ATTACHMENT Flashcards
(103 cards)
What is reciprocity?
Description of how 2 people interact
- mother infant interaction is reciprocal in that both infant + mothers respond to each others signals and each elicits a response from the other.
What is interactional synchrony?
Mother + infants reflect both the actions + emotions of the other + do this in a co- ordinated (synchronised) way.
Describe RECIPROCITY in caregiver infant interactions
- from birth, babies + mothers (or other carers) spend a lot it time in intense + pleasurable interaction.
- babies have periodic ‘ALERT PHASES’ and signal that they are ready for interaction
What did FELDMAN + EIDELMAN 2007 find about mother’s responses to alert phases and reciprocity generally?
Mothers typically pick up on + respond to infant alertness 2/3s of the time.
From around 3 months, this interaction tends to be increasingly frequent + involves close attention to each others verbal signals and facial expressions.
- key element of this interaction = RECIPROCITY
What did BRAZELTON say about interactions between mothers and infants?
Both mother + child can initiate interactions + they appear to take turns in doing so.
Brazelton et al 1975 described interaction as a ‘dance’
MELTZOFF + MOORE 1977 study on interactional synchrony
- observed beginnings of interactional synchrony in infants as young as 2 weeks.
- an adult displayed 1 of 3 facial expressions or 1 of 3 distinctive gestures
- child’s response was filmed and identified by independent observers
- an association found between the expression or gesture the adult had displayed and the actions of the babies.
What did ISABELLA ET AL 1989 find about interactional synchrony on the development of mother- infant attachment?
- believed interactional synchrony important
- observed 20 mothers + infants together and assed degree of synchrony
- research also assed quality of mother -infant attachment
Found:
- high levels of synchrony was associated with better quality mother- infant attachment.
E.g emotional intensity of the relationship.
Caregiver infant attachments
EVALUATION
It is hard to know what is happening when observing infants.
• Many studies involving observations of interactions between mothers + infants have shown the same patterns of interaction.
• HOWEVER , what is being observed is merely hand movement or changes in expression.
• It’s extremely difficult to be certain, based on these observations, what is taking place from the infants perspective.
• For example: is the infants imitation of adult signals conscious and deliberate?
• Means we cannot really know for certain that behaviours seen in mother- infant interaction have a special meaning.
Caregiver infant attachments
EVALUATION
Controlled observations capture fine detail
• Observations of mother- infant interactions generally well- controlled procedures
• Both mother + infant being filmed, often multiple angles.
• Ensures that very fine details of behaviour can be recorded + later analysed.
• Furthermore, babies don’t know or care that they are being observed so their behaviour does change in response to controlled observation (generally a problem for observational research)
• strength of this line of research because it means research has good validity.
Caregiver infant attachments
EVALUATION
Observations don’t tell us the purpose of synchrony and reciprocity
• Feldman 2012- points out that synchrony simply describe behaviours that occur at same time.
• These are robust phenomena in the sense that they can be reliably observed
• But this may not be particularly useful as it does not tell us their purpose.
• HOWEVER, there’s some evidence that reciprocal interaction + synchrony are helpful in the development of mother- infant attachment, as well as helpful in stress responses, empathy, language and moral development.
Schaffer and Emerson 1964 research into early attachments figures
Found the majority of babies become attached to their mother first (@ around 7 months)
- within a few weeks or months, formed SECONDARY ATTACHMENTS to other family members, including father
- 75% of infants attachment formed with father by the age of 18 months
- determined by the fact that the infants protested when their father walked away
GROSSMAN- role of the father research
- carried out longitudinal study, looking at both partners behaviour + its relationship to the quality of children attachments into their teens
- quality of infant attachment with mothers but NO fathers was related to children’s attachments in adolensence suggesting father less important
- HOWEVER, the quality of fathers play with infants was related to the quality of adolescent attachments
- this suggests that fathers have a different role in attachment, more to do with plat + stimulation, less to do with nurturing.
FIELD 1978- Fathers as primary carers RESEARCH
- Some evidence to suggest that when fathers do take on role of being main caregiver, they adopt behaviours more typical of mothers.
