attachment Flashcards
reciprocity
where the mother and infant respond to each others signals and each elicits a response from the other. a two-way mutual process involving turn-taking. Forms the basis of attachment.
interactional synchrony
mother and infant reflect both the actions and emotions of the other and they do this in a coordinated, synchronised way
interactional synchrony research study
Meltzoff and Moore (1977) conducted the first study. observational study. they found that infants as young as 2-3 weeks old imitated (mirrored) specific facial and hand gestures. Meltzoff and moore argue that the ability to imitate serves as an important building block for later social and cognitive development.
evaluation of Meltzoff and Moores study
Both inter and intra observer reliability was calculated to be good as they bought in a second ‘blind’ observer for this. A strong positive correlation was found between infants and caregiver interactions.
Argument for pseudo imitation
Jean Piaget (1962) believed that true imitation only develops towards the end of the first year, and anything before is a kind of ‘response training’ where infants repeat a behaviour that has been rewarded
argument for real imitation
Murray and Trevarthen (1985) found that when she showed infants a real time video of their mother on a screen, they would react happily. Then when a prerecorded video was shown, and no interactions could happen, acute distress was seen in the infant.
This shows that the infant is actively eliciting a response rather than just displaying a response that has been rewarded. Emotional.
weakness testing infant behaviour - unreliable
babies cannot communicate so inferences based on behaviours must be drawn. However, babies mouths and facial expressions are constantly moving and changing. Can we objectively distinguish between these behaviours? To help overcome this Meltzoff and Moore calculated both inter observer and intra observer reliability, which was found to be high.
This highlights issues in testing infants behaviour, but also ways to overcome it
value of research into interactional synchrony
has helped to further research and understand how attachments are formed. The importance of this imitative behaviour is that it forms the basis for social development… useful applications as it has helped to further our understanding of not only attachment but social development throughout childhood, including theory of mind.
Development of attachment theory
Stages of Attachment by Schaffer and Emerson
Stage 1in attachment
indiscriminate attachments
age: 0-2 months
very young infants are asocial in that many kinds of stimuli, both social and non social, produce a favourable reaction, such as a smile, very few protest.
Reciprocity and interactional synchrony play an important past in establishing relationships.
Stage 2 in attachment
the beginnings of attachment
age: 6 weeks - 7 months
infants indiscriminately enjoy human company. They get upset when an individual ceases to interact with them. From 3 months smile more at familiar faces and comforted easily by a regular care giver. No stranger anxiety.
Stage 3 in attachment
discriminate attachment - where primary attachments form.
age: 7-9 months
express protest when separated from one particular individual. They attempt to stay close to the person, and show wariness of strangers (stranger anxiety).
To form attachments its less about the amount of time, the important thing is responding quickly and sensitively yo the ‘signals’
Stage 4 in attachment
multiple attachments
age: 10 months +
children begin to attach to others. By 18 months the majority of infants have formed multiple attachments.
statistics for stage 4 of attachment
29% of infants had multiple attachments to somebody else at the beginning of the stage, secondary attachments. In 6 months this had risen to 78%.
Evaluation of development of attachment - methodological issues
Data collected by Schaffer and Emerson may be unreliable, and the sample was biased in a number of ways.
Because it was based on mothers reports of their infants. Some mothers may have been less sensitive to their infants protests and so less likely to report them. The sample was from a working class population, so findings may apply to that social group but not others.
Sample was also from the 1960s, and parental care of children was significantly different at that time. Research shows that the number of dads who choose to stay at home and care for their children has quadrupled.
If a similar study to that of Schaffer and Emerson done now - findings might well be different
Evaluation of development of attachment - monotropy - for
central discussions relating to multiple attachments - whether all attachments are equivalent or whether one or two have some special significance.
Bowlbys view - infant forms one special emotional relationship. Subsidiary to this are many other secondary attachments which are important as an emotional safety net or to meet other needs. For example, fathers may offer a special kind of care, and relationships with siblings are important in learning how to negotiate with peers
Evaluation of development of attachment - monotropy - against
central discussions relating to multiple attachments - whether all attachments are equivalent or whether one or two have some special significance.
Rutter (1995) argues that all attachment figures are equivilent, with all attachments being integrated to produce an infants attachment type.
This suggest that Bowlby may have been wrong abut the idea of a hierarchy of attachments
Evaluation of development of attachment - stage theories
One difficulty with ‘stage theories’ is that they suggest development is inflexible.
A stage theory such as the one that Schaffer and Emerson developed, proposes that there is a fixed order for development. For example, it suggests that normally a single attachment must come before multiple attachments. In some situations and cultures, multiple attachments may come first.
The use of stage theories may be problematic if they become a standard by which families are judged and lead to them being classed as abnormal.
The role of the Father
Many researchers have seen the father as less of a caregiver and more as a playmate. This is because fathers play is often more physical, unpredictable and exciting than mothers.
Lamb (1987) - Children often interact with their fathers in a positive emotional state and so they are seeking stimulation rather than comfort.
Behavioural impacts of a father on their children
The father is seen as a playmate so the child engages in more active, rough, and challenging play.
Cognitive impacts of a father on their children
Critical thinking abilities encouraged through play.
fathers may encourage children to problem solve independently, promoting their critical thinking, and supporting their cognitive and emotional skills.
Emotional impacts of a father on their children
The attachment type a child shares with their father is similar to the attachment the father had with his parents.
Why do fathers tend not to become the primary attachment figure?
One explanation is biological processes. It could be down to the mens lack of oestrogen, which is what creates the higher level of nurturing in women. Fathers are less able to detect low levels of infant distress, suggesting that males make unsuitable primary attachment figures.
Mothers have often been seen to show mere sensitive responsiveness, but males can quickly develop this ability when taking on the role of main care provider.
Also down to stereo types and traditional gender roles, in which women are expected to be more caring and nurturing.
Lorenz (1935) - procedure
carried out an experiment with grey lay geese
condition 1 - he was the first moving object seen by the goose chicks after they hatched
condition 2 - mother goose was the first moving object seen by chicks after they hatched
