Attachment Flashcards
(107 cards)
1
Q
Define attachment.
A
A close emotional bond between an infant and their caregiver.
2
Q
Define imprinting.
A
Newly hatched goslings attach to the first moving object they see.
3
Q
Describe the method used in Lorenz’s study.
A
Divided goose eggs into two groups.
One group hatched with mother goose - natural environment.
Other was hatched in an incubator and Lorenz was the first moving object they saw.
4
Q
Describe the findings of Lorenz’s study.
A
The control group followed the mother.
Group hatched in the incubator followed Lorenz.
Even when the groups were mixed up the control geese followed the mother and the incubator born ones followed Lorenz.
5
Q
What did Lorenz find was the critical period for imprinting?
A
Depending on the species - a few hours.
If imprinting does not occur in that time, a chick does not attach itself to a mother figure.
6
Q
Evaluate what Lorenz’s research can tell us about attachment in humans.
A
Geese are a different species, so have a different attachment system.
E.g. humans don’t imprint.
However humans may have some innate attachment systems.
7
Q
Describe the method of Harlows study on attachment in monkeys.
A
16 baby monkeys taken from their mothers.
Caged with 2 wire model ‘mothers’.
One provided food and the other was covered in soft fabric (comfort).
8
Q
Describe Harlows results.
A
Monkeys spent most time clinging to cloth mother and occasionally fed from wire mother.
When stressed by a mechanical toy monkeys would run to cloth mother for safety.
Suggests comfort is more important than food for monkeys forming an attachment.
9
Q
Explain one strength of Harlows study of attachment.
A
Practical value as monkeys are similar to humans.
Helped social workers understand risk of child neglect/abuse.
Now understand the importance of proper attachment.
10
Q
Explain one weakness of Harlows study of attachment.
A
Ethical issues.
Monkeys were taken from their real mothers very young and study meant that they suffered greatly in childhood and as adults.
Monkeys are also very similar to humans, so suffering was possibly quite human-like.
11
Q
What is the key to learning attachment suggested in learning theory?
A
Food.
12
Q
What is the main idea of the learning theory of attachment.
A
Suggests that attachment is a set of learned behaviours developed through a process of nurture.
13
Q
Explain how classical conditioning plays a role in learning theory.
A
Food is the unconditioned stimulus.
The carer becomes the conditioned stimulus and happiness the conditioned response.
Attachment then forms through association.
14
Q
Explain how operant conditioning plays a role in learning theory.
A
The presence of the caregiver is reinforcing for the infant as they feel pleasure when fed.
Behaviour of infant is also reinforcing for the caregiver: postive = baby smiles, negative = crying stop.
Reinforcement process is then two way and strengthens an attachment.
15
Q
Explain how Lorenz’s study provides counter evidence for learning theory.
A
Geese imprinted from birth, suggesting an innate process.
Challenges learning theory as it suggests attachment is due to nature and not nurture (through CC + OC)
16
Q
Explain how Harlows attachment research provides counter evidence for learning theory.
A
He found monkey attach due to contact comfort rather than food.
Whilst learning theory suggests food is a key factor in forming attachments.
17
Q
What is the law of accumulation serperation?
A
Bowlby says that every seperation from the mother adds up.
‘The best dose is zero dose’
18
Q
What is the law of continuity.
A
Better attachment is formed if the caregiver responds in a predictable and constant way.
19
Q
What is the critical period in Bowlby’s theory?
A
2 and a half years.
20
Q
Define critical period.
A
If an attachment is not formed in this time, the infant will struggle to form one later.
21
Q
How is Bowlby’s theory innate?
A
Suggests children are biologically preprogrammed to form attachments.
22
Q
What does Bowlby say social releasers are?
A
Innate behaviours that encourage attention from an adult as they activate the adult attachment system.
23
Q
Explain the internal working model.
A
Mental representations we carry with us of our primary caregiver.
This affects our future relationships and parenting.
24
Q
What is monotropy?
A
Infants attachment to one (mono) particular caregiver is different and more important than others.
This bond develops the internal working model.
25
Explain how Harlow’s monkey experiment supports Bowlby’s idea of the internal working model.
Harlows monkeys had negative early attachment experiences as they were removed from mothers and raised by wire mothers. As adults they had issues with relationships e.g. were aggressive towards other.
Early attachment experiences form a blueprint for relationships and influence attachments later in life.
26
Explain how Lorenz’s research study supports Bowlby’s idea that attachment is innate.
Geese imprinted from birth so this behaviour couldn’t have been learnt.
Although humans don’t imprint, this suggests humans may also have innate attachments.
