Attachment Flashcards
(107 cards)
1
Q
Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation
What does the theory propose?
A
Bowlby proposed that prolonged emotional deprivation would have long term consequences in terms of emotional development.
2
Q
2 features of maternal deprivation
A
Maternal care and critical period
3
Q
What is the critical period? And the significance (consequences)?
A
If attachment is disrupted/not formed with a mother figure that provides adequate care within 30 months of birth it is too late. Irreversible: Negative intellectual and emotional consequences due to the deprivation are permanent.
4
Q
what is the Value of maternal care? And the significance?
A
The value of maternal care suggested by Bowlby’s says it is not enough to make sure the child is well-fed and kept warm and safe. You need to have a warm, intimate and continuous relationship with a mother to ensure stable mental health.
5
Q
44 thieves procedure
A
- 44 criminal teenagers interviewed for signs of affectionless psychopathy
- families interviewed too
- control group of non criminal but emotionally disturbed teenagers interviewed
6
Q
44 thieves findings
A
- 14 of 44 thieves identified as affectionless psychopathy
- 12 of 14 identified had prolonged separation
7
Q
44 thieves conclusion
A
Deprivation causes Affectionless Psychopathy
8
Q
44 thieves conclusion
A
Deprivation causes Affectionless Psychopathy
9
Q
Infans is a Latin word, what does it mean?
A
‘Without speech’
10
Q
What is attachment?
A
An EMOTIONAL bond between two people. It is a TWO WAY process that endures over time. Leads to certain behaviours such as clinging and serves the function of protecting an infant.
11
Q
What is reciprocity?
A
Responding to an action of another with a similar action.
12
Q
Jaffe et al. (1970) did research into reciprocity, what did he find?
A
Demonstrated infants coordinated their actions with caregivers in a kind of conversation. This was thought of when birth babies were found to move in a rhythm when interacting with an adult, leaning forwards to speak. This is an example of reciprocity.
13
Q
What is interactional synchrony?
A
2 people interacting, tend to mirror what the other person is doing in terms of facial/body movements. 2 people move in SAME PATTERN.
14
Q
2 people that did research into interactional synchrony.
A
Meltzoff and Moore (1977)
15
Q
What did Meltzoff and Moore find?
A
Infants as young as 2 or 3 weeks old imitated specific facial/hand gestures.
16
Q
What was Meltzoff and Moore’s test.
A
Dummy placed in infants mouth while the adult conducted facial expressions. Dummy taken out of infants mouth and the infant copied the response of the adult.
17
Q
In 1983 M+M found the behavioural response must be innate. How?
A
Infants three days old were displaying the same behaviour - rules out imitation behaviours are learned.
18
Q
Who challenged M+M’s theory?
A
Jean Piaget (1962)
19
Q
What did Jean Piaget believe?
A
True imitation only developed towards the end of the first year. Anything before this was a ‘response training’, infant repeats behaviour as it is rewarding - caregiver smiles.
20
Q
Supporting evidence for M+M.
A
Murray + Trevarthen (1985) showed mother on a video monitor and the mother did not react when the infant imitated the mother. As a result the infant was in acute distress, showing infant is actively eliciting a response rather than displaying response that has been rewarded. Supports that this behaviour must be innate.
21
Q
A strength of caregiver-infant interactions.
A
-Value of the research, helps explain how children begin to understand what others think and feel, and thus are able to conduct relationships.
22
Q
2 weaknesses of caregiver-infant interactions.
A
- Difficulty with interpreting infants’ mouths as they are in fairly constant motion and the tested expressions occur frequently (yawning)
- Failure to replicate, Koepe (1983) could not replicate the study.
23
Q
The 4 stages to development of attachment.
A
S1: Indiscriminate attachments
S2: Beginnings of attachment
S3: Discriminate attachment
S4: Multiple attachments
24
Q
What is stage 1 indiscriminate attachment TIME PERIOD?
A
Birth - 2 months
25
What is stage 2 beginnings of attachment TIME PERIOD?
Around 4 months
26
What is stage 3 discriminate attachment TIME PERIOD?
