attachment Flashcards

Question

Outline a limitation of the role of the father in attachment (homo couples)

Answer 1

**MacCallum and Golombuk** -lack of agreement over extent of influence of father as primary attachment figure - children growing up in homosexual or single parent families were not different compared to heterosexual parents - suggests fathers may not be as crucial for development as suggested : role of father is still disputed (hetereonormativity)

Answer 2

**gender of primary attachment figure is largely dictated by society and biology** -woman expected to be caring , sensitive , biology suggests : woman have higher oestrogen and low levels of testosterone compared to men - there are biological and social constrains on who PAF is (deterministic)

Answer 3

**socially sensitive research** - later abnormalities in life e.g mental retardation / psychopathy : blamed on parents (usually mother) -single parents may be pressured to return to work at a later point in order to increase likelihood of infant forming an attachment

Answer 4

**Lorenz** : imprinting : animals form an attachment to first moving object they see directly after birth sexual imprinting: attach to and display sexual behaviours towards first moving object or animal they see -goose eggs **Harlow**: -importance of contact comfort -rhesus monkeys

Answer 5

- demonstrated concept of imprinting -imprinting occured in a clutch of goose eggs : half attached to and followed lorenz upon hatching and seeing him as the first moving object - control group: with mother: imprinted and followed mother **imprinting must occur within first 30 months of life : after an attachment is not possible and consequences are irreversible** **sexual imprinting**: Lorenz reported a case of peacock who born surrounded by turtles and so only desired to mate with turtles in later life

Answer 6

**lacks generalisability**: mammalian systems have a different attachment system to that of birds -mammals can potentially form attachments at any time during their lives at a higher emotional intensity -low ecological validity : cannot be generalised outside of the research setting conducted **sexual imprinting is not permanent**: Guilton et al : chickens who had imprinted on washing up gloves eventually learnt to prefer to mate w/ chickens despite initial printing - learning and experience are important factors in imprinting and attachment formation

Answer 7

- demonstrated importance of contact comfort of rhesus monkeys with rhesus monkeys and two "iron maidens" Cloth bound maid Milk dispensing maid - found : when monkeys were scared : irrespective of which wire monkey was dispensing milk : baby monkeys would seek comfort from cloth-bound mother - conclusion : contact comfort was more important than food in the development of attachments **development issues associated with infant monkeys** : even those who had option of cloth-bound mother : less skilled at mating and were aggressive to own children **socially reclusive** -demonstrated: importance of secure attachment to primary attachment figure within CP

Answer 8

**significant practical value** -study was used in the design of zoo's and care of animals in shelters -research demonstrated the importance of attachment figures and intellectual stimulation alongside contact comfort -therefore zoo's should ensure that animals have the opportunity to form such attachments in order to ensure healthy development **ethical issues** -does no detract from quality or utility of research -ethical breaches : LT psychological harm towards monkeys : suffered later on : mating and secure attachments -COST BENEFIT ANALYSIS NEEDED

Answer 9

-in line with the empiricist approach (experience) -children are born with a blank slate : learn to form an attachment with mother -through classical and operant conditioning : in line w behaviourism and learning theory **cupboard love**: i.e we form attachments to the person providing us with food hunger : primary drive attachment: association formed between caregiver and satisfaction of primary drive reduction (reduction in hunger)

Answer 10

**Classical conditioning** - mother (NS) + feeling of pleasure that comes with being fed (innate UR) = association of mother with food and comfort of being fed -mother becomes conditioned stimulus and pleasure for child -happier when mother is near : attachment **Operant conditioning** - two way process -child carries out action i.e crying : triggers response from mother : comfort/feeding -positive reinforcement for the child and negative reinforcement for the mother - child associates mother with reward of comfort -encourages child to cry more = more reward -food primary reinforcer , mother secondary rienforcer

Answer 11

**STRENGTH** - association may play a role in formation of attachment (not a full role however) **LIMITATIONS** - contradictory evidence from animals studies -contradictory evidence from human studies -not universal features of attachment

Answer 12

**contradictory evidence from animal studies** -contact comfort was more important than food in development of an attachment -primary attachment formed with cloth bound mother regardless of mother dispensing milk - suggests : the US of food has very little influence upon the formation of attachments

