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Psychology > Attachment > Flashcards

Attachment Flashcards

1
Q

What is the definition for attachment

A

A two way, enduring, emotional bond to a specific person

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2
Q

What is reciprocity

A

This means two way, or something that is mutual. Infant and caregiver are both active contributors in the interaction and are responding to each other.

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3
Q

What is interactional synchrony

A

This means a simultaneous action or occurrence. The infant and caregiver’s behaviours and emotions are synchronised because they are moving in the same, or similar, pattern

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4
Q

Evidence supporting reciprocity and interactional synchrony

A

Isabella et al
Observed 30 mothers and infants together in their homes during the first year and assessed the degree of synchrony. They found that mothers and infants who had more interactional synchrony were significantly more likely to be securely-attached.

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5
Q

Reciprocity and interactional synchrony
Evaluation
Strengths

A
  • Practical application, Musical therapists who have worked with parents and infants who have experienced disruption in their attachment formation have recognised the importance of reciprocity and interactional synchrony.
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6
Q

Reciprocity and interactional synchrony
Evaluation
Limitations x2

A
  • difficulty interpreting what is taking place from the infant’s perception. The observations don’t tell us their purpose.
  • The fact interactional synchrony is not found in all cultures weakens support for the idea that it is necessary for attachment formation.
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7
Q

Stages of attachment by Schaffer

Stage 1

A

Pre-attachment stage - Birth to 3 months

From 6 weeks, infants become attracted to humans rather than objects. This is shown through smiling at people’s faces.

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8
Q

Stages of attachment by Schaffer

Stage 2

A

Indiscriminate attachment stage - 3 to 7/8 months
Infants discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar people. they smile more at known people, but still allow strangers to handle them

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9
Q

Stages of attachment by Schaffer

Stage 3

A

Discriminate attachment stage - 7/8 months onwards
Infants develop specific attachments, stay close to particular people and become distressed when they are separated. Avoid unfamiliar people and protest if strangers handle them

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10
Q

Stages of attachment by Schaffer

Stage 4

A

Multiple attachment stage - 9 months onwards

Infants form strong emotional ties with other major caregivers like grandparents. the fear of strangers weakens.

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11
Q

Fathers as playmates

X2

A
  • Hardy reported that fathers are less able than mothers to detect low levels of infant distress
  • Geiger found that fathers play interactions are more excitable and pleasurable than mothers while mothers are more nurturing
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12
Q

Fathers as caregivers

A
  • Lamb found that fathers who become main care providers seem able to develop greater sensitivity to children’s needs
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13
Q

How does the amount of sensitivity shown by fathers influence attachments?

A

the more sensitive the father is to the infant’s needs, the more secure the father-infant attachment

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14
Q

Single-parent fathers’ attachments with their children are most influenced by what?

A

Found to be similar to the attachments the fathers had with their parents. this was not found in married fathers

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15
Q

Married fathers’ attachments with their children are strongly influenced by what two factors?

A

higher levels of marital intimacy and more supportive co-parenting have both been linked to more secure attachments between married fathers and their infants

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16
Q

Fathers play a role in children’s healthy psychological development
x3

A
  • Children with secure attachments to their fathers have better relationships with peers and less problem behaviours
  • Children who grow up without fathers often perform less well in school and higher levels of aggression especially boys
  • Supportive fathers provide mothers much needed time away from childcare. this can help reduce stress in mothers
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17
Q

research into the development of attachment

Procedure

A 
Schaffer and Emerson
60 new-borns and their mothers from working-class Glasgow. This is a longitudinal study which is carried out over a long period of time, often several years. Participants were studied in their homes, each month for the first year of their lives and again at 18 months
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18
Q

research into the development of attachment
What two research methods were used?
What two ways was attachment measured?