7 months
27
What is stage 4 multiple attachments TIME PERIOD?
Soon after discriminate attachments.
28
What is indiscriminate attachment about?
Infants produce similar responses to all objects living or not. During this period reciprocity and interactional synchrony play a role in establishing the infant's relationships with others.
29
What are the beginnings of attachment about?
Infants becomes more social, they prefer human company to inanimate objects and can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar people. However, can be comforted by anyone not yet developed stranger anxiety.
30
What is discriminate attachment about?
Distinct protest when one particulr person puts them down, also show joy at reunion with person they are most comfortable with.
Developed separation anxiety.
Developed primary attachment figure.
Developed a stranger anxiety.
31
What is multiple attachments about?
Infant develops more than one attachment. Schaffer + Emerson found within first month of becoming attached 29% of infants had multiple attachments. After 6 months of this percentage rose to 78.
32
What is separation anxiety?
Distress shown by infant when separated from his/her caregiver. Not necessarily child'a biological mother.
33
What is stranger anxiety?
Distress shown by infant when approached or picked up by someone who is unfamiliar.
34
Who and when was research made into stages of attachment?
Schaffer + Emerson (1960)
35
A strength of stages of attachment.
-High external validity, was in the home of the infants during everyday activities.
36
Schaffer and Emerson and their work in Glasgow, what did they do?
Give figures and how long they carried out this research.
Conducted a study on development of attachments. 60 infants, mainly working class homes in Glasgow. Start of investigation infants ranged from 5-23 weeks. Studied for one year with the mother being visited every 4 weeks.. Measured on their stranger anxiety + specific attachment.
37
Role of father in S+E research found what?
Fathers were less likely to be the primary attachment figure than mothers as they spend less time with infant.
38
What did Lamb (1997) suggest that countered S+E's theory behind father roles?
Little relationship between amount of time spent with child and infant father attachment, it could however be to do with the fact men do not produce the hormone oestrogen which underlies caring behaviour.
39
Which 2 men did separate animal studies and what years were these studies conducted?
Lorenz (1935)
| Harlow (1959)
40
What was the procedure to Lorenz's study?
Took a clutch of goslings and divided them into two groups. 1 group left with natural mother and the other group of eggs were placed in an incubator. When the incubator eggs hatched the first thing they saw was Lorenz and they started following him around. To test imprinting Lorenz marked the groups.
41
What did Lorenz find? no percentages.
The goslings quickly divided themselves one group following the mother and the other following Lorenz. Lorenz's goslings also showed no recognition for their actual mother.
42
What did Lorenz say the long-lasting effects were? (2)
Process was irreversible and long lasting. One of the geese slept with him every night.
Effected mating preferences in later life, normally want to mate with thing they imprinted on.
43
A strength of Lorenz's imprinting research?
Guiton (1966) demonstrated leghorn chicks exposed to rubber yellow gloves made the leghorns imprint on the gloves. Proof that animals are not born with a predisposition to imprint on something specific.
44
2 weakness of Lorenz's research.
- It was accepted view for many years that imprinting was an irreversible process but now it is seen as a more 'plastic and forgiving mechanism' (Hoffman 1996).
- Unethical to imprint on animals which will affect their mating preferences for life.
45
What is imprinting?
It is an INNATE READINESS to develop a strong bond with the mother which takes place during a specific time of development, probably first few hours after birth. If this does not happen it probably never will.
46
What was Harlow's procedure (1959)?`
8 infant monkeys were studied for a period of 165 days. 4 monkeys the milk bottle was on the cloth covered mother and the other 4 monkeys had a milk bottle on the wire covered mother. During this time measurements were made for amount of time infant spent with 2 mothers.
Observations also made when infants were frightened by a mechanical teddy for example.
47
What did Harlow find?
All 8 monkeys spent most time with the cloth covered mother - as it provided most 'comfort' whether or not it had the milk bottle in its mouth.
Frightened infants went to cloth covered mother as well.
48
What were the long lasting effects of Harlow's study with these infant monkeys?
- Socially abnormal, found it difficult to form relationships with peers.