Answer 13

**contradictory evidence from human studies** -Brazelton et al emphasised the importance of interactional synchrony and reciprocity in the formation of attachments between primary caregiver and infant -these are universal features of attachment - formation of attachment to those that are most attentive to our needs and deals with signals more skillfully (not more time w us) -US of food is irrelevant in most cases

Answer 14

**elements of conditioning may be involved in some aspects of attachment** -unlikely to have a central role, however child may feel comfort and warmth upon presence of particular adult -can influence and trigger formation of main attachment figure - can be useful for understanding how attachments work

Answer 15

-evolutionary theory of attachment -states that attachments are innate **ASCMI** **A**:= ADAPTIVE: attachments are an advantage, or beneficial to survival as it ensures a child is kept safe, warm and fed **S** = Social releasers – e.g. a cute face on a baby. These unlock the innate tendancy for adults to care for a child because they activate the mammalian attachment system. **C** = Critical period - time in which an attachment can form (2.5-3 yrs) Bowby suggested that if an attachment is not formed in this time, it never will. If an attachment does not form, you will be socially, emotionally, intellect and physically stunted **M** = Monotropy – Bowlby suggested that you can only form one special intense attachment . This attachment is unique, stronger and different to others. Maternal deprivation, which is characterised by a lack of a mother figure during the critical period for attachment formation, results in emotional and intellectual developmental deficits (mental retardation) **I** = Internal working model – This is an area in the brain, a mental schema for relationships

Answer 16

- area in the brain, a mental schema for relationships :nformation that allows you to know how to behave around people is stored. IWMs are our perception of the attachment we have with our primary attachment figure. -explains similarities in attachment patterns across families. Those who have a dysfunctional internal working model will seek out dysfunctional relationships

Answer 17

**STRENGTHS** - supporting evidence : IWM -supporting evidence for social releasers **LIMITATIONS** -socially sensitive research -may not be evident in all children

Answer 18

**supporting evidence**: IWM Bailey et al - observation of 99 mothers and the recording of their childs attachment type using strange situations -poor, insecure attachments coincided with the mothers themselves reporting poor attachments with their own parents suggests : IWM likely to be formed during initial attachment : significant for childs ability to parent children in later life

Answer 19

**supporting evidence** Brazelton et al -observed babies trigger interactions w adults using social releasers while primary attachment figure ignored these releasers found: babies became increasingly distressed -role of social releasers are important for emotional deevelopment

Answer 20

Monotropy is an example of socially sensitive research. Despite Bowlby not specifying that the primary attachment figure must be the mother, it often is (in 65% of cases- schaffer and emerson). Therefore, this puts pressure on working mothers to delay their return to work in an effort to ensure that theirchild develops a secure attachment. Any developmental abnormalities in terms of attachment are therefore blamed on the mother by default. This suggests that the idea of monotropy may stigmatise ‘poor mothers’ and pressure them to take responsibility.

Answer 21

**monotropy not evident in all children** e.g : schaffer and emerson found small minority of children were able to form multiple attachments from the outset also supported by van Izjendoorn and Kronenberg, who found that monotropy is scarce in collectivist cultures where the whole family is involved in raising and looking after the child - unlikely to be universal feature of infact caregivere attachment as believed by bowlby : limited : only explains rare case

Answer 22

- to assess how securely attached a child was to its caregiver -controlled observation : two way mirror -12-18 months 1. Infant plays with toys (caregiver present) : **tests exploration and secure base behaviour** 2. A stranger enters the room, talks to the caregiver and then approaches the child with a toy. **tests stranger anxiety** 3. The caregiver exits the room. If the infant plays the stranger observes without interruption. If the child is passive, the stranger attempts to interest them in the toy. If they show distress the stranger attempts to comfort them. **separation and stranger anxiety** 4. The caregiver returns while the stranger then leaves. **tests reunion behaviour** 5. Once the infant begins to play again, the caregiver may leave the room, leaving the child alone briefly. **separation anxiety** 6. The stranger enters the room again and repeats behaviour mentioned in step 3 (observing, engaging, comforting as needed) **stranger anxiety** 7. The stranger leaves and the caregiver returns. The “strange situation” places the child in a mildly stressful situation in order to observe 4 different types of behaviour which are separation anxiety, stranger anxiety, willingness to explore and reunion behaviour with the caregiver.

