attachment

Question 1

bowlby’s theory of attachment

Answer 1

• Bowlby [1958] argued that attachment was an innate drive, drawing on how behaviours such as crying, clinging and smiling serves to elicit responses from caregivers
• in 1969, Bowlby developed his theory further to highlight the nature of the attachment behaviour in which environmental cues triggered attachment behaviours. → the ‘goal-corrected system’

Question 2

bowbly on attachment and cognitive development

Answer 2

• Bowlby believed that the primary purpose of attachment was to retain proximity to the caregiver
• he recognised that the attachment relationship depended on the infant’s cognitive development, and the ability to recognise that a caregiver was not present
• Bowlby drew on Piaget’s stages of cognitive development and argued that until infants had developed object permanence [8 months], they would not miss the attachment figure

Question 3

bowlby’s phases of attachemnt development

Answer 3

1. [0-2months] little differentiation between familiar and unfamiliar people
2. [2-7months] infants begin to recognise attachment figure
3. [after 7 months] infants protest at being separated from caregiver and show ‘stranger anxiety’
4. [around 2 years] increased independence and recognition of caregiver needs

Question 4

bowbly characteristics of attachment

4

Answer 4

1. safe haven
2. secure base
3. proximity maintenance
4. seperation distress

Question 5

safe haven

Answer 5

the child can rely on their caregiver for comfort at times whenever they feels threatened, frightened or in danger.

Question 6

secure base

Answer 6

The caregiver gives a good and reliable foundation to the child as they go on learning and sorting out things by themself.

Question 7

proximity maintenance

Answer 7

The child aims to explore the world but still tries to stay close to their care giver.

Question 8

seperation distress

Answer 8

This means that the child becomes unhappy and sorrowful when they become separated from their caregiver

Question 9

mary ainsworth

Answer 9

• Mary Ainsworth became interested in these ideas on attachment, and set about observing the ‘goal-corrected partnership’
• She noticed that there was a lack of uniformity in infants’ attachment behaviour (Ainsworth, 1963, 1967)
• Following initial observations in Uganda and America, she embarked a research career that significantly influenced developmental and clinical psychology
• Ainsworth developed a quick and effective way of assessing attachments in the lab…

Question 10

the strange situation [1978]

Answer 10

1. Caregiver and infant introduced to room
2. Caregiver and infant alone, infant free to explore
3. Strange enters room, sits, talks to caregiver, then tries to engage the infant in play
4. Caregiver leaves, stranger and infant alone
5. First reunion. Caregiver returns and stranger leaves, caregiver settles infant if necessary and returns to play
6. Caregiver leaves, infant alone
7. Stranger returns and tries to settle infant if necessary, attempts to engage in play
8. Second reunion. Caregiver returns and stranger leaves, caregiver settles infant if necessary

Question 11

attachemnt security

Answer 11

• Strange situation typically conducted between 1-2 years of age
• Infants’ responses to the two reunions are crucial and form the basisof a coding scheme for identifying an infant’s security of attachment
• The coding scheme examines (Ainsworth et al., 1978):
  
  • Proximity-seeking
  • Contact-maintenance
  • Resistance
  • Avoidance

Question 12

insecure-diagnosed [type D]

Answer 12

• Main and Solomon (1986, 1990) identified a fourth category
• These infants seem disorientated, and show no clear strategy forcoping

Question 13

attachment types

Answer 13

• ainswsorth’s [1978] original coding scheme identified three major categories of attachment
  1. securely attached [type B]
  2. insecure avoidant [type A]
  3. insecure resistant [type C]

Question 14

prevalence of attachment types

Answer 14

• Van Ijzendoorn, Schuengel, and Bakermans-Kranenburg (1999) conducted meta-analysis to identify prevalence of attachment types
  
  • 62% secure
  • 15% insecure-avoidant
  • 9% insecure-resistant
  • 15% insecure-disorganized

Question 15

internal working models

Answer 15

• attachment theory proposes that children use early experiences with caregivers to form internal-working models
• These incorporate representations ofthemselves, their caregivers and theirrelationships with others
• The child will use these internal workingmodels as templates for futureinteractions

Question 16

attachment intervention [Van den Boom, 1994]

Answer 16

• 6-month-old infants and mothers were randomly assigned tointervention and control groups
• To test hypothesis that enhancing maternal sensitive responsiveness will improve quality of mother-infant interaction, infant exploration, and attachment.
• Intervention lasted 3 months.

Question 17

results [Van den Boom, 1994]

Answer 17

• At 9 months, intervention mothers were significantly moreresponsive, stimulating, visually attentive, and controlling of theirinfant’s behavior than control mothers.
• Intervention infants had higher scores on sociability, self-soothing,and exploration, and they cried less.
• At 12 months, significantly more intervention group dyads were securely attached than control group dyads.

Question 18

attachment and anxiety

studies

Answer 18

• A review concluded that attachment security in general, and resistent attachmentand disorganised attachment, more specifically, may act as risk factors for anxiety (Brumariu & Kerns, 2010).
• Moss et al. (2006) found that children who were classified as having disorganised attachment at age 5-7 years exhibited significantly more anxiety symptoms two years later.
• May interact with other risk factors
  
  • Life events?
  • Dallaire and Weinraub (2007) Attachment at 15 months moderated the effect of negative life events on children’s anxiety at age 4.5years

Question 19

predictors of child anxiety

Answer 19

• Hudson & Dodd (2012)
• 202 participants between 3 and 4 years
• Measures of anxiety, temperament (week 6), parenting, and attachment
• Followed up at age 9 to identify predictors of anxiety

Question 20

assessment of attachment

Answer 20

• Child-mother attachment was assessed using the preschool version ofthe Strange Situation procedure (Cassidy & Marvin, 1992).
• Similar to infant version of the Strange Situation (Ainsworth, Blehar,Waters, & Wall, 1978). Consists of 8 episodes of separation andreunion between mother and child
  
  • includes an episode where the child plays in the room by themselves for 3minutes
  • includes 2 episodes where the stranger is also present, one of these in thecompany of the mother
• Children were classified as either securely (B) or insecurely (insecure-avoidant (A), insecure-resistent (C), disorganised (D) or insecure-other

Question 21

predictors of anxiety disorder at age 9

Answer 21

1. temperament [inhibition]
2. maternal overinvolevement
3. ~~maternal negativity~~
4. maternal anxiety
5. ~~attachment~~

Question 22

[In]stability of attachment security

studies

Answer 22

• Belsky, Spritz & Crnic (1996) attachment stable in only half of infantsin 6-month period.
• Booth-LaForce & Roisman (2014) little stability at 15, 24 and 36months
• Bar-Haim et al. (2000) no correspondence between attachmentbehaviours in infancy and attachment representation at age 4