Attachment Flashcards
(18 cards)
What is Attachment?
Attachment is a strong emotional bond.
What are the four stages of attachment described by Schaffer and Emerson (1964)
- The Pre-Attachment phase
- The indiscriminate attachment phase
- The discriminate attachment phase
- The multiple attachment phase
What is the pre-attachment phase?
During the first 0-3 months of life, the baby learns to separate people from objects but doesn’t have any strong preferences about who it cares about.
What is the indiscriminate attachment phase?
Between 6 weeks to 7 months the infant starts to clearly distinguish and recognise different people, smiling more at people it knows than at strangers. Still no strong preferences.
What is the discriminate attachment phase?
From 7 to 11 months the infant becomes able to form a strong attachment with an individual. It may be scared of strangers and avoid them.
What is the multiple attachment phase?
From about 9 months the infant can form attachments to many different people. Some attachments may be stronger than others and have different functions.
Criticism of Schaffer and Emerson’s research into the attachment of children?
Used a limited sample, Biased and unreliable
Tronick et Al found that infants in Zaire had a strong attachment with their mother by 6 months of age but didn’t have strong attachment with others, even though they had several carers.
What is sensitive responsiveness?
The caregiver responds appropriately to signals from the infant
Goodsell and Meldrum (2009)
They found that those with a secure attachment to their mother are also more likely to have a secure attachment to their father.
Ross et Al (1975)
Showed that the number of nappies a father changed was positively correlated to the strength of their attachment. This was supported by a study by Caldera (2004) who investigated 60 fathers and mothers and their 14 month old infants. CALDERA FOUND THAT WHEN THE FATHER WAS INVOLVED IN CARE-GIVING ACTIVITIES, THEY WERE MUCH MORE LIKELY TO DEVELOP A STRONG ATTECHMENT WITH THEIR CHILD.
Geiger (1996)
Suggested that a mother’s relationship is primarily nurturing and caring, but a father’s relationship is more focused around play.
What species did Lorenz (1935) use in his research on attachment?
Lorenz studied imprinting in Geese.
What did Lorenz (1935) conclude from his study?
Our attachments take longer to develop and we don’t automatically attach to particular things.
Why might researchers choose to us aniomald
Why do attachments form? Short term
Need adults for food, comfort and protection
Why do attachments form? Long term
Emotional relationships
What is Interactional Synchrony?
When two people in a mirror pattern in terms of their emotional and facial and body movements.
Sexual imprinting
Investigated the relationship between imprinting and adult male preferences