A

1- Naturalistic observation and self report

2- Separation protest and stranger anxiety

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19
Q

research into the development of attachment
Findings
x5

A
  • separation protest was first shown at 6-8 months and stranger anxiety one month later
  • strongly attached infants had caregivers who were quicker to respond and interacted with the infants more
  • at 18 months, 87% of infants had at least two attachments and 31% had 5 or more
  • Attachments to different adults were of similar quality
  • for 39% of the infants, the attachment that they formed first was not to the main caregiver
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20
Q

research into the development of attachment
Conclusion
x3

A
  • there is a pattern of attachment formation common to all infants, which suggests the process is biologically controlled
  • attachments are more easily made with those who display sensitive responsiveness, recognising and responding to an infants needs
  • Multiple attachments are the norm and of similar quality which contradicts Bowlby’s idea that attachments are a hierarchy of one prime attachment.
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21
Q

research into the development of attachment

Strength and weakness of naturalistic observation

A

Strength - ecological validity

weakness - Lack of control

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22
Q

research into the development of attachment

Strength and weakness of overt observation

A

Strength - More ethical

weakness - demand characteristics

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23
Q

1 Animal studies of attachment

Procedure

A

Lorenz
newly hatched birds imprint on the first large moving object. Lorenz divided a group of gosling eggs into two. One group was left with the mother, the other was kept in an incubator and Lorenz made sure that he was the first large moving object they saw.

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24
Q

1 Findings for the animal study x4

A
  • The control group followed the mother goose and the other group followed Lorenz.
  • Occurred within a few hours of hatching
  • If they weren’t exposed with 25hours they would struggle to imprint
  • Imprinting has long term effects on their behaviour
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25
Q

1 Conclusion/ evaluation for the animal study

A
  • It is biological
  • They are a different animal to humans so its hard to generalise
  • Ducklings were able to imprint within 5 days,
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26
Q

2 Animal studies of attachment

Procedure x4

A

Harlow
1- Wire mother with milk and cloth mother without milk
2- Wire mother without milk and cloth mother with milk
3- Wire mother with milk
4- Cloth mother with milk

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27
Q

2 Findings for the animal study x3

A
  • Spent 17 hours a day on the cloth mother
  • Spent less than 1 hour on the wire mother
  • When stressed and scared the monkey went to the cloth mother
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28
Q

2 Conclusion for the animal study

A
  • contact comfort is associated with lower levels of stress and willingness to explore and so it is assumed that contact comfort provides emotional security. Emotional security more than food
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29
Q

Evaluation for animal study 2

A
  • It is difficult to generalise and the results may be hard to apply to humans.
  • They weren’t good mothers when they grew up as they chewed their babies fingers
  • Monkeys would harm themselves
  • Female monkeys were raped because they couldn’t form relationships
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30
Q

Explanations of attachment

Nurture + Strength 1

A
  • Learning theory (Classical conditioning)
  • the theory suggests that attachment behaviours are learnt through the association of the mother with food.
    Strength - babies are fed about 2000 times generally by their main caregiver, so it would seem likely that an association would be formed between the carer and food.
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31
Q

Explanations of attachment

Nurture 2

A
  • Learning theory (Operant conditioning)

- Positive and negative reinforcement.

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32
Q

Explanations of attachment

Operant conditioning x5

A
  • Dollard and Miller
  • Suggests hunger is unpleasant for the infant.
  • The mother responds by feeding the child which removes the discomfort
  • Therefore, for the infant, being with the caregiver is associated with the removal of discomfort.
  • This is negative reinforcement
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33
Q

Explanations of attachment
Learning Theory
Evaluation
Limitation x2

A
  • Schaffer and Emerson found that 39% of infants, the attachment they formed first was not with the main caregiver.
  • Fox found that in cultures such as Israeli where feeding of infants is carried out by full-time carers whilst mothers could work. Children were more attached to their mothers than the carers
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34
Q

Explanations of attachment

Nature x5

A
  • Bowlby’s monotropic theory
  • Believed that attachment behaviour is innate
  • Suggests instinctive behaviours such as smiling, crying, clinging and crawling help encourage attachments.
  • A critical period of 2 1/2 years
  • Suggested that for short term its for survival
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35
Q

Explanations of attachment
evaluation for Nature
Strengths x4

A
  • Lorenz
  • Innate - imprinting is immediate after hatching and irreversible
  • Critical period - 25 hours
  • Monotropy - One imprint was made
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36
Q

Explanations of attachment
Evaluation of Nature
Limitations x4

A
  • Rutter et al
  • Studied institutionalized infants who were then adopted and found some were able to form attachments even after being adopted after 2 1/2 years. - But found it difficult to form relationships
  • Critisised critical period however supports the internal working model
37
Q

Types of attachment

Aim

A

Ainsworth et al

To produce a method for assessing the quality of attachment, by placing an infant in a situation of mild stress

38
Q

Types of attachment

Procedure 1

A

Ainsworth et al

Studied infants with their mothers in a controlled observation.

