4.1.3 attachment 🐒 Flashcards
(103 cards)
define attachment
attachment is a close two way emotional bond between two individuals in which each sees the other as essential for emotional security.
what are the three attachment behaviours
proximity
seperation distress
secure-base behaviours
define proximity as an attachment behaviour
proximity - how close somebody is to who they are attached to. People try to stay physically close to whom they are attached to.
define seperation distress as an attachment behaviour
seperation distress- people are distressed when an attachment figure leaves their presence.
define secure base behaviours as an attachment behaviour
secure base behaviours- evene when we are independent of our attchment figures we tend to make regular contact-based behaviour when they regularly return to their attachment figure while playing.
what are the two types of caregiver-infant interaction
reciprocity
interactional synchrony
define reciprocity as a type of caregiver-infant interaction
reciprocity is a description of how two people interact. mother and infant interaction is reciprocal in tn that both mother and infant respond to each others signals and each elicts a response from the other. the baby takes an active role in attachment.
define interactional synchrony as a type of caregiver-infant interaction
interactional synchrony is when mother and infant reflect both the actions and emotions of the other and do this in a coordinated (synchronised) way.
how does meltzoff and moores study support interactional synchrony
meltzoff and moore found that two week old babies an association was found between the expression or gesture that adult model had displayed and the actions of the babies
how does isabella study support interactional synchrony
isabella et al found that high levels of synchrony were associated with better quality mother-infant attachment e.g emotional intensity of the relationship.
one strength of meltzoff and moores study to support interactional synchrony- observation
its an observation that was filmed , observations capture fine details and it was filmed from multiple angles- higher internal validity
one limitation of meltzoff and moores study to support interactional synchrony - observation
because it is an observation it shows us what is happening but it doesnt give us perspective in to why it happens , why is the infant responding in a synchronised way . It is also hard to observe infants as we dont know whether actions are conscious are not.
what was the aim of schaffer’s study into the stages of attachment
schaffer and emerson aimed to investigate the form of early attachments , in particular , the age of which they developed their emotional intensity and to whom they are directed.
outline the procedure of scahffers study into stages of attachment
longitudinal of 60 babies in glasgow from working class families. babies were visited in their homes every month for a year and then again at 18 months the mothers were questioned about the babies seperation anxiety and stranger anxiety.
outline the results of schaffers study into stages of attachment
between 25-32 weeks of age - 50% of babies showed seperation anxiety to a particular adult.(usually the mother)
attachment tended to be towards the carer that was most interactive and sensitive e.g reciprocity
by 40 weeks - 80% of babies had a specific attachment
what are the four stages of attachments
stage 1- pre-attachment stage
stage 2-indiscriminate attachment
stage 3-discriminate attachment
stage 4-multiple attachments
outline stage 1 of scahffers stages of attachment - pre attachment stage
this is up to 6 weeks of age , infants show little discrimination or preference towards humans (asocial) there is some preference for familiar adults.
outline stage 2 of schaffers stages of attachment - indiscriminate attachment
approximately 1-7 months old . they start to show a greater preference for social stimuli e.g a smiling face rather than inanimate objects
outline stage 3 of schaffer’s stages of attachment - discriminate attachment
from the age of 7 months , infants form one special attachment with their primary attachment figure and show seperation anxiety when seperated
outline stage 4 of schaffers stages of attachment - multiple attachments
soon after a main attachment is formed an infant develops a wider circle of multiple attachments . 29% of infants had a secondary attachment within a month of forming a primary attachment.
by the age of one year the majority had developed multiple attachments.
outline one strength of schaffers stages of attachment study - ecological validity
one strength is that this study has ecological validity and mundane realism , they were tested in their own homes and observations were made by parents - means that babies activities unlikely to be affected by researchers.- more natural behaviour
outline one strength of schaffers stages of attachment study- longitudinal study
this study is longitudinal - it studies the children as they age - this means children will not have been affected by confounding variables or individual differencesbetween participants which would of been present if it was a cross sectional design.
outline one limitation of schaffers stages of attachment study- unrepresentative sample
the study is an unrepresentative sample - it is using only working class families in the 1960’s it doesnt represent other groups or time periods.
outline one limitation of schaffers stages of attachment - - problems with measuring multiple attachments
there are problems with measuring multiple attachments , just because a baby gets distressed when an individual leaves doesn’t mean that they are attached, this behaviour is also displayed when a playmate leaves- this highlights problems with internal validity.