Attachment Flashcards
(35 cards)
What is reciprocity in caregiver-infant interaction?
Turn-taking in communication between infant and caregiver
What is interactional synchrony?
Caregiver and infant mirror each other’s emotions and actions
What are Schaffer’s stages of attachment?
Asocial, Indiscriminate, Specific, Multiple
What did Lorenz study?
Imprinting in geese and the concept of a critical period
What did Harlow’s monkey study show?
Attachment is based on comfort, not food
What is the learning theory explanation of attachment?
Attachment is learned through classical and operant conditioning
What is monotropy in Bowlby’s theory?
The idea that infants form one primary attachment figure
What is the internal working model?
A mental template for future relationships based on early attachment
What are the attachment types in Ainsworth’s Strange Situation?
Secure, Insecure-Avoidant, Insecure-Resistant
What did Van IJzendoorn’s meta-analysis find?
Secure attachment was the most common across cultures
What is maternal deprivation according to Bowlby?
Separation from the mother can lead to long-term cognitive and emotional damage
What did Rutter study?
The effects of institutionalisation on Romanian orphans
What is the impact of early attachment on later relationships?
Early attachment affects friendships, romantic relationships, and parenting styles
What is the critical period in attachment formation?
Around 2.5 years, after which attachment is much harder to form
What is Attachment?
Attachment is a strong, reciprocal emotional bond between an infant and their caregiver. It develops over time and is shown through behaviours such as proximity-seeking, separation anxiety, and secure base behaviour.
Key behaviours:
- Proximity-seeking
- Separation distress
- Secure-base behaviour
What are the stages of attachment according to Schaffer and Emerson (1964)?
Asocial Stage (0–6 weeks): Similar responses to people/objects.
Indiscriminate (6 weeks–6 months): Preference for humans; no stranger anxiety.
Discriminate/Specific (7–12 months): Strong attachment to one individual (primary caregiver); separation/stranger anxiety.
Multiple Attachments (1 year+): Secondary attachments develop.
Evaluate Schaffer and Emerson’s study.
+ High ecological validity (conducted in homes)
− Mothers may have reported socially desirable behaviour
+ Longitudinal design captures development over time
− Limited generalisability (1960s Glasgow families)
What did Lorenz (1935) discover about attachment?
Lorenz demonstrated imprinting in geese: they form an attachment to the first moving object they see. Critical period: 12–17 hours after hatching.
Evaluate Lorenz’s study.
+ Controlled experiment; replicable
− Limited generalisability to humans
+ Applications in animal rearing
− Later research suggests imprinting may be reversible
What did Harlow (1958) find in his study of attachment?
Monkeys preferred a cloth mother over a wire mother with food, showing that contact comfort is more important than food in attachment.
Evaluate Harlow’s study.
+ Challenged food-based theories of attachment
+ Influential in childcare practice
− Ethical issues (severe distress)
− Limited generalisability to humans
Outline the learning theory of attachment.
Attachment is learned via classical and operant conditioning:
- Classical: Caregiver becomes associated with food.
- Operant: Feeding is rewarding; caregiver becomes source of reward.
Evaluate the learning theory of attachment.
− Harlow contradicts food-based attachment
− Schaffer & Emerson: Attachments not always to feeder
+ Explains some behaviours
− Ignores biological factors
Outline Bowlby’s monotropic theory.
- Innate attachment system (adaptive)
- Monotropy: one special attachment
- Critical period: 0–2.5 years
- Internal Working Model: future relationship template
- Social releasers trigger attachment