39
Q

Types of attachment

The strange situation

A

Ainsworth et al
1- Mother and child are introduced into the room
2- Mother and child left alone so infant can investigate the toys
3- A stranger enters the room and talks with the mother and gradually approaches the child with a toy
4- Mother leaves the child with the stranger, and the stranger tries to interact with the child
5- Mother returns to greet and comfort the child
6- The child is left on its own
7- Stranger returns and tries to engage with the child
8- Mother returns, greets and picks up the child and the stranger leaves
Each step took 3 minuets

40
Q

Types of attachment
Observers were interested into these behaviours
x4

A

Ainsworth et al

  • Separation anxiety the distress an infant shows when parted from attachment figures
  • The infants willingness to explore
  • Stranger anxiety an infants response to the presence of a stranger
  • Reunion behaviour the way the caregiver is greeted on return.
41
Q

Types of attachment
Findings
1 - SA
x6

A

Ainsworth et al

  • Securely Attachment
  • Generally happy to explore with mother present
  • Chowed moderate distress when mother left
  • Greeted her positively
  • Moderate avoidance of the stranger
  • 70%
42
Q

Types of attachment
Findings
2 - IA
x5

A

Ainsworth et al
Insecure Avoidant
- Didn’t orientate towards mother while exploring
- Not concerned by her absence
- Showed little interest when she returned
- Not interested in stranger
- 15%

43
Q

Types of attachment
Findings
3 - IR x4

A

Ainsworth et al
Insecure Resistant
- Intense distress when mother was absent
- resisted contact when she returned
- Showed ambivalent (in two minds) behaviour towards the stranger.
- 15%

44
Q

Types of attachment
Conclusion
x3

A

Ainsworth et al

  • Significant individual differences between the attachments
  • Associated between the mother’s behaviour and the infant’s attachment type. This is called the caregiver sensitivity hypothesis
  • Most American children are securely attached
45
Q

Types of attachment
Evaluation
Strengths x2

A

Ainsworth et al

  • Reliability - Other studies using TSS have generally agreed on the 3 classification types and found securely attached to be the most common
  • Caregiver sensitivity hypothesis is also found in studies with larger samples.
46
Q

Types of attachment
Evaluation
Weaknesses x3

A

Ainsworth et al

  • Low population validity - 106 American infants
  • Low ecological validity - Controlled and artificial setting
  • Ethical issues - More harm than everyday life
47
Q

Cultural variations in attachment

Aim

A

Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenburg
- To investigate cultural variation in attachment types through a meta-analysis of studies which had used the Strange Situation procedure in various cultures

48
Q

Cultural variations in attachment

Procedure

A

Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenburg

- Compared 32 studies that had used TSS. Theses studies came from 8 different cultures

49
Q

Cultural variations in attachment
Findings
Securely attached x8
Low - High

A

Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenburg

  • Great Britain
  • Sweden
  • Japan
  • Netherlands
  • USA
  • Israel
  • West Germany
  • China
50
Q

Cultural variations in attachment
Findings
Insecure Avoidant x8
Low - High

A

Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenburg

  • Japan
  • Israel
  • USA
  • Sweden
  • Great Britain
  • China
  • Netherlands
  • West Germany
51
Q

Cultural variations in attachment
Findings
Insecure Resistant x8
Low - High

A

Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenburg

  • Great Britain
  • Sweden
  • Netherlands
  • West Germany
  • USA
  • China
  • Japan
  • Israel
52
Q

Cultural variations in attachment

Findings

A

Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenburg
- Intra-cultural differences (Between samples from the same country) were often greater than inter-cultural differences (Between different countries)

53
Q

Cultural variations in attachment

Conclusions x2

A

Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenburg

  • Overall there is some consistency with Ainsworth’s findings of the three attachments
  • However, the significant variations suggest a difference in the pattern of the three attachment types across cultures
54
Q

Cultural variations in attachment

Japan

A

Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenburg
- Rarely separated from their primary caregiver for the first few years of life. Often sleep in parent’s bedroom until they are 3. More likely to show extreme distress so slower to be comforted - Insecure Resistant

