16

Takes place 7-8 months.

Infants begin to develop specific attachments, staying close to particular people and becoming distressed when separated from them.

They avoid unfamiliar people and protest if strangers try to handle them.

Question 17

Outline the multiple attachment phase, as part of Shaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment development.

Answer 17

Takes place 9 months and onwards.

Infants form strong emotional ties with other major caregivers like grandparents, non-caregivers and other children.

The fear of strangers weakens, but attachment to the mother figure remains the strongest.

Question 18

Outline early feeding cues.

(Cues within a baby)

Answer 18

Stirring, mouth opening, and turning of the head.

Question 19

Outline mid feeding cues.

(Cues within a baby)

Answer 19

Stretching, movement, and hand to mouth actions.

Question 20

Outline late feeding cues.

(Cues within a baby)

Answer 20

Crying, agitation and turning red.

Question 21

Interactions between infant and caregiver serve what purpose?

(Cues within a baby)

Answer 21

Interactions between infant and caregiver serve to develop and maintain an attachment between them.

Question 22

Even though the infant can’t talk at this stage of development, communication between carer and infant is what?

Answer 22

Rich and complex in several ways.

Question 23

Outline Meltzoff and Moore’s 1977 study.

(Supports mimicking as an attachment formation)

Answer 23

Supports mimicking as an attachment formation.

This is because they found that infants aged 2-3 weeks tended to mimic adults’ specific facial expressions and hand movements.

This suggests that infant mimicry is an innate ability used to aid the formation of attachments, especially as it was subsequently seen in infants of less than 3 days old.

Question 24

Outline Isabella et al’s 1989 study.

(Supports interactional synchrony as an attachment formation)

Answer 24

Supports interactional synchrony as an attachment formation.

This is because they found that infants with secure attachments demonstrated more evidence of interactional synchrony behaviour during their first year of life.

This suggests that interactional synchrony helps to form positive early attachments.

However, intersectional synchrony was not found across all cultures, so the process is not universal.

Question 25

Outline LeVine et al’s 1994 study.

(Challenges bodily contact as an attachment formation)

Answer 25

Challenges bodily contact as an attachment formation.

This is because they reported that Kenyan mothers have little physical contacts and interactions, yet still have a high proportion of secure attachments.

This suggests that physical contact isn’t as key to developing attachments as thought.

Question 26

When did Shaffer and Emerson conduct their Glaswegian infant study?

Answer 26

1964.

Question 27

What was the aim of Shaffer and Emerson’s study?

(Glaswegian infant study, 1964)

Answer 27

Looked at when attachments begin in infants, and how intense these are.

Question 28

Outline the participant demographic in Shaffer and Emerson’s study.

(Glaswegian infant study, 1964)
(Procedure)

Answer 28

60 working class Glaswegian mothers and infants.

Question 29

Shaffer and Emerson’s 1964 study was a longitudinal study. How?

(Glaswegian infant study, 1964)
(Procedure)

Answer 29

Infants participated every 4 weeks until the 1 year old, and then again at 18 months.

The infants were observed during the weeks.

Question 30

How was infant data collected from the infants?

(Glaswegian infant study, 1964)
(Procedure)

Answer 30

Written records from primary care givers were also collected.

Question 31

How was attachment measured/operationalised in Shaffer and Emerson’s 1964 study?

(Glaswegian infant study, 1964)
(Procedure)

Answer 31

Through separation protest and stranger anxiety.

Question 32

What is separation protest?

(Glaswegian infant study, 1964)
(Procedure)

Answer 32

Infants behaviour when separated from primary caregiver.

E.g. left alone in a room or with another person, left in the cot at night, being put down after being held.

Question 33

What is stranger anxiety?

(Glaswegian infant study, 1964)
(Procedure)

Answer 33

Distress experienced by a child when approached by a stranger.

Question 34

How many children showed their first specific attachment between 6-8 months?

(Glaswegian infant study, 1964)
(Findings)

Answer 34

50% of children.

Question 35

How long did it take for all infants to fear strangers?

(Glaswegian infant study, 1964)
(Findings)

Answer 35

8-9 months.

Question 36

What were the mothers of intensely attached infants like?

(Glaswegian infant study, 1964)
(Findings)

Answer 36

They quickly responded to their infants demands.

Question 37

What happened after infants formed one main attachment?

(Glaswegian infant study, 1964)
(Findings)

Answer 37

They began to attach to others.

Question 38

How many infants formed their first specific attachment to their mother?

(Glaswegian infant study, 1964)
(Findings)

Answer 38

65%.

Question 39

How many infants had someone that fed, bathed, and changed them (who wasn’t their primary care giver) as their main attachment object?

(Glaswegian infant study, 1964)
(Findings)

Answer 39

39%.

Question 40

At 18 months, how many infants had formed at least 2 attachments?

(Glaswegian infant study, 1964)
(Findings)

Answer 40

87%.

Question 41

How many infants had formed 5 or more secure attachments?

(Glaswegian infant study, 1964)
(Findings)

Answer 41

31%.

Question 42

How many infants had formed an attachment with the father at 18 months?

(Glaswegian infant study, 1964)
(Findings)

Answer 42

75%.

Question 43

Outline 3 general evaluative points from Shaffer and Emerson’s 1964 study.

(Glaswegian infant study, 1964)
(Findings)

Answer 43

Observations were conducted in the 1960s, so possibly outdated e.g. patriarchal systems.

Subjective data from the primary care givers and observers; social disability bias.

Most infants followed the patterns, suggesting that the data was reliable.

Data was taken in the infants home, meaning the environment wasn’t artificial, so can be applied to the real world. (External validity).

There was a small sample size of an already niche demographic, so data may be too individual and cannot then be generalised.

Infants elicit varying responses depending on their mood, so sometimes their behaviour may be affected for reasons that are not associated with the experiment. (Confounding variables).

Young infants spend a lot of time asleep, so some days observations and written notes may be empty and unnecessary.

Primary care givers may use different methods of raising their child e.g. letting them ’cry it out’. This specific example has resulted in higher cortisol levels in infants.

Question 44

Outline 3 potential difficulties of using research with very young children.

Answer 44

Spend a lot of time sleeping, observations may not always be able to be completed.

Attachments can cause the closure of experiments e.g. Takahashi.

Children are still unaware of their surroundings, this means limited research methods could be used - creating results that aren’t fully valid.

Unethical due to a lack of permission from the infant (except from the primary care giver).

Negative perception and stigma against the use of children.

Question 45

Outline Carpenter’s research from 1975.

(Supports the idea that infants can recognise their PCG from a very young age)

Answer 45

Supports the idea that infants can recognise their PCG from a very young age.

Showed that 2 week old babies could recognise their mother’s face and voice.

This suggests that babies can recognise and are attracted to their mothers from an early age, contradicting Schaffer and Emerson’s belief that initially babies were attracted to any person interacting with them.

Question 46

Outline Bushnell, Sai, and Mullin’s research from 1989.

(Supports the idea that infants can recognise their PCG from a very young age)

Answer 46

Supports the idea that infants can recognise their PCG from a very young age.

This is because they presented 2 day old babies photos of their mothers and a stranger, finding that babies showed preference for their mothers.

They did this by observing eye contact, and it suggested that attachments can form straight from birth.