27
How does the Brazleton study support Bowlby’s idea of social releasers?
When mothers were told to ignore infants social releasers, infants initially showed distress then when continued to be ignored, curled up and lay motionless.
Supports the idea that the purpose of social releasers is to trigger adult attachment systems.
28
Define reciprocity.
When the infant responds the actions of another person.
29
Define interactional synchrony.
Where an infant mirrors the actions of another person.
They move in a co-ordinated way.
30
Why is reciprocity important?
Trevathen suggested that turn taking in infant-adult interaction is important for the development of social and language skills.
31
Why is intersectional synchrony important?
Securely attached mother-infant pairs shown more instances of interactions synchrony in the first year.
Suggests a strong emotional attachment is associated with high levels of synchrony.
32
What are the two main caregiver interaction?
Reciprocity.
Interactional synchrony.
33
Explain one weakness of research into caregiver interactions.
Cultural differences - interactional synchrony is not found in all cultures which weakens the support for the idea that it is important in the development of attachment.
E.g. in Kenya mothers have little physical contact or interactions with their children but have high proportions of secure attachments.
Suggests interactional synchrony may not be a universal feature of attachment formation.
34
Explain one strength of research into caregiver interactions.
Natural behaviour.
Infants do not know or care that they are being observed so their behaviour doesn’t change in a controlled observation.
Research has high validity.
35
What are the 3 key points in the role of the father.
Not biologically equipped to form attachments - less oestrogen.
Playmate role.
Sensitive responsiveness.
36
Evaluate the role of the father using evidence that he is a playmate.
Research found that fathers play interactions were more exciting in comparison to mothers.
Mothers play interactions were more affectionate and nurturing.
Suggests the role is a playmate rather than a sensitive parent who responds to the needs of their children. Results also confirm the mother plays a more nurturing role.
37
Evaluate the role of the father in regards to providing a sensitive and nurturing attachment.
Research evidence that fathers are not to provide this attachment.
Found that fathers were less able to detect low levels of infant distress in comparison to mothers.
Results support the biological explanations - lack of oestrogen means father is not equipped to form close attachments with children.
Unable to provide right attachment as unable to detect stress in their children.
38
Evaluate the role of the father in relation to close marriages.
If in an intimate marriage, father is able to form close attachments.
Makes who report higher levels of marital intimacy displayed a secure father-infant attachment and vice versa (lower levels - insecure attachment).
Suggests males can form secure attachments with children however strength of attach,ent depends on the father and mother relationship.
39
Name the Schaffers stages of attachment.
Asocial.
Indiscriminate.
Specific.
Multiple.
40
Describe the asocial stage of attachment.
Behaviour is similar towards humans and objects.
41
Describe the indiscriminate stage.
Baby prefers to be with humans and starts to recognise familiar people.
42
What stage is 0-8 weeks?
Asocial.
43
What age is the indiscriminate stage?
2-7 months.
44
Describe the specific stage of attachment.
7-12 months.
Show stranger and separation anxiety.
Form attachment to the primary caregiver.
45
Describe the multiple attachments stage.
Show seperation anxiety towards other caregivers too.
Suggests babies formed secondary attachments.
46
What age does the multiple attachment stage occur?
1 year onwards.
47
How is the primary caregiver defined in Schaffers stages of attachment?
The person the baby interacts with the most.
48
What was the aim of Schaffers Glasgow babies study?
To find the age at which attachments start and how intense these are.
49
Briefly describe Schaffers Glasgow babies study.
Study 60 babies from working class areas of Glasgow.
Observed every 4 weeks for the first year and then again at 18 months.
Measured strength of attachment by: separation anxiety and stranger anxiety.
50
Define separation anxiety.
How distressed the child became when separated from main caregiver.
51
What is stranger anxiety?
Distress shown when the child was left alone with an unfamiliar person.
52
What were the results of Schaffers Glasgow babies study?
The first specific attachment was formed by 50% of infants aged 25-32 weeks usually with caregiver who was most interactive.
By 40 weeks, 80% of babies had a specific attachment and 30% nearly had multiple attachments.
53
Name 3 possible evaluations of Schaffers and Emerson’s research into attachment.
Young babies are pretty much immobile.
Evidence about multiple attachments is conflicting.
Multiple attachments can be difficult to assess.
54
Explain one weakness of Schaffers research into the early stages of attachment.
Young babies have poor co-ordination and are pretty much immobile.
Makes it difficult to judge them based on observation of behaviour as not much behaviour to observe.
Any evidence gathered in this way may be invalid and unreliable.