55
Q

Cultural variations in attachment

Germany

A

Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenburg

- learn independence as parents keep interpersonal space. less likely to show distress at separation - Insecure Avoidant

56
Q

Cultural variations in attachment
Evaluation
Weaknesses x2

A

Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenburg

  • The number of studies that were done for each country were different.
  • Universal conclusions cannot be drawn as there were many other cultures not represented in the meta-analysis
57
Q

Maternal deprivation theory was created by

A

Bowlby

58
Q

Maternal Deprivation

what could cause an infant to be separated x6

A
  • Business trip
  • Attachment figure dies
  • Parents separated
  • Foster care
  • Boarding school
  • Hospital
59
Q

Maternal Deprivation

Short- term effects of attachment disruption x3

A

Protest - Cries, screams and protests angrily when parent leaves and clings onto them to stop them leaving
Despair - Child’s protesting begins to stop and appear calmer. Child refuses other’s attempts for comfort and seems withdrawn
Detachment - Child will accept the lose of the attachment figure and starts to engage with other people. Will reject the the caregiver on their return and are angry

60
Q

Maternal Deprivation

Robertson & Robertson

A
  • Studied children under 3 during short seperations
61
Q

Maternal Deprivation

Findings x1

A

Robertson & Robertson
- When John’s mother returned after the separation he showed protest, despair and detachment. When the mother returned he rejected him.

62
Q

Maternal Deprivation
Long-term effects
1

A

Emotional development
- The child’s emotional development would be negatively affected leading to ‘affectionless psychopathy’. This is the inability to experience empathy, affection and concern for others.

63
Q

Maternal Deprivation
Long-term effects
2

A

Social development
- The child’s social development would result in not only an ability to form an attachment but difficulty forming any healthy relationships. Due to a lack of a healthy internal working model

64
Q

Maternal Deprivation
Long-term effects
3

A

Intellectual development

- Children would have an impaired intellectual development (Low IQ)

65
Q

Maternal Deprivation
Research support for Bowlby
Procedure

A

Bowlby - 44 juvenile thieves
- compared 44 juvenile thieves with a control group of 44 children who were emotionally troubled but didn’t show antisocial behaviour. Assessed by psychologists and parents questioned about early childhood.

66
Q

Maternal Deprivation
Research support for Bowlby
Findings x3

A
  • 16 of the thieves were identified as affectionless psychopaths while there were none in the control group.
  • 86% of the 16 had experienced early and prolonged seperations
  • only 17% of the rest of the thieves and 4% of the control group had experienced such separations.
67
Q

Maternal Deprivation

Harlow

A

this supports Bowlby’s theory

  • Monkey’s self harmed and hurt their own babies
  • Wouldn’t mate willingly
68
Q

Maternal Deprivation
Evaluation
Limitations

A
  • Robertsons - rather than the children being placed in residential care they looked after them or foster parents who provided the children with substitute emotional care and they showed no short term symptoms. criticises the idea of being deprived
69
Q

Maternal Deprivation
Evaluation
Strength

A
  • Real world application- allowed a better understanding of the needs for children
70
Q

Privation

A
  • Rutter used this term to refer to situations where a child has not ever formed an attachment.
71
Q

Institutionalisation

A
  • A period of time spent away from the family home. Although there may be adequate physical care provided there would normally not be any emotional care.
72
Q

effects of institutionalisation study x2

A
  • Rutter

- See if loving and nurturing care could overturn the effects of privations the children had suffered

73
Q

Effects of institutionalisation study

Procedure x5

A
  • Longitudinal study of 111 Romanian orphans who had suffered extreme lack of emotional care
  • Assessed on arrival to Britain and then at 4, 6 and 11.
  • Children adopted before the age of 6 months
  • Children adopted between 6 months and 2 years
  • Children adopted after 2 years
74
Q

Effects of institutionalisation study
Findings
Initial assessment

A

-50% of the orphans were delayed in cognitive functioning and were underweight. Control group didn’t show this

75
Q

Effects of institutionalisation study
Findings
Age 4 assessment x3

A
  • Great improvement in physical and cognitive development
  • Adopted before 6 months: normal development compared to UK children
  • After 6 months: Difficulty forming attachments and showed indiscriminate friendliness. Worst problems experienced by those who were adopted after the age of 2
76
Q

