Attachment Flashcards

1
Q

What is reciprocity?

A

How two people interact + is reciprocal
infant and mother illicit a response to each other’s signal and each take turns in doing so

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2
Q

What is an attachment?

A

A two-way emotional bond between two individuals in which each individual sees the other as essential for their own emotional security.

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3
Q

Where does attachment begin?

A

It begins with caregiver infant interactions

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4
Q

What are caregiver-infant interactions? Why are they important?

A
  • caregiver’s responsiveness to the infants signal
  • profound effects on the attachment they form
  • important to the child’s social development
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5
Q

What did Brazelton et al (1975) liken caregiver-infant interactions to?

A

A dance because it’s just like a couple’s dance where each partner responds to each others dance moves

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6
Q

Outline Condon and Sander’s(1974) research on caregiver-infant interactions?

A

Aim- they studied reciprocity in infants
Procedure- analysed frame-to-frame recordings of infant’s movement whilst an adult was talking.
Findings- infants coordinate their actions in sequences with the adult’s speech to form turn taking conversation.

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7
Q

What is interactional synchrony?

A

Mother and infant reflect the actions and emotions of the other in a synchronised way. They mirror each others actions simultaneously

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8
Q

Outline Meltzoff and Moore’s study on interactional synchrony

A

Aim- observed interactional synchrony in 2 week infants
Procedure- adult displayed one of three facial expressions or distinctive gesture. The child’s response was filmed and identified by an independent investigator.
Findings- association between expression displayed by adult and actions of the baby

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9
Q

Outline a limitation of caregiver-infant interactions- What’s the purpose?

A

Observations don’t tell us the purpose of reciprocity or interactional synchrony. Feldman(2012) argues they simply describe the behaviours that occur but don’t tell us the purpose. Psychologists want to know why behaviour occurs to explain rather than describe.
This isn’t possible which limits the impact of research

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10
Q

Outline a limitation of caregiver-infant interactions- socially sensitive

A

Research into caregiver-infant interaction is sensitive.
-If the mother returns to work reduces opportunity for interactional synchrony.
-Child disadvantages by childrearing practices making woman feel guilty about their choice.
IMPACT: researcher must think if research should be carried out and effects of findings

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11
Q

Outline a combo whopper of caregiver-infant interaction- good reliability/deliberate action

A

High reliability in research. Observations are well controlled and interactions are recorded. This means videos can be watched by others and tested for test-retest reliability or inter-obsever reliability.
However, it’s hard to know when observing infants. Impossible to know whether imitation or turn taking was deliberate or conscious.

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12
Q

What is the father?

A

Anyone who takes on the role of the main male caregiver. This can be the biological father but doesn’t necessarily have to be.

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13
Q

What did Shaffer and Emerson find in relation to role of the father?

A

Most babies attached to their mothers first at 7 months and only 3% attached to their father first.
In 27% of babies the mother and father were the joint object of attachment.

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14
Q

When was an attachment formed with father according to Shaffer and Emerson?

A

In 75% of infants their attachment to their father was formed by 18 months.

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15
Q

How did Shaffer and Emerson determine whether a infant had formed an attachment with the father?

A

By babies protesting when their father walked away. suggests fathers= important attachment figures.

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16
Q

What is the distinctive role of the father?

A

Discovering whether fathers hold a specific value in the child’s development and if that role is different to mothers

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17
Q

What was the purpose of Grossman’s research into role of the father?

A

explore the parent’s behaviour and relationship to the quality of children’s attachment in their teens.

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18
Q

What were the findings of Grossman’s research?

A

The quality of infant attachment with mothers was related to attachments in adolescents suggesting the attachment to the father is less important.

The quality of the father’s play with infant was related to quality of adolescence attachment suggesting the fathers role is of play and stimulation.

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19
Q

What is the role of the mother in attachment?

A

Emotional development

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20
Q

what is the role of the father in attachment?

A

Play and stimulation

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21
Q

Outline the procedure of Field’s research into fathers as primary carers

A

He filmed 4 month old babies in face to face interaction with primary caregiver mothers, secondary caregiver fathers and primary caregiver fathers

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22
Q

What was Field’s findings in his research of fathers as primary carers?