Answer 23

**Secure**: -most popular attachment type -showed some seperation anxiety when parent/caregiver leaves room but can be comforted upon return -able to play independently : use parent/caregiver as a safe base when exploring new environment -65% of children. **Insecure resistant**: - infant becomes very distressed -tries to follow caregiver when they leave -upon their return : switch from seeking and rejecting social intimacy w them -less inclined to discovering new environments - 3% of children (least common) **Insecure avoidant** - shows NO seperation anxiety upon caregiver leaving room and no stranger anxiety to stranger -may show anger and frustration towards carer and actively avoid interaction and intimacy w them - independant : explore and play w/o caregiver -20% of children

Answer 24

**Limitations** -It only measured the relationship type with one attachment figure -There are ethical issues involved -The study lacks population validity The study also lacks ecological validity.

Answer 25

**It only measured the relationship type with one attachment figure** - They only used mothers and their child in the study - this can mean that the wrong attachment type for a child can be identified, as although they may not be so strongly attached to the mother, they may be securely attached with their father or an extended family member. The study wrongly assumes that the child will be closer to the mother than any other adult figure. Therefore, the study lacks internal validity, as it does not always correctly measure a child’s attachment type with their primary caregiver.

Answer 26

**ethical issues involved** - 20% of children cried desperately at one point. - highlights how it is ethically inappropriate, as a large proportion of the participants could have experienced psychological harm. This is unethical as it could cause long term emotional damage to the child, for the sake of a simple study. L = Despite ethical issues not detracting from the quality of the research it is important to conduct a cost-benefit analysis to assess whether the ethical costs are smaller than the benefits of an improved knowledge within this subject field.

Answer 27

**The study lacks population validity** - It was primarily based on Western culture almost all of the studies were carried out in America. suffers from cultural bias, so we are less able to generalise the findings and criteria to other cultures. This is particularly the case due to the individualist-collectivist divide between Western and Eastern countries, alongside cultural differences in upbringing and the experiences which the child is exposed to. - This suggests that the findings are culture bound and also lack ecological validity, because the results can only be generalised to the research settings within which they were found.

Answer 28

**The study also lacks ecological validity** -It was conducted in a lab setting, so all the variables were highly controlled. -Despite the strict control over confounding and extraneous variables increasing the confidence that can be placed in drawing a ‘cause and effect’ relationship between the two outcomes. This is not representative of real life so it ****lacks mundane realism**** and cannot be generalised to reality. - However, the high control of variables means it is easily replicable so the findings are highly reliable. This increases confidence in the idea that the findings were not simply a ‘one-off’ but were statistically significant. -This increases the confidence that can be placed in the attachment classification of children using strange situations

Answer 29

**Izjendoorn and Kroonsberg** -studied patterns of attachment across a variety of cultures -meta analysis -32 studies of SS in 8 countries of around 1990 children -studied proportion of different attachment types in each country findings: most common in all countries was secure attachment , while insecure attachment was the least common overall -resistant least common but most common in collectivist cultures - variation between results were 150% greater within countries than across different countries

Answer 30

**Simonella et al** - proportion of securely attached children in Italy was only 50% : lower than predictions -suggested that these changes may be due to changing cultural and social expectations of mothers : more mothers are working : choosing childcare for caring of their child -changing of primary caregiver **Jin et al 2012** -study of infants in korea -similar rates of insecure and secure babies : higher rates of insecure resistant and only one insecure avoidant -similar to that of japan -therefore: similarities in child-rearing practices are influential in establishing patterns of attachment.

