Attachment (Paper 1)

Question 1

Attachment def

Answer 1

An emotional reciprocal tie or relationship between two people

Question 2

Reciprocity def

Answer 2

The interaction that occurs between infant and the caregiver resulting in them both responding in a two-way, mutual process. A conversation of sorts

Question 3

Interactional synchrony def

Answer 3

When a caregiver or infant mirror/imitate one of the others facial expressions/gestures, therefore being “synchronised”.

EG infant moves their body in tune with the rhythm of the caretaker.

Question 4

Supporting evidence for interactional synchrony (Meltzoff & Moore 1977)

Answer 4

• Observed interactional synchrony in 2-4 week old infants.
• Adult displayed 1 of 3 facial expressions.
• Association found between expression the adult displayed and the actions of the baby

Basically made faces at the baby and it copied them.

Question 5

Still face Experiment for reciprocity + What it shows

Answer 5

Displaying a blank face (No expressions or interactions) at a baby for an extended period of time.

Infant reliably shows distress and withdrawal after a minute or so.

Shows the importance of reciprocity between the caregiver and the infant in order to form a quality attachment and healthy mental development for the infant.

Question 6

Two Issues with evidence of interactional synchrony (Meltzoff & Moore)

Answer 6

1. Lack of consistent evidence. Challenges reliability of interactional synchrony as an aspect of securing attachment
2. Research is correlational. Problem of cause and effect cannot be established. As the research focuses on a relationship between the caregiver interactions and the quality of the attachment.

May be the high-quality attachment that’s leading to the high Interactional synchrony/Reciprocity levels ?

Question 7

Schaffers Stages of Attachment Study

Answer 7

Investigated gradual development of infants by studying 60 babies who they visited monthly in their first year then again at 18 months

Found:

• 65% first attachment with mother
• 3% first attachment with father
• 27% formed joint attachment with mother and father at same time
• 40% of infant’s first attachment NOT with caregiver who they spent the most time with, but who responded most sensitively to them

Question 8

Schaffer’s Stages of attachment

Answer 8

• ASOCIAL STAGE: 0-6 weeks.

Infants produce similar response to all objects animate or inanimate. Bias towards human-like stimulus and prefer to look at faces and eyes

• INDISCRIMINATE ATTACHMENT: 6 weeks - 6 months

Become more sociable. Prefer human company. Can tell apart familiar faces to unfamiliar faces. Allow strangers to look after them with no distress.

• SPECIFIC ATTACHMENT: 7 months onwards.

Clear attachment behaviours start to form such as:
- Seeking proximity: Distress is carer moves too far away. Will crawl to them
- Separation distress: Infant distressed when carer leaves the room (even for a short period)
- Joy on reunion: Happy when carer comes back
- Stranger anxiety: Infant shows wariness of unfamiliar strangers
- General orientation to the caregiver: Infant generally directs attention towards their caregiver who will reciprocate, engaging in interaction.

• MULTIPLE ATTACHMENTS: 10/11 months onwards

Additional ties are formed with other main caregivers (father, grandparents) and non - caregivers (siblings).

Some believe strongest attachment remains with mother, others say all attachments are now equal.

Question 9

Asocial stage of Schaffer’s Stages of Attachment

Answer 9

0-6 weeks old

• Produce similar response to all objects, animate or inanimate.
• Prefers to look at faces and eyes.

Question 10

Indiscriminate Stage of Schaffer’s Stages of Attachment

Answer 10

6 weeks - 6 months

• Become more sociable.
• Prefer human company.
• Can tell apart familiar faces to unfamiliar faces.
• Allow strangers to look after them with no distress as long as they relieve adequate care.

Question 11

Specific Attachment stage of Schaffer’s Stages of Attachment

Answer 11

7 months onwards

Clear attachment behaviours start to form such as:

• Seeking proximity: Distress is carer moves too far away. Will crawl to them
• Separation distress:Infant distressed when carer leaves the room (even for a short period)
• Joy on reunion: Happy when carer comes back
• Stranger anxiety: Infant shows wariness of unfamiliar strangers
• General orientation to the caregiver: Infant generally directs attention towards their caregiver who will reciprocate, engaging in interaction.