- Sexually abnormal, did not show normal mating behaviour and did not cradle with their own babies.
49
2 weaknesses of Harlow's research.
- Confounding variable, heads were a different shape - cloth covered mother having the more attractive head shape.
- Generalising animal studies to humans is difficult as we are more conscious than monkeys in our decision making despite some animal attachment being mirrored by humans.
50
Who did research into classical conditioning?
Ivan Pavlov
51
What is classical conditioning?
Learning through association. A neutral stimulus paired with an unconditioned stimulus so that it eventually takes on properties of this stimulus and is able to produce a conditioned response.
52
What was Pavlov's research into classical conditioning. What did he find?
Process begins with an innate stimulus-response. This stimulus in attachment is food and causes the innate response of pleasure. They are both unconditioned meaning not learned. In early weeks of being fed, infants understand certain things are associated with their food, like mother sitting in the chair - becomes the neutral stimulus. If this is regularly consistent the neutral stimulus becomes a condition stimulus and will produce a conditioned response.
53
What is operant conditioning and who did research into attachment about it?
Dollard and Miller (1950) and it is a learning through reinforcement - based on a drive reduction theory
54
What is the drive reduction theory?
When infant is fed, the drive is reduced producing a feeling of pleasure. Rewarding - negative reinforcement / escape from something unpleasant. Food becomes primary reinforcer - supplies the reward reinforcing the avoided discomfort. Attachment occurs because the child seeks the person who can supply the reward.
55
What is social learning theory?
Learning through observing others and imitating behaviours that are rewarded.
56
Hay and Vespo (1988) sueggested modelling could be used to explain attachment behaviours (social learning theory).
Proposed that children observe their parents' affectionate behaviour and imitate this. Parents would also deliberately instruct their children about how to behave in relationships and reward appropriate attachment behaviours such as giving hugs and kisses.
57
A strength of the learning theories of attachment.
-Infants do learn through association and reinforcement, but food not be the main reinforcer. It can explain some aspects of attachment.
58
2 weaknesses for the learning theories of attachment.
- Learning theories have been based on animal studies - Skinner's research with pigeons in operant conditioning - so explanations may lack validity because they present an oversimplified version of human behaviour.
- Attachment is not based on food - Harlow demonstrated this by the monkeys being most attached to the mothers that provided contact comfort. Therefore this is oversimplified.
59
According to Bowlby why do attachments form?
| Lorenz's research helped him
Lorenz's research led Bowlby to assume humans operated similarly.
Attachment behaviour has evolved as it serves as a survival function because our distant ancestors if they were not attached to their parents they would be in danger.
60
What is important about attachment between an adult and an infants?
It is a 2 way process, for the infant to be attached the parent has to be attached to the infant
61
How do attachments form.. What is the critical period?
The critical period for attachment is around 3-6 months. Infants who do not form an attachment at this stage have difficulty forming attachments in later life.
62
What are social releasers?
Social behaviours or characteristics that elicits caregiving and leads to attachment: smiling. These are innate mechanisms that explain how attachments to infants are formed.
63
What is monotropy?
Idea that one relationship that the infants has with his/her primary attachment figure is of special significance in emotional development.
64
Monotropy helps the infants form a mental relationship of this called an internal working model. What is an internal working model?
A mental model of the world which enables individuals to predict and control their environment. In attachment it relates to a person's expectations about relationships.
65
What are the 2 consequences of the internal working model? ST + LT
Short term - gives child an insight into the caregiver's behaviour and enables the child to influence the caregiver's behaviour so a true partnership can be formed.
Long term acts as a template for all future relationships because it generates expectations.
66
What is the continuity hypothesis?
Emotionally secure infants go on to be emotionally secure, trusting and socially confident adults.
67
2 strengths of Bowlby's monotropic attachment theory.
- Attachment is adaptive, it is vital for survival and develops at a stage where infants start crawling.
- S+E suggested attachment started at 7 months shortly after children were attached suggesting the critical period suggested by Bowlby is correct.
68
2 weaknesses of Bowlby's monotropic attachment theory.
