Attachment Flashcards
Brazelton’s research and findings
Studied videos of baby-mother interactions and found babies will act more calmly when mother gives baby attention. However, if attention signals are ignored, baby will become distressed.
- supports reciprocity.
Meltzoff and Moore research and findings
Had an independent observer watch videos of baby during a controlled obs. Observer recorded all instances of gestures from baby and found that baby could mimic facial expressions and manual gestures that their caregiver modelled.
- supports interactional synchrony.
Schaffer and Emerson stages of attachment
- birth to 6wks - asocial/pre-attachment - reacts to people and objects same.
- 6wks to 7 months - indiscriminate attachment - preference for ppl over objects, respond equally to any caregiver, show beginnings of selectivity.
- 7months to 1yr - specific attachment - clear preference for attachment figure w all 4 attachment criteria, shows stranger/sep anxiety more frequently/intensely.
- from 1yr - multiple attachments.
Schaffer and Emerson multiple attachments research and findings
- longitudinal study - studied 60 babies at monthly intervals for first 18 months.
-interactions w caregiver observed and carers interviewed.
-results indicated attachment is most likely when carer responds to babys signals (reciprocity), not necessarily the person they spent the most time w - sensitive responsiveness. - 31% had 5 or more attachments by 18 months - mother main for half.
- concluded that most important factor in attachment is who plays and communicated w child, not who changes/feeds it.
Bowlby - role of father
Role is to support mother emotionally and the family financially.
Christensson - Role of the father
Fathers more involved in play than caretaking activities
Paquette - Role of the father
Fathers involved in more risky, physical play (rough and tumble) than mothers. Conversations between father and child more likely to be abt play, whilst mother engage in emotional dialogue.
Verissimo - Role of the father
Correlation between rough and tumble play fathers engage in and making friends in pre-school. Suggest play w fathers better prepares children for making friends.
Lorenz research and findings
-Studied imprinting in precocial geese.
-Used 12 geese eggs, kept 6 w mother and 6 in lab w him (communicated w them before they hatched)
- He was the only person they saw/who cared for them once they hatched during critical period.
-When mixed w other 6 kept w original mother, found that his 6 had imprinted on him as they followed him when he walked away, instead of the mother.
Harlows research and findings
-Separated rhesus monkeys from mothers immediately after birth and reared them in a cage w 2 mother models; one mesh wire w feeding bottle, one wrapped in soft cloth.
-Placed scary object in cage w them and found they immediately ran to cloth mother and stayed w her until they felt more comfortable, then became aggressive.
-Babies spent 17-18hrs a day w cloth mother, compared to 1hr w mesh mother only when they wanted to feed.
Dollard and Miller - explanation of attachment
- Suggest attachment is a learnt behaviour through classical and operant conditioning
-cupboard love theory - see food as central to attachment
Bowlby - explanation of attachment
- monotropy - single, special attachment to pri caregiver (mother). Innate survival mechanism and essential for healthy development.
-Recognised multiple attachments are possible but suggested attachment is hierarchical.
-Has critical period (12-24months) in which attachment can develop.
-Internal working model - first relationship provides template for all future relationships and determine what child expects from relationship - continuity hypothesis - successful attachment in infancy will continue into all later relationships.
Thomas - criticism of monotropy
Questions benefits/importance of monotropy and suggests having a network of attachments to support an infant is better.
Ainsworths research
-Strange situation - determining attachment types
- Controlled obs w 100 American, middle class mother and babies.
1. Observer introduces mother (M) and baby (B) to room and leaves.
2. M and B left alone to play.
3. Stranger (S) enters and talks to M. M leaves.
4. S plays w B.
5. M returns and comforts B. S leaves.
6. M leaves and B left alone.
7. S enters and tries to interact w B.
8. M returns and comforts B. S leaves.
- If baby shows extreme stress, stages 4,6 and 7 are cut short.
Ainsworths findings
Type A - Insecure avoidant - 20% of sample - Low sep/stranger anxiety, little reaction to mother leaving and reunion, distressed when alone but easily comforted by stranger (equal ability to mother), confident to explore.
Type B - Secure - 70% of sample - Moderate sep/stranger anxiety, distressed when mother leaves but is easily comforted in reunion, wary of stranger when alone but comfortable when mother is present, uses mother as safe base to explore environment, clear preference for mother.
Type C - Insecure resistant - 10% of sample - high sep/stranger anxiety, intense distress when mother leaves and is NOT easily comforted in reunion, avoidance of stranger, stays close to mother, explores less than other types.
Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg research and findings
-Meta-analysis using Ainsworths strange situation.
-Compared results to 8 other countries using 1990 children.
- UK - 75% B, 22% A, 3% C
-Japan - 68% B, 5% A, 27% C
-Israel - 64% B, 7% A, 29% C
-China - 50% B, 25% A, 25% C
definition of
maternal deprivation (MD)
Absence of love and care of a mother/mother figure due to either a failure to form an attachment or the loss of an existing attachment.
consequences of MD according to Bowlby
-mental abonormalities eg. low iq
-delinquency
-depression
-affectionless psychopathy
-physical impacts eg. stunted growth
definition of affectionless psychopathy
-term defined by bowlby
-lack of affection and concern for others, an inability to form close, long-lasting relationships and a lack of guilt or remorse for antisocial behaviour
research - Bowlby MD
-opportunity sample of 88 children from Bowlby’s workplace (guidance centre)
-44 juvenile thieves and 44 boys w no criminal background
-interviewed the children and their families and tested them w a psychologist, psychiatrist (bowlby) and a social worker, focussing on their early life experiences
findings - Bowlby MD
-14/44 juvenile thieves identified as affectionless psychopaths
-12/14 of those had prolonged separation w their mothers in first 2 years of life (critical period)
Goldfarb - supporting research for MD
-found children raised in institutions had lower IQ than those who were adopted
Rutter - criticism of MD
-fails to distinguish between privation and deprivation
-argues circumstances of separation need to be considered eg. age/gender/temperament of child, previous separation experience (could become more resilient), attachment type, reason for separation.
what are the long term effects of separation
-separation anxiety
-increased aggression, clinging behaviour, detachment.
-psychosomatic disorders eg. skin/stomach problems
-increased risk of depression