A

Primary caregiver fathers were like primary caregiver mothers as they spent more time smiling,imitating, and holding infants that secondary caregiver fathers.

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23
Q

What were Field’s conclusions in his research on fathers as primary cares?

A

fathers have the potential to be the more emotional-focused primary attachment figure if required
key to attachment is the level of responsiveness and not gender of the parent

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24
Q

Outline one strength of role of the father- custody implications

A

Research into the role of father has benefitted fathers aiming for full/ joint custody. research suggests the father has a unique role to play and have just as nurturing role if they adopt primary caregiver role. highlights the importance of paternal relationships and court therefore have important implications.
Has real life implications

25
Q

Outline one limitation of the role of the father- inconsistent findings

A

Inconsistent findings in the role of the father as different researchers interested in different questions. Some psychologists are interested in fathers as secondary caregivers others are interested in primary caregivers. Problem is no one can answer what the role of father is.
This limits usefulness of research of understanding attachment

26
Q

Outline a combo whopper of the role of the father- stereotypical + biological gender roles

A
  • Few reasons why father isn’t primary attachment.
    -result of stereotypical gender roles women are expected to be more nurturing than men.
    -women are more nurturing due to oestrogen levels —>women are biologically pre-disposed to be primary attachment.
    CA: However this is too biologically and socially deterministic and doesn’t take into consideration of personal circumstances
27
Q

Outline the procedure of Schaffer and Emerson’s research on stages of attachment

A

Used 60 babies from Glasgow and visited the babies and their mothers at home every month for 1 year and once when the infant was 18 months.
Research asked mother questions about the baby’s protest in 7 everyday separations. This was used to measure infant attachments and asses stranger anxiety

28
Q

Outline the findings of Shaffer and Emerson’s study on stages of attachment

A

At 25-32 weeks 50% of the babies had separation anxiety which is called specific attachment
At 40 weeks 80% of the babies had specific attachment and almost 30% of them had specific attachment
Attachment was to the caregiver who was most interactive and sensitive to infants signals and reciprocity

29
Q

Identify the four stages of attachment

A

Asocial stage
Indiscriminate attachment
Discriminate attachment
Multiple attachment

30
Q

Outline the asocial stage

A

The baby recognises and forms bonds with carers
The behaviour towards non-human objects and humans are quite similar
Babies are happy in human presences

31
Q

Outline the indiscriminate stage

A

Form 2-7 months babies display more observable social behaviour
They prefer humans rather than inanimate objects and recognise familiar adults
They don’t show stranger and separation anxiety and their attachment behaviours are indiscriminate

32
Q

Outline the discriminate stage

A

From 7 months babies are able to…
Display stranger anxiety towards strangers
They displayed separation anxiety from one particular adult- 65% of cases were biological mothers
Formed specific attachment with primary caregiver

33
Q

Outline a strength of Shaffer and Emerson’s study on stages of attachment- longitudinal studies

A
34
Q

What is institutionalisation?

A

Place where orphanage children live long term and receive little emotional care
Effects of living in institutional setting.

35
Q

What is disinhibited attachment?

A
  • insecure attachment
  • children don’t form close attachments
  • treat strangers with inappropriate familiarity and attention seeking
36
Q

What was the aim of Rutter’s english and Romanian(ERA) study?

A
  • investigate effects of early institutionalisation and deprivation on later development
37
Q

Outline how Rutter conducted his ERA study

A
  • followed group of 165 Romanian orphans
  • assessed their physical, cognitive and emotional development at ages 4,6,11 + 15 years old
  • control group = 52 British children adopted same time
38
Q

What did Rutter find in his ERA study?

A
  • arrival: 1/2 showed delayed intellectual development + majority malnourished
  • at age 11 clear recovery dependent age of adoption.
    IQ adopted 0-5months= 102, 6-24 months= 86 after 2 years= 77
  • differences remained at 16 years
39
Q

What did Rutter conclude in his ERA research?

A

If adopted after 6 months showed disinhibited attachment

40
Q

What was the aim of the Bucharest early attachment project?

