Attachment

Question 1

Define attachment

Answer 1

Emotional link between infant and caregiver, each seek closeness and feel more secure when in presence of attachment figure
Interactions between caregiver and infant is when attachment starts

Question 2

Caregiver - Infant interactions (Feature 1)

Answer 2

Interactional Synchrony
- caregiver and infant respond in time to keep communication going
eg infant smiles, caregiver smiles back
Meltzoff and Moore-controlled obs of 42 week old infants. An adult displayed one of three facial expressions or gestures- mouth opening or tongue protrusion
Childs response filmed, link found

Question 3

Caregiver- Infant interactions (Feature 2)

Answer 3

Reciprocity
two way mutual process, infant and caregiver take in turns to respond to each others behaviours
behaviour of each party elicits a response from the other
Infants have ‘alert phases’
Frazleton- dance

Question 4

Caregiver- Infant Interactions AO3

Answer 4

• lacks ecological validity
  controlled environment, cannot generalise, lowers external val
• high control over extraneous variables
  -prac apps

Question 5

Research into stages of attachment

Answer 5

Schaffer and Emerson
- longitudinal study of 60wc new born infants and mothers
-visited in their own homes every month for first year of infants life and again at 18 months
-observations and interviews used
- Seperation Anxiety- infant left alone in room
- Stranger Anxiety- researcher starting each visit by approaching infant

Question 6

Stages of attachment research findings

Answer 6

1) Asocial (first few weeks) infants behaviour to adults and objects was similar
2) Indiscriminate (2-7months) infants show preference to people over objects, do not show sep or stranger anxiety
3) Specific (7months) infants start to form attachments and show sep and stranger anxiety
4) Multiple (within 1 month of forming specific attachment) 29% form multiple, by 18 months 75% of children had attachment with father

Question 7

Stages of attachment AO3

Answer 7

• high ecological validity
• prone to social desirability bias
• culture bias

Question 8

Role of Father Research

Answer 8

Grossman
-longitudinal study looking at parents behaviour and quality of childrens attachment into teens
- quality of infants attachment with mothers, not fathers was related to childs attachment in adolescents
- quality of fathers play was related to quality of childs adolescent attachement
fathers role more to do with play and stimulation

Question 9

Role of father contradictory research

Answer 9

Field
-filmed 4 month old infants in face to face interactions with primary caregiver mothers, primary caregiver fathers and secondary caregiver fathers
- Primary caregiver fathers, like mothers spent more time smiling, imitating and comforting infants
- key to attachment is level of responsiveness, not the gender

Question 10

AO3 role of father

Answer 10

Fields research- prac apps
Grossmans- biological basis to support

Question 11

Animal studies of attachment- Lorenz (geese)

Answer 11

• investigate effects of imprinting
  -Lorenz randomly divided eggs, half hatched with mother in natural environment, other hatched in incubator where they first see Lorenz
  Once hatched, they were mixed up and Lorenz observed who they followed
  Incubator group- imprinted on and followed Lorenz, Control- imprinted on and followed mother goose
  Critical period of 12- 17 hours

Question 12

Lorenz AO3

Answer 12

• animal bias
• researcher bias

Question 13

Animal studies of attachment- Harlow (monkeys)

Answer 13

cages contained surrogate mothers
wire mother with milk (food)
cloth mother without milk (comfort)
- amount of time spent with each was recorded
- frightened with a loud noise to see who they go to
- long term effects recorded
– spent more time with cloth than wire
– when frightened go to cloth
– monkeys later in life had emotional damage, difficulty mating and became inadequate mothers

Question 14

Harlow AO3

Answer 14

-animal bias
- ethical issues

Question 15

Explanations of attachment- Learning theory (classical conditioning)

Answer 15

Milk- UCS
UCR- Pleasure
Response is automatic
NS- Feeder
through repetition of feeding, infant associates feeder with food and pleasure
Feeder- CS
CS- Pleasure

Question 16

Explanations of attachment- Learning theory (operant conditioning)

Answer 16

• learning through rewards, reinforcements and punishments
  Positive Reinforcement- rewarded for behaviour, repeat to gain same reward
  Negative Reinforcement- doing a behaviour avoids negative consequence, repeat to avoid again
  Punishment- punished, behaviour will stop

Infant is hungry and cries– food
- positive reinforcement
Feeds infant, crying stops
- negative reinforcement

Question 17

Explanations of attachment AO3

Answer 17

• criticised for environmental reductionism, reduces comples human behaviour
  RTC- Harlow
  RTC- Schaffer and Emerson- infancts form attachments to mother regardless of who fed them

Question 18

Explanations of attachment- Bowlbys monotropic theory (ASCMI)

Answer 18

1. Adaptive
2. Social Releasers
3. Critical Period
4. Monotropy
5. Internal Working Model

Question 19

Bowlbys monotropic theory- Adaptive

Answer 19

Attachment is an innate system (internal), inherited in order to improve survival, is adaptive
Infants are born ‘programmed’ to attach, and parents are also ‘programmed’ to attach

Question 20

Bowlbys monotropic theory- Social Releasers

Answer 20

Infants born with social releasers such as smiling, crying and looking ‘cute’, triggers a response in caregiver and ensures interaction takes place to form an attachment