55
Explain one weakness of Schaffers stages of attachment regarding conflicting research into multiple attachments.
Although there is evidence that children are capable of forming multiple attachments it is unclear as to when.
Bowlby claims they attach to one carer before others whereas other research suggests they can form multiple attachments from the start.
Conflicting research makes conclusions unreliable.
56
Explain how multiple attachments being difficult to assess is a weakness of Schaffers research.
Just because a baby is distressed when caregiver leaves the room doesn’t mean there is an attachment.
Bowlby found children also get distressed when playmates leave but they’re not attached.
The stages of attachment may not be valid.
57
What does separation anxiety show?
An attachment has been formed.
58
What does stranger anxiety indicate?
Infants can recognise familiar and unfamiliar faces.
59
Name the evaluations for Bowlby’s Monotropic theory.
Harlow research support for internal working model.
Lorenz research support for idea that attachment is innate.
Brazleton support for social releasers.
60
Describe Van Ijzendoorn’s study of cultural variations.
32 studies reviewed - each assessed attachment by the strange situation.
Across 8 countries.
1990 children.
Data was meta analysed.
61
Describe the finding of a study into cultural variation.
In all countries secure was the most common attachment type - 75% UK, 50% China.
Insecure resistant was the least common type - 3% UK, 30% Israel.
Difference between studies within countries was 150% greater than the difference between countries.
62
Name 3 possible evaluations of Van Ijzendoorns study into cultural variation.
Large sample size.
Strange situation is biased.
Strange situation lacks validity.
63
Explain how a large sample size is a strength of Van Ijzendoorns study.
Sample of babies and primary attachment figures.
Sample can be considered more representative.
Results less likely to be affected by anomalous results.
64
Describe the 44 thieves study.
Interviewed 44 adolescents who were referred to a child protection program due to stealing.
Selected another group of 44 control children.
Interviewed parents to see if children had experienced prolonged separation and for how long.
65
What were the findings from the 44 thieves study.
More than half thieves had been separated from mothers for longer than 6 months during first 5 years.
Only 2 from control group had been separated.
Also found 32% thieves showed affection less psychopathy - none of the control group were.
66
What is the effect of maternal deprivation on intellectual development?
Lower IQ.
67
What evidence is there that maternal deprivation lowers IQ.
Goldfarb - children in institutions e.g. orphanages had lower IQ than children fostered due to lack of primary caregiver.
68
What effects does maternal deprivation have on emotional development?
Increased risk of affection less psychopathy.
69
Explain how the strange situation being biased is a weakness of Van Ijzendoorns study.
Designed by American psychologist based off a British theory meaning imposed etic occurs as assessment is not designed for other cultures.
Therefore the method of assessment is biased and may not truly represent cultural variations.
70
Explain how the strange situation may measure anxiety rather than validity therefore making it a weakness of a study into cultural variations.
It’s suggested attachment type may be related to temperament than relationship to primary caregiver.
This contradicting theory means that the strange situation lacks validity.
71
What are some evaluations for the evidence used in the maternal deprivation theory?
Evidence may be poor.
Counter evidence.
72
Describe how the counter evidence for Bowlby’s theory is a weakness.
Another study found 500 young people in which early prolonged separation from their mother did not predict criminality.
Therefore Bowlby’s theory may be wrong or other factors may affect the outcome of early maternal deprivation.
73
Describe features of a secure attachment.
Child is happy to explore but uses caregiver as a secure base.
Shows moderate stranger and seperation anxiety.
On reunion the child is easily comforted.
74
Describe features of the insecure avoidant attachment type.
Associated with an unresponsive primary caregiver.
Very happy to explore and feel no need for proximity seeking.
Low stranger or separation anxiety.
No comfort is required on reunion.
75
Describe features of the insecure resistant attachment type.
Doesn’t explore and constantly seek proximity.
High stranger and separation anxiety.
Resist comfort on reunion.
Caused by inconsistent parenting.
76
What behaviours in the strange situation?
Proximity seeking.
Exploration/secure base.
Stranger and separation anxiety.
Response to reunion.
77
Describe the method used in the strange situation.
Child encouraged to explore.
Stranger comes in.
Caregiver leaves child and stranger together.
Caregiver returns and stranger leaves.
Caregiver leaves child alone.
Stranger returns.
Caregiver returns.
78
What does encouraging to child to explore test?
Exploration and secure base.
79
What does the stage of the strange situation when the stranger comes in test?
Stranger anxiety.
80
What does the caregiver leaving the child alone with a stranger test?
Seperation and stranger anxiety.
