Attachment Flashcards
(37 cards)
Define Attachment
Attachment - Close two-way emotional bond between 2 individuals, each one feels more secure when with the other
What does Reciprocity do
Increase in Independence, Attachment forms with reciprocity (Response to child’s signals)
Define Reciprocity
The infant and caregiver reliably produce responses to each other
Key example of reciprocity
Infants tend to have an innate ability to imitate carer’s facial expressions, if carer smiles then the baby will smile back
Define Interactional Synchrony
Infant and carer form a type of conversation without language (mirror the other)
Example of Interactional Synchrony
Baby might make a noise while looking at caregiver who waits for baby to finish then responds in the same language (goo goo gaga)
Tronik et al
Asked mothers who had been enjoying a dialogue with their baby to stop moving and maintain a static, unsmiling expression on their faces
Babies would try to tempt the mother into interaction by smiling themselves
Babies would become puzzled and increasingly distressed when their smile did not provoke the ‘usual’ response
Positives of Caregiver-infant interactions research
Many studies involving observation of interactions between mothers and infants have shown the same patterns of interaction
No social desirability - babies don’t know or care that they are being observed
Negatives of Caregiver-infant interactions research
How can we be sure how the infant is perceiving the adults movements and facial expressions? Could the infant’s imitation be a coincidence?
What are the 8 episodes of the Strange Situation
Mother and child enter a room and explore
Mother sits down and allows child to play
Stranger enters and interacts with mother while child plays
Mother leaves and Stranger offers comfort
Mother comes back and stranger leaves
Mother leaves baby alone
Strangers enters and offers comfort
Finally, Mother comes back and reunites with child
What was tested in the Strange Situation
Stranger Anxiety
Seperation Anxiety
Secure Base
Reunion Behaviour
Which episode of the SS tests Stranger Anxiety
Episode 4 and 7
Child is alone with stranger and it tests to see whether the child would be willing to play with the stranger. Stranger Anxiety present would mean the child avoids the stranger and doesn’t accept the comfort
Which episode of the SS tests Seperation Anxiety
Episode 6
Mother leaves child alone with no-one, Seperation Anxiety present will show that the child is emotionally affected when the mother leaves the child and the child misses their prescence
Which episode of the SS tests secure base
Episode 1
When the child is first introduced to the room, it is tested by observing whether they freely leave the mother to explore, or stay besides the mother (Secure base)
What was the main findings that concluded the SS
Ainsworth discovered 3 different types of attachments that varied depending on their behaviour
What are the 3 types of attachments
Insecure Avoidant
Secure
Insecure Resistant
What were the findings of the SS
70% Secure
15% Avoidant insecure
15% Resistant insecure
What was the aim of the Strange Situation
To observe attachment security in children within the context of
caregiver relationships
Outline the characteristics of a secure attachment
Safe base - Will use the mother as a safe base to explore their
environment
Separation anxiety - Mildly distressed when mother leaves
Stranger anxiety - Wary of stranger when alone but friendly when mother is present
Reunion behaviour - Happy when mother returns/joy at reunion/easily soothed
Outline the characteristics of an insecure avoidant attachment
Safe base - Explores but does not come back and use mother as a safe base
Separation anxiety - Infant shows no sign of distress when mother leaves/doesn’t notice her absence
Stranger anxiety - Infant is not distressed with the stranger and plays normally when stranger is present
Reunion behaviour - Infant shows no interest when mother returns
Outline the characteristics of an insecure resistant attachment
Safe base - Infant does not explore
Separation anxiety - Infant shows signs of intense distress
Stranger anxiety - Infant avoids the stranger
Reunion behaviour - Child approaches mother, but resists contact, rejects/pushed her away
Give 2 criticisms of the SS
A major fault in Ainsworth’s experiment was that all children were tested assuming the primary caregiver was the mother. The reason this invalidates the practical is because the assumption that none of the fathers are PCGs can ruin the validity of the results
Lacked population validity. They assumed the children from a middle-class american family would re-enact the same behaviours as others araound the world
Give 1 positive of the SS
Replicable - It is an easy experiment to replicate
What does the Caregiver Sensitivity Hypothesis show
The CSH states that a child’s attachment type for the future is dependant on how they were raised up previously