- FEILD filmed 4 month old babies in face to face interactions with primary caregiver mothers, secondary caregiver fathers and primary caregiver fathers.
- primary caregiver fathers, like mothers, spent most time smiling, imitating an holding infants than the secondary caregiver fathers
- this behaviour appears to be more important in building attachment with an infant than gender of caregiver.
- so seems fathers can be more nurturing attachment figures.
- key to attachment in a relationship is the level of responsiveness not the gender for the parent.
Attachment figures
EVALUATION
Inconsistent findings on fathers
• Research into the role of fathers in attachment is confusing as different researchers are interested in different research questions.
• Some psychologists interested in understanding role fathers have as secondary attachment figures
• Others concerned with father as primary attachment figure.
• Secondary attachment: tended to see fathers behaving differently from mothers and having distinct role
• Primary attachment: tended to find fathers can take on a ‘maternal’ role.
• problem as it means psychologists cannot easily answer a simple question of ‘what is the role of the father?’
Attachment figures
EVALUATION
If fathers have a distinct role, why aren’t children without fathers different?
• Study by GROSSMAN found that fathers as secondary attachment figures had important role in children’s development.
• Other studies (e.g MacCallum + Golombok 2004) found children growing up in single or same sex parent families do NOT develop any differently from those in 2 parent heterosexual families.
• Would seem to suggest that the father’s role as secondary attachment figure NOT important.
Attachment figures
EVALUATION
Why don’t fathers generally become primary attachments?
• Fact that fathers tend not to become primary attachment figure could simply be result of traditional gender roles
• women expected to be more caring + nurturing than men.
• Men more bread winners
• other hand, could be down to female hormones (e.g oestrogen) create higher levels of nurturing + therefore women are biologically pre-disposed to be primary attachment figure.
Schaffers stages of attachment
Many developmental theories identify sequence of qualitatively different behaviours linked to specific ages
What was schaffers and Emerson’s aim?
Aimed to investigate the formation of early attachments: in particular the age at which they develop their emotional intensity and to whom they are directed.
Procedure for Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment
- 60 babies (31 males, 29 females)
- all from Glasgow
- skilled working class families
- babies + mothers visited at their homes every mother for 1st year and again at 18 months.
- researchers asked mothers questions about kinds of protest their babies showed in 7 everyday separations
- separations anxiety
- stranger anxiety
Findings of Schaffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment
- between 25 + 32 weeks of age, about 50% of babies showed signs of separation anxiety towards particular adult- usually mother
- attachment tended to be the caregiver who was most interactive + sensitive to infant signals and facial expressions
- this is not necessarily infant spends most time with
- by age of 40 weeks, 80% of babies had specific attachment + almost 30 % displayed multiple attachment.
What are the 4 stages of attachment
Stage 1: asocial stage (first few weeks)
Stage 2: indiscriminate stage (from 2-7 months)
Stage 3: specific attachment (from around 7 months)
Stage 4: multiple attachment (after 7 months)
Describe the asocial stage
STAGE 1: ASOCIAL STAGE (first few weeks)
• baby is recognising and forming bonds with its carers.
• However, baby’s behaviour towards non- human objects + human is quite similar.
• Babies show some preference for familiar adults in that those individuals find it easier to calm them.
• Babies also happier when in presence of other humans
Describe the indiscriminate attachment stage
STAGE 2: INDISCRIMINATE ATTACHMENT (from 2-7 months)
• majority of babies display more observable social behaviour.
• Show a preference for people rather than inanimate objects, + recognise and prefer familiar adults.
• At this stage babies usually accept cuddles + comfort from any adult
• Don’t normally show separation anxiety or stranger anxiety
Describe the specific attachment stage
STAGE 3: SPECIFIC ATTACHMENT (from around 7 months)
• majority of babies start to display anxiety towards strangers and becoming anxious when separated from 1 particular adult (biological mother in 65% of cases).
• Baby said to have formed specific attachment
• Adult is termed primary caregiver
• Doesn’t have to be the adult that spends most time with infant however
• instead one who offers most interaction + responds to baby’s ‘signals’.