Question 21

Bowlbys monotropic theory- Critical Period

Answer 21

Biological period
if an attachment doesnt take place during set developmental period of the first 2.5 years of life, may not take place at all

Question 22

Bowlbys monotropic theory- Monotropy

Answer 22

childs attachment to one caregiver
most important attachment in childs development
Bowlby said this is the mother, doesnt have to be biological mother

Question 23

Bowlbys monotropic theory- Internal Working Model

Answer 23

mental representation the child forms of their relationship with primary caregiver
Model for what relationships will be like- expectations
Secure attachment- positive internal working model
Insecure attachment- negative internal working model

Question 24

Bowlbys monotropic theory AO3

Answer 24

RTS- Lorenz, critical period
RTS- Hazan and Shaver, IWM
alternative explanation- learning theory

Question 25

Influence of IWM on childhood relationships

Answer 25

Child has secure attachment- better quality relationship with peers Insecure attachment- likely to have difficulties making friends Smith et al- insecure avoidant- most likely victims of bullying insecure resistant- most likely to be bully

Question 26

Influence of IWM on adult romantic relationships

Answer 26

Hazen and Shaver - questionnaire, Love Quiz, printed in newspapers to study a adult attachment and early attachment 56% of ppts securely attached- positive and long lasting relationships with partners they can trust 25% of ppts insecure avoidant as children, had more feelings of jealousy and feared intimacy 19%- insecure resistant as children, fear being abandoned and put too much pressure on partner

Question 27

Influence of IWM on relationships with own children

Answer 27

people base parenting style on their internal working model, attachment passed on through family generations Bailey et al- mothers tend to have same attachment style with their child as they did with their own mother

Question 28

Influence of IWM AO3

Answer 28

RTS- Harlow - negative early attachment, led to negative later relationships - deterministic

Question 29

Ainsworth Strange Situation

Answer 29

Four variables via two way mirror 1) Willingness to explore environment 2) Separation Anxiety 3) Stranger Anxiety 4) Reunion behaviour Procedure- 1. Parent enters room with child, child explores for 3 mins 2. Stranger enters and tries to interact with child 3. Parent leaves infant with stranger 4. Parent returns and stranger leaves 5. Parent leaves child alone 6. Stranger returns 7. Parent returns, stranger leaves Secure- 70% Insecure av- 20% Insecure res- 10%

Question 30

Ainsworth Strange Situation Findings

Answer 30

Secure attachment- Willing to explore- uses mother as secure base Upset when mother leaves Avoidant of stranger but friendly when mother present Happy when mother returns Insecure avoidant- Willing to explore Unconcerned by mothers absence Avoidant of mother and stranger Unresponsive when returned Insecure resistant- Low willingness to explore Intensely distressed when mother left Extreme fear of stranger Clinginess mixed with rejection

Question 31

Ainsworth strange situation AO3

Answer 31

- lacks ecological validity -high in reliability

Question 32

Cultural variations in attachment

Answer 32

Van Ijzendoorn- 32 studies of strange situation from 8 countries using around 2000 children meta analysis MOST COMMON Secure- UK 75% Insecure avoidant- Germany 35% Insecure resistant- Israel 29% LEAST COMMON Secure- China 50% Insecure avoidant- Japan 5% Insecure resistant- UK 3%

Question 33

Cultural variations in attachment AO3

Answer 33

-high population validity - lacks ecological validity

Question 34

Bowlbys theory of maternal deprivation

Answer 34

Extended periods of separation during critical period, where element of care is lost- psychological damage is inevitable and irreversible Intellectual Damage- cognitive impairment, intellectual delay, low IQ Emotional Damage- affectionless psychopathy, inability to feel guilt or strong emotion for others- associated with criminality

Question 35

Bowlbys theory of maternal deprivation AO3

Answer 35

RTS- Bowlby 44 juvenile thieves, affectionless psychopathy Practical applications- hospitals allowing overnight stays with infants

Question 36

Effects of institutionalisation

Answer 36

1. Reactive attachment disorder 2. Disinhibited attachment 3. Cognitive impairment

Question 37

Effects of institutionalisation- Reactive attachment disorder

Answer 37

Extreme lack of sensitive responsiveness from parent in early life, grow up unable to trust or love others, become isolated and selfish and unable to understand needs of others, sociopathic, lack remorse

Question 38

Effects of institutionalisation- Disinhibited attachment

Answer 38

Children select attachment figures indiscriminately, behave overly familiarly with strangers Caused by long periods of institutionalised care, having to adapt to multiple caregivers Other behavioural disorders, attention seeking

Question 39

Effects of institutionalisation- Cognitive impairment

Answer 39

Delay in intellectual development, low IQ, problems with concentration, difficulty learning new concepts and behaviours

Question 40

Rutter et al Romanian orphan studies

Answer 40

Studied 3 groups 1. adopted before the age of 6 months 2. adopted between 6 months and 2 years 3. adopted after the age of 2 4 years - high level of disinhibited attachment 11- mean IQ for those adopted later was lower than earlier

Question 41

Effects of institutionalisation

Answer 41

-prac apps, large number of care givers and key workers