81
In the strange situation, when the caregiver returns and the stranger leaves, what is this testing?
Reunion behaviour.
Exploration and secure base.
82
What is the strange situation testing when the child is left alone?
Separation anxiety.
83
Name the evaluations for strange situation.
Attachment types are strongly predictive of later development.
Good reliability.
At least on more undefined type.
84
Explain how attachment types being strongly predictive is a strength of the strange situation.
Babies assessed as secure typically go on to have better outcomes whereas insecure resistant is associated with adult mental health problems.
Evidence for validity of concept.
85
Explain how the strange situation has good reliability.
Hugh inter-observer reliability (94% agreed on attachment types) as behavioural categories are well defines.
We can be confident that an identified attachment type does not just depend on the observer.
86
Explain one weakness of the strange situation.
There is at least one more unidentified attachment type.
Another study found a minority of children display atypical attachment types which doesn’t fall under Ainsworth’s categories.
Therefore conclusions may be incomplete.
87
How would the internal working model of someone with a secure attachment look?
Have good self esteem as they feel loved by their mother.
88
What kind of parenting results in an insecure resistant attachment type?
Inconsistent.
Do not know when the mother will be there for them.
89
What kind of parenting would result in an insecure resistant attachment type?
Child is not close to mother.
Mother is not there for them.
90
How does attachment type affect childhood relationships?
Secure - best friendships, unlikely to be involved in bullying.
Avoidant - most likely to be victims of bullying.
Resistant - most likely to be bullies.
91
Describe the Hazen and Shaver love quiz study.
Analysis of 620 replies to a love quiz printed in the local newspaper.
Questions assessed current relationship, past relationships and attachment type.
Found 56% secure, 25% avoidant and 19% resistant.
92
Describe the finding from secure attachment types in the love quiz study.
Believe love is enduring.
Mutual trust.
Less likely to get divorced.
93
Describe the findings from the insecurely attached participants in the love quiz.
They felt love was rare.
More likely to be divorced.
94
How can internal working model affect parenting relationships?
Attachment type tends to be passed on through generations.
Majority of women have same attachment type to their babies and their own mothers.
95
What are 2 possible evaluations for the influence of attachment on relationships.
Evidence for continuity of attachment type is mixed.
Most studies have validity issues.
Based off of correlational data.
96
Explain how the evidence for continuity of attachment type is mixed.
Zimmerman did not find a relationship between infant and adolescent attachment type.
Other factors may come into play.
97
Explain why most studies supporting the influence of attachment on relationships have validity issues.
Many studies are based on self report and retrospective data which may be flawed as participants misremember details or have a biased view of a relationship.
Therefore we cannot be confident about the conclusions dawn from the data.
98
Explain how research being based off of correlation is a weakness for the influence of attachment on relationships.
Association doesn’t mean causality, research finds a correlation between early attachment experiences and later relationships.
However you cannot conclude cause and effect.
99
Outline the 2 effects of institutionalisation.
Mental retardation - low IQ, due to lack of stimulation and socialisation and poor quality learning.
Disinhibited attachment - meaning they’re equally affectionate to people they know well and strangers (no stranger anxiety), result of multiple caregivers means they are unable to form a specific attachment.
100
Summarise the procedure of Ritter et al study into institutionalisation.
165 Romanian orphans.
52 British adoptees act as a control group.
Assessed for cognitive and emotional development at aged 4, 6, 11 and 15 years.
101
What were the findings in Ritter et al study?
Children adopted before 6 months old had average IQ of 102.
6 months > 2 years - 86.
2 years+ - 77.
Children adopted after 6 months old often showed a disinhibited attachment type.
102
Summarise the procedure in Zeanah study into institutionalisation.
95 children aged 25-31 months who spent on average 90% of their lives in institutional care.
50 children never institutionalised.
Attachment type measured by the strange situation.
103
Define institutionalisation.
The effects of spending significant time in an orphanage or children’s home.
104
Suggest 3 evaluations for Romanian orphan studies.
Lack generalisability.
Validity.
Real life application.
105
Explain on Romanian orphan studies are more valid than other studies of attachment.
They have not experience trauma before institutionalisation.
Fewer extraneous variables.
106
Explain why Romanian orphan stipules may lack generalisability.
Conditions were so bad in the institutions that the findings cannot be applied to other children.
Other variables may be involved.
107
Evaluate one strength of Romanian orphan studies.
Real life application.
Led to improvements of childcare e.g. children are assigned a key worker to allow them the chance to develop normal attachments.
Therefore the research is valuable in practical terms.