A

Attachment type of Romanian Orphans

41
Q

What was the procedure of the Bucharest early intervention project?

A
  • assessed attachment in 12-31 months vs. Control group of 50 children
  • measured using Strange situation
42
Q

What were the findings and conclusions of the Bucharest early intervention project?

A

Findings:
- 74% of control group were securely attached
- 19% of orphan group securely attached

Conclusions:
- early maternal deprivation and failure to form attachment in critical period has long lasting effects in development

43
Q

Outline the effects of institutionalisation

A
  • physical underdevelopment: caused by lack of emotional care causing deprivation dwarfism
  • disinhibited attachment: friendly to everyone due to living to multiple caregiver during sensitive period
  • mental retardation: cognitive deprivation affected by emotional development
  • poor parenting: Quinton found institutionalised women’s children were in care
44
Q

Outline a strength of effects into institutionalisation study- higher internal validity

A
  • ERA= higher internal validity
    -orphans ≠ trauma but orphaned due to social policy
    -study effects of institutionalisation in isolation
    Impact: no confounding variables
45
Q

Outline a strength of effects of institutionalisation- invisible long term effects

A
  • long term effects not seen
    -children only followed till teens
    -later development allows later adopted orphans to catch up developmentally
    Impact: limited conclusions drawn from longitudinal research —> invalid findings
46
Q

Outline a strength of effects of institutionalisation- real implication in care homes

A
  • results of studies -> improvement in care
    -children homes avoid large number of caregivers. Smaller number= central role
    -research= valuable
    Impact: real life application
47
Q

What was the aim of Harlow’s research?

A

Test if soft objects serve some functions of mother.
understand importance of contact comfort

48
Q

What is the procedure of Harlow’s research?

A
  • Reared 16 baby monkeys
  • One experiment:
    condition 1: milk dispensed by
    plain wired monkey
    condition 2: milk-dispensed by
    cloth-covered mother
    measured time spent with each surrogate mother
    measured time spent crying for biological mother
49
Q

What are the findings of Harlow’s findings?

A
  • Monkey cuddled soft object in preference to wire one + sought comfort from cloth regardless of milk supply
  • monkey explore room of new toys when cloth mother present
  • phobic response when food-dispensing surrogate present
50
Q

What did Harlow find in the maternally deprived monkeys as adults?

A
  • Monkeys wired on mothers only were the most dysfunctional
  • Abnormal social behaviour developed in monkeys reared on soft toys
  • Monkeys were more aggressive and bred less often
  • Neglected and even killed some offspring
51
Q

What does Harlow’s research show us about attachment?

A
  • Monkey’s seek comfort over food
  • Early attachment predict long-term social development
52
Q

What is imprinting?

A

Mobile birds from birth attach to follow first object they see

53
Q

What was the aim of Lorenz’s research?

A

Test imprinting and how goslings attach to their caregiver

54
Q

Outline how Lorenz conducted his research

A

Randomly divided clutch of goose eggs
1/2 eggs hatched with mother goose in natural environment
1/2 eggs hatched incubator + saw Lorenz as first moving object

55
Q

What were Lorenz’s findings?

A
  • Goslings followed first moving object 13-16 hours post hatching
  • Incubator group= followed Lorenz everywhere
  • Control group = followed mother
  • Lorenz marked two groups, mixed them and control group followed mother and experimental group followed Lorenz. = Imprinting
56
Q

What were the conclusions in Lorenz’s research?

A

Critical period for imprinting and if imprinting doesn’t occur attachment didn’t form

57
Q

What Lorenz observe about sexual imprinting?

A

There is a relationship with imprinting and adult male preferences
Birds that imprinted on humans showed courtship towards humans
Peacock and Tortoise example

58
Q

What were the implications of Lorenz’s research?

A

Organisms have biological propensity to attach to single subject.
Biological basis for attachment = adaptive and promotes survival as goslings attached due to increased mobility
- Babies are born immobile so less need for attachment + develops later

59
Q

What did Harlow find about the critical period?

A

mother figure needed to be introduced to baby monkey within 90 days to form attachment or attachment= impossible.