- It is a sensitive period rather than a critical period. As Rutter shows it is not impossible to recover from not becoming attached - more temporary.
- Could be infants temperament (Kagan 1964) infants with an easy temperament tend to become more securely attached.
69
Why did Ainsworth carry out her study?
Interested in the different attachment types infants formed with their caregivers
70
What was Ainsworth's procedure for strange situation?
```
8 episodes each about 3 minutes
Some of these episodes involved eg:
1 - parents and infants play
2 - parent sits while infant plays
3 - stranger enters and talks to parents
Enabling observation for:
-separation anxiety
-reunion behaviour
-stranger anxiety.
```
71
List 3 ways how data was collected.
- Proximity and contact-seeking behaviours
- Proximity and interaction-avoiding behaviours
- Contact and interaction-resisting behaviours
72
What is secure attachment and how would a securely attached child react to their caregiver leaving?
- Strong and contented attached of an infant to his/her caregiver, which develops as a caregiver responding to infant's needs.
- Show distress when their caregiver leaves but are able to compose themselves knowing that their caregiver will return.
73
What is insecure-avoidant attachment? How would an insecurely-avoidant child react to their caregiver leaving?
- Describes those children who tend to avoid social interaction and intimacy with others.
- Willing to explore but does not seek proximity to the caregiver. No clinging tendencies.
74
What is insecure-resistant attachment? How would an insecurely-resistant child react to their caregiver leaving?
- Describes those infants who both seek and reject intimacy and social interaction.
- Not willing to explore and seeks greater proximity to the caregiver than others.
75
What percent + type of attachment were most of the infants in Ainsworth's test?
70% secure.
76
2 strengths of Ainworth's study.
- High reliability observations - test has higher inter-observer reliability, determined by panel of experienced judges. 94/100 agreement.
- Real-world application, helps teach caregivers to better understand infants signals of distress and increase understanding of anxiety. Study showed an increase in infants classed as securely attached 32-40%.
77
2 weaknesses of Ainsworth's study.
- Overlooked another attachment type - insecure disorganised suggested by Solomon (1986), meaning infants do not have a consistent type of attachment, lack a coherent strategy with dealing with stress of separation.
- Low internal validity, children behaving differently depending on the parents they were with - personal characteristic could have affected measurement.
78
When was Ainsworth's study?
(1971-1978)
79
Who conducted research into cultural variations into attachment?
Ijzendoorn + Kroonenberg (1988)
80
Why did I + K do research into cultural variations?
If attachment is a biological + innate process, secure attachment should be the optimal form for all humans regardless of cultural variations. There research suggests their may be some middle ground.
81
What was IJ + K's procedure of studies in cultural variations?
Conducted a meta-analysis of the findings from 32 studies of attachment behaviour. Examined over 2000 strange situation classification in 8 different countries that inter-cultural differences did exist.
82
What were the findings from the study? What was the most common attachment? Then what?
Secure attachment was most common
| Insecure-avoidant was next most common apart from Israel and Japan who were collectivist cultures
83
What conclusion can be drawn from Ainsworth's findings?
Secure attachment is the 'norm', supports secure attachment is 'best' for healthy, social and emotional development.
84
What is an individualist culture?
Value independence and importance of individuals independence - uniqueness - autonomy. Usually Western Capitalist cultures like USA + Britain.
85
What is a collectivist culture?
Emphasising importance of a group or collective. Shared tasks, working together, higher valuers of interdependence (aspiring to be independent on each other). Countries such as Japan and Israel.
86
Study that supports IJ + K's main finding - cultural similarity.
Tronick et al (1992) in a tribe in Africa found hunter-gatherers tend to live in extended family groups. Infants looked after usually sleeping with their own mother but commonly breastfed by different women. Infants at 6 months still show only one primary attachment - supporting Bowlby's monotropy theory.
87
Another study supporting IJ + K's findings of secure attachment being most common.
Takahashi (1990), no evidence for insecure avoidant, high rates of insecure resistant. Japanese infants distressed when left alone.
88
3 weaknesses of cultural variations in attachment.
- Similarities may be due to global culture - mass media spreading ideas about parenting, so as a result, children all over the world are exposed to similar influences.