Effects of institutionalisation study
Findings
Age 6 follow-up x4

A
  • Improvements have been maintained but not advanced.
  • Still attachment problems, hyperactivity and cognitive impairment associated with institutionalisation.
  • 20% showed normal functioning
  • Substantial number were attached to an adoptive parent but continued to show disinhibited attachment.
77
Q

Effects of institutionalisation study
Findings
Age 11 follow-up x2

A
  • Many showed normal levels of functioning

- 50% of those showing disinhibited attachments at age 6 were still doing so

78
Q

Effects of institutionalisation

Supporting evidence x3

A
  • Chisholm (1998)
  • Three years after adoption, a group of Romanian children had spent more than 6 months in an institution and were adopted by Canadian families.
  • They exhibited more disinhibited attachment behaviours that either birth children or Romanian children who were adopted before 4 months.
79
Q

Effects of institutionalisation study

Conclusions

A
  • It is possible to overcome the effects of institutionalsation, with sensitive nurturing.
  • Complete recovery is only possible is institutionalisation doesn’t continue after 6 months
  • Most difficult effects to overcome were social development and specifically disinhibited attachment.
  • Effects are positively correlated with the length of time spent institutionalsied.
80
Q

Effects of institutionalisation study
Evaluation
Strengths x3

A
  • Several other studies have also had very consistent results. This suggests its very reliable
  • Longitudinal study (patterns shown)
  • Real life application as it shows the importance of early adoption
81
Q

Effects of institutionalisation study
Evaluation
Limitations x2

A
  • Children were not studied while in the orphans so its unclear what aspects of privation were most influential
  • Longitudinal (High drop out rate + ethical issues)
82
Q

The influence of early attachment on childhood and adult relationships.
Childhood relationships - Research evidence for early attachment x2

A
  • Mullis et al
  • found that the attachment behaviours used with peers in late childhood reflect the attachment behaviours used in infancy.
83
Q

The influence of early attachment on childhood and adult relationships
Childhood relationships - research evidence for secure attachment x2

A
  • Youngblade and Belsky
  • Found that 3-5 year old securely attached children were more curious, competent, empathetic, resilient and self-confident, got along better with other children and were more likely to form close friendships.
84
Q

The influence of early attachment on childhood and adult relationships
Childhood relationships x3

A
  • Findings are correlational so they don’t prove that attachment quality has a casual effect on childhood relationships.
  • Temperament hypothesis suggests the nature of an infant’s attachment could be due to innate personality so the same could be said for later relationships.
  • Children who form close friendships in the first 6 years of life do not generally go on and form sexual relationships with them, which suggests early attachments do effect childhood and adult relationships
85
Q

The influence of early attachment on childhood and adult relationships
- Adult relationships
4 attachment types

A

Secure - Autonomous. Confident in relationships and comfortable with intimacy
Avoidant - Dismissing. Prefers life alone. Dismissing intimacy and doesn’t open up emotionally
Resistant - Preoccupied. Afraid to reject. Obsessive to keep closeness in a relationship
Dis organised - Fearful. Fearful of intimacy. Avoids relationships.

86
Q

The influence of early attachment on childhood and adult relationships
- Adult relationships
Study and procedure

A

Hazan and Shaver
- Respondents to a ‘love quiz’ in a local newspaper were asked which of the three descriptions best applied to their inner feelings about romantic relationships

87
Q

The influence of early attachment on childhood and adult relationships
- Adult relationships
Findings x4

A

Hazan and Shaver

  • Strong correlation between childhood and adult attachment
  • Percentages of adults in the attachment groups match those of the children
  • Ppts described as securely attached had longer lasting relationships
  • Securely attached believed love was based on trust and was enduring
88
Q

The influence of early attachment on childhood and adult relationships
- Adult relationships
conclusions x3

A
  • Strong evidence for continuity of attachment type from infancy through to adulthood
  • Securely attached are more positive and optimistic.
  • People with insecure attachments are vulnerable to lonliness
89
Q

The influence of early attachment on childhood and adult relationships
- Adult relationships
Evaluation
Limitations

A
  • Attachment types identified by the Strange Situation only relate to the quality of one relationship.
  • Internal working model is not fully supported (Steele found only a weak correlation of 0.17 between having a secure attachment type in childhood and early adulthood)

Psychology (5 decks)

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