Answer 31

- may lack ecological validity -can be considered reliable (use disadvantages of strange situations e.g ethics) - culture-bound

Answer 32

**may lack ecological validity** -did not measure what it intended to measure -attempted to measure cultural variations in attachment through studying different countries -however : multiple different cultures can exist within the same country this cultural variation was unlikely to be acknowledged -researchers found that rural areas had an overrepresentation of insecure-resistant individuals, whereas urban areas had similar attachment patterns to the Western world -study did not account for this difference: more likely to be studying differences between countries of attachment patterns, rather than culture

Answer 33

**findings are considered reliable** -significantly large samples used : 1990 children -replicability increases validity and faith places in conclusions drawn decreases the likelihood that the observed results were simply due to chance or a ‘one-off’. - high generalisability : ecological validity (reduced ananomolous results caused by a bad methodology)

Answer 34

-It only measured the relationship type with one attachment figure -There are ethical issues involved

Answer 35

The emotional and intellectual consequences of separation between a child and mother (deprivation) - bowlby proposed :continuous care from the mother is essential for normal psychological development. - lack of mother figure within the critical period ●**An inability to form attachments in the future** (see the Internal Working Model) ● **Affectionless psychopathy** (being unable to feel remorse) ● **Delinquency** (behavioural problems in the child’s teenage years) ● **Problems with cognitive** (brain) development (mental retardation) : suffer delayed intellectual development = Abnormally low IQ. -commonly disrupted in situations child is put into -put in institutional care **Goldfarb** -can have temporary effects on the child, or permanent but fairly mild harm -Privation is when a child fails to form any attachments at all. This has been said to be more harmful to a child.

Answer 36

Separation: - When the child isn't in the presence of a primary attachment figure. - Brief separations aren't significant and only become an issue for development when the child is deprived. Deprivation: - Extended separations lead to deprivation, causing harm as they lose an element of the mother's care.

Answer 37

**44 juvenile thieves study** - out of 44 thieves , 14 displayed signs of affection-less psychopathy - 12 of these 14 had suffered from maternal deprivation during CP of attachment was compared to only 5 affectionless psychopaths in the remaining 30 thieves -on this basis, Bowlby believed that early maternal deprivation caused affectionless psychopathy and consequently, criminality!

Answer 38

**LIMITATIONS** -poor evidence -Lewis et al disagreed with Bowlby’s conclusion that affectionless psychopathy and maternal deprivation caused criminality -effects of the critical period may not be as concrete as Bowlby originally believed -socially sensitive research

Answer 39

**Lewis et al** disagreed with Bowlby’s conclusion that affectionless psychopathy and maternaldeprivation caused criminality. Through collecting qualitative data from interviews conducted with 500 juveniles, the researchers found no link between maternal deprivation and a difficulty in forming relationships in later life. This suggests that Bowlby may have made incorrect causal conclusions

Answer 40

**Poor evidence** = He used interviews from war orphans, those who grew in poor quality orphanages and 44 thieves study, which are all flawed evidence. - Goldfarb's war orphans = traumatised + poor after-care, so separation may have not caused developmental difficulties. - Poor quality orphanages = deprived of many aspects of care, not just maternal.

Answer 41

- it iis a socially sensitive research -economical (?) pressures woman to go to work later

Answer 42

**effects of the critical period may not be as concrete as Bowlby originally believed.** For example, the case of two twins locked away in cupboards in Czechoslovakia for the first 7 years of their lives was reported by Koluchova. Despite the obvious trauma and maternal deprivation which occurred for an extended period of time, even exceeding the critical period, the researchers found that with appropriate fostering, the twins made a full psychological recovery. - effects of maternal deprivation are not always so easy to understand / permanent

Answer 43

**Romanian orphan studies** : Rutter et al 2007 Wars in Eastern Europe **AIM**: To investigate the effects of institutionalisation in a group of 165 Romanian orphans - longitudal study - assessed the 165 orphans at age 4,6,11,15 years old in terms of psychological, emotional and physical development. - interviews(?) -results were compared to 52 children adopted in Britain at roughly the same time (acted as a control group)

Answer 44

- majority of orphans were malnourished - mean IQ was dependent upon the age of which the orphans were adopted **DAMAGE TO INTELLECTUAL DEVELOPMENT** e.g : adopted before 6mo had an IQ 25 points higher than those adopted after 2 years of age : demonstrated by **Goldman** - adopted after 6mo displayed signs of disinhibited attachment (disorganised attachment) -before 6mo rarely showed these signs **DISINHIBITED ATTACHMENT** characterised by attention-seeking and affectionate behaviour being shown towards any or all adults, is thought to be the result of having too many caregivers within the critical period of attachment formation, so a secure attachment cannot be developed

Answer 45

- importance of adopting orphans at different ages : relative to their rate of recovery -full recovery made when adoption occurred before the age of 6mo : emotional and intellectual developmment -conclusions were supported by Bucharest Early intervention project carried out by **Zeaneh et al** 2005

Answer 46

**Bucharest Early intervention project carried out by et al** 2005 **Procedure** : researchers used strange situations to assess attachment in 95 children aged 13-31 months who had spent most of their lives in institutional care - compared to control of 50 : never experienced institutional care **FINDINGS** 65% of their sample of 95 orphans displayed signs of disorganised attachments compared to only 20% of the healthy, non-deprived control group.