Question 12

Multiple Attachments Stage of Schaffer’s Stages of Attachment

Answer 12

10/11 Months onwards

Additional ties are formed with other main caregivers (father, grandparents) and non - caregivers (siblings).

Some believe strongest attachment remains with mother, others say all attachments are now equal.

Question 13

Strength of Schaffer’s Stages of Attachment Research Study

Answer 13

Since it was a naturalistic observation (in babies own home), it’s more likely the infant-caregiver interactions were more authentic and accurate.

Results in high ecological validity and adds validity to the theory.

Question 14

Two Limitations of Schaffer’s Stages of Attachment Research Study

Answer 14

1. Conducted in the 1960s, parenting roles were different.
   Therefore if replicated today, finding may be different
2. Researching infants involves having to interpret infant’s responses and behaviour which are subject to the bias of the mother reporting those behaviours.
   May affect accuracy (mothers may report responses more positively than they are).

Question 15

Role of the father in attachment development

Answer 15

• Seen more as a playmate.
• Bowlby’s claims a Monotropic attachment is made to the mother, which is more important than any other attachment (such as to the father). Therefore, father is seen as a supplementary (not primary) attachment figure.
• Encourages infant to take risks through play.
• Infants shown to seek contact with father when in a positive emotional state but seek mother when they are in distress

Question 16

Research against Bowlby’s claims of The Role of the Father (Hrdy 1999)

Answer 16

Hrdy (1999) reported some fathers are unable to detect low level infant distress when compared to mothers.

Suggest males may be less suitable primary attachment figures.

Question 17

Geiger (1996) Research against Bowlby’s view of The Role of the Father

Answer 17

Says:
Fathers = Playmates
Mothers = Caregivers

Their reasoning for this is that they found fathers play interactions were more stimulating and exciting than mothers. Fathers also encourage greater risk taking.

Suggests even though father’s role is different, they may be as crucial as the mother in the child’s successful development and wellbeing.

Question 18

Two Strengths Supporting Bowlby’s claims on The Role of the Father

Answer 18

1. Shown that children who grew up in single or same-sex parent families develop no differently to those in two parent-hetro households.

• Suggests father’s role as a secondary attachment is not important and mothers are essential for healthy development, as claimed by Bowlby.

2. Grossman found children who have a secure, positive relationship with their father go on to have better relationships with peers in their adolescence, display less behavioural problems and are able to regulate emotions better.

• Findings suggest father plays an important and specific role in the development of later attachments and developmental outcomes.

Question 19

Lorenz’s Animal Goose Egg Study

Answer 19

Randomly divided two groups of goose eggs. Half to be placed under mother and hatch naturally and half to be put in an incubator.

Lorenz made sure he was the first large moving objects the incubator geese saw.

Found they formed a rapid attachment to him and followed him around.

He then put them into a big group and found that separated rapidly in search of “their own mother”.

Lorenz called this rapid attachment “Imprinting” and noted that it only occurred during the “Critical Period”.

If imprinting does not occur during this short period at the beginning of the animal’s life, they will never imprint.

Question 20

Two Strengths of Lorenz’s Animal Study

Answer 20

1. Practical application for understanding human attachments.

• Influenced Bowlby’s idea of the critical period in human babies.
• Can be used to ensure human babies’ development is healthy.

2. Supporting Evidence replicating Lorenz’s concept of innate imprinting.

• Chicks were found to imprint on a rubber glove that they were exposed to while feeding during the first few weeks of their life.
• Supports the notion of innate imprinting during the critical period to a moving object in animals.

Question 21

Role of the Internal working model

Answer 21

Bowlby said that a child’s first relationship with their primary attachment will effect all adult relationships.

Can either be positive or negative

• Positive: develop secure/loving/strong relationships. Can show empathy and make friends easily
• Negative: hard to develop relationships, be clingy/ attention seeking and hostile towards peers

Question 22

Evaluation of Internal working model

Answer 22

Supporting evidence: Harlow’s monkeys

• Baby monkeys who had no mother grew to be a poor mother - they were very neglectful to their offspring.

Overly deterministic

• Says that if you have a bad childhood, you’re destined to fail in future relationships, overlooks situational factors