Attachment

Question 1

Bowlby’s theory of PAF

Answer 1

Bowlby (1969)
First relationship with primary attachment figure (PAF) used as template for relationships later in life

Question 2

Study linking attachment type to later development

Answer 2

McCarthy (1999)
40 adult women whose attachment type was assessed as babies
Securely attached -> best romantic/parental relationships
Insecure avoidant -> struggled with intimacy
Insecure resistant -> struggled maintaining friendships

Question 3

Attachment type in infant Vs attachment type in mothers

Answer 3

Bailey et al (2007)
99 babies, mothers, and mothers’ mothers
Majority of mothers had same attachment type with their mothers as with their infants

Question 4

Interactional synchrony associated with better quality attachment

Answer 4

Isabella et al (1989)

Question 5

Bowlby’s theory of attachment

Answer 5

Bowlby (1988)
Rejected learning theory as explanation for attachment
“if it were true, an infant would take readily to whoever feeds them”
Law of continuity
Law of accumulated separation
Monotropic theory

Question 6

Schaeffer and Emerson’s stages of attachment

Answer 6

Schaeffer and Emerson (1964)
Asocial stage (0-6we)
Indiscriminate attachment (2-7mo)
Specific attachment (7-10mo)
Multiple attachments (10-18mo)

Question 7

Drive reduction

Answer 7

Sears et al (1957)
As caregivers provide food, the primary drive is generalised to them

Question 8

Social learning theory of attachment (classical conditioning)

Answer 8

Dollard and Miller (1950)
Classical conditioning
Unconditioned stimulus - food
Unconditioned response - pleasure
Conditioned stimulus - caregiver
Conditioned response - pleasure when seeing caregiver

Question 9

Social learning theory of attachment (operant conditioning)

Answer 9

Dollard and Miller (1950)
Baby produces social releaser -> caregiver responds -> social releaser reinforced

Question 10

Rhesus monkeys (animal studies)

Answer 10

Harlow (1958)
Rhesus monkeys preferred cloth mother to wire mother, even when wire mother provided food

Question 11

Imprinting

Answer 11

Lorenz (1952)
Observed imprinting in geese who imprinted onto him
Critical period for imprinting
Sexual imprinting (geese saw humans as mates)

Question 12

IQ in institutionalised children

Answer 12

Goldfarb (1947)
Lower in institutionalised children

Question 13

44 thieves

Answer 13

Bowlby (1944)
44 juvenile thieves
14/44 affectionless psychopaths
12 of these had prolonged PAF separation in infancy (2/44 control)

Question 14

Romanian orphanages

Answer 14

Rutter et al (2011)
165 Romanian orphans
1/2 showed delayed intellectual dev
Mean IQ for those adopted:
Before 6mo: 102
6mo-2y: 86
15y+: 77

Question 15

Strange Situation

Answer 15

Ainsworth (1978)
Unfamiliar room with caregiver
Left alone
Left with stranger
Reunion
20-25% insec avoidant
3% insec resistant
60-70% secure

Question 16

Meta analysis of strange situation

Answer 16

Ijzendoorn & Kroonenberg (1988)
Cultural differences
China: 25% avoidant, 25% resistant, 50% secure
Israel: 29% resistant
GB: highest secure attachment rate

Question 17

Japanese comment on strange situation

Answer 17

Takahashi (1986)
Japanes babies more likely to be insec resistant due infrequent separations in infancy