Answer 47

**longitudinal study** : researchers are able to detect developments or changes in the characteristics of both experimental children groups : can be generalised to wider population : valid conclusions **able to study the effects of institutionalisation in isolation**: compared to other adoption studies : could study in isolation - most children were abandoned at birth -removing the confounding and extraneous variables of PTSD and trauma associated with orphans - increase confidence places in conclusions drawn : about the effects of institutionalisation and the displayed differential rates of recovery. (shaver's study)

Answer 48

**focus on short term recovery rather than long term recovery** -a child adopted at 3 y.o and not exhibiting normal levels on intellectual at age 4 does not mean that the child is mentally impaired and will not show normal levels of development in later point in life -to increase validity of data drawn : better to carry out recovery observation at longer time **criticised for low ecological validity**: - conditions of romanian orphanages are v poor - orphanages did not provide any intellectual stimulation for the orphans :larger impact on their intellectual development compared to maternal deprivation as a single cause -Cases of abuse were also frequently reported : cannot be generalised to other orgphanges : better developed

Answer 49

Attachment disorder has recently been recognised as distinct psychiatric disorder and included in the DSM -children experience disruptions of early attachment : affects emotional and social development - have no preffered attachment figure : - inhibitive / reactive : unable to cope in social situations - disinhibitive attachment : overly friendly

Answer 50

**continuity** most likely to have similar attachment type that of our parents : **IWM** based off of our first main attachment (primary attachment) : acts as a mental template for our future relationships and how to behave: friends family etc - effects our expectations of others i.e growing up in a traumatic household : difficulties forming attachment w PCG may struggle to form attachments in the future and behave abnormally with them (resist or reject intimacy in their adult relationships) - insecure resistant : difficult to attach **parenting style** influence many parts of life notably Parenting type : Bailey et al This is why attachment style tends to be passed on through generations of a family.

Answer 51

P = Hazan and Shaver supported the idea that the quality/type of early attachments have a significant impact on our ability as adults to form attachments. (in their love quiz experiment) E = Hazan and Shaver found that those who were securely attached as children had happier and longer lasting relationships, and those who were insecurely attached had more divorces and tended to believe love was rare. E = This supports the idea that childhood experiences have significant impact on people’s attitude toward later relationships.

Answer 52

P = This is supported by Bailey (2007). E = They found that the majority of women (out of the 99 studied) had the same attachment classification both to their babies and their own mothers. E = This supports the idea of continuity, as suggested by Bowlby. The internal working models that we develop in response to our first attachment to our primary attachment figure contain our perceptions of what a normal relationship looks like, and so we seek out such relationships in accordance with our internal working model.

Answer 53

P = It is reductionist and deterministic, due to suggesting that the influence of early attachments is deterministic, so a poor-quality attachment inevitably means that the individual will become bad parents themselves and be unable to form ‘normal’ romantic relationships and friendships in adulthood. E = it suggests that insecurely attached infants are doomed to grow up and have bad adult relationships, when this is of course not true. E = There are many cases of insecurely attached children growing to have strong happy relationships.

Answer 54

P = Research support link between early attachment type and success in later relationships. E = **Fraley** conducted a meta-analysis of studies- found correlations of up to 0.50 between early attachment types and later relationships.

Answer 55

- kolunchova - czech kids - IWM - CP

Answer 56

P = Supported by Simpson et al E = longitudinal study – participants were studied at 4 key points: infancy, early childhood, adolescence and adulthood. Attachment types and romantic relationships were assessed at different stages. Found that securely attached children were more expressive and emotionally attached in later romantic relationships E = support claim that expression of emotions in adult romantic relationships can be traced back to early attachment experiences