- Countries rather than cultures - Japan and the US there are many subcultures each of which have different childcare practices.
- Culture bias.
89
What did the dictator Ceausescu (1966) do in Romania? And why did this lead to research being done?
Tried to boost population by encouraging parents to have large families and banning abortion. As a result many babies could not be cared for and were sent to institutions. Malnourished and not cared for helped allow psychologists to study separation and deprivation.
90
Who carried out research into Romanian orphans?
Rutter and Sonuga-Barke (2010)
91
What was Rutter and Barke's procedure?
1990. 165 Romanian orphans who spent early lives in Romanian institutions and suffered from effects of institutionalisation. 111 were adopted before age of 2 and the rest were adopted before 4. Adoptees have been tested at regular interval ages 4,6,11 assessing physical, social and cognitive development and their progress was compared to 52 British kids that were adopted.
92
What was Rutter and Barke's findings?
Romanian orphans lagged behind British. Smaller, weighed less and classified as mentally retarded. But if adopted before 6 they can catch up.
93
What were the other studies of Romanian orphans?
36 Romanian orphans adopted by Canadian families. Dependent variables were physical growth and health.
94
What are the effects of institutionalisation? (4)
- Physical undevelopment: physically smaller
- Intellectual underfunctioning: cognitive development is also affected by emotional development.
- Disinhibited attachment: form of insecure attachment where children discriminate between people they choose as attachment figures.
- Poor parenting: could become bad parents in the future
95
2 strengths of research into Romanian orphan studies.
- Real world application, institutionalisation can help improve the lives of children placed in care. Mothers who are going to give up their baby - encouraged to nurse the baby for a significant amount of time.
- Value of longitudinal studies have large benefits eventhough it takes a long time. Tells us that it is wrong to assume that institutionalisation inevitably causes negative effects.
96
2 weaknesses of research into Romanian orphans studies.
- Individual differences, some children not as strongly affected. It is not possible to conclude that institutionalisation inevitably leads to an inability to form attachment.
- Deprivation is only one factor - terrible physical health conditions and lack of cognitive stimulation also affected their development. Institutionalisation goes beyond emotional deprivation.
97
What is the role of the internal working model in the influence of early attachment?
Infants learns about relationship from experience - learns what relationships are and how partners behave towards each other.
98
What was Hazan and Shaver's key study about?
Testing the internal working model.
99
What was Hazan and Shavers procedure? (3 different things and how many responses?)
Made a love quiz and put it in the newspaper. Quiz asked about:
- current attachment experiences,
- about attachment history to identify current
- childhood attachment types and attitudes towards love.
-205 males responded and 415 females.
100
What was Hazan and Shavers findings? (3)
- Attachment styles similar to those found in infancy. 56% secure.
- Positive correlation between attachment type and love experiences - secure more trusting.
- Average length of relationship. Secure = 10 years Insecure = 5/6 years
101
What 4 behaviours were influenced by the internal working model?
- Childhood friendships
- Poor parenting
- Romantic relationships
- Mental health
102
What is childhood friendships about in the influence of early attachment?
Individuals classified as securely attached in infancy were highest rated for social competence later in childhood, less isolated and more popular.
103
What is poor parenting about in the influence of early attachment?
Harlow's research with monkeys demonstrated a link between poor attachment and later difficulties in parenting. Quinton showed this is the same with humans. Lack of internal working model means individuals lack a reference point to form relationships with own children.
104
What is romantic relationships about in the influence of early attachment?
Hazan and Shaver. Individuals who were securely attached had longer lasting romantic relationships.
105
What is mental health about in the influence of early attachment?
Lack of attachment during critical period - now classified as a psychiatric condition.
106
A strength of the influence of early attachment.
-Support from longitudinal studies, Bailey (2007) 99 women tested using Strange Situation to their mother and their baby. Found they all had the same attachment type.
107
2 weaknesses of the influence of early attachment.
- Research is only correlational: both attachment type + later love style could be to do with innate temperament. Tf no researchers can claim IWM determines later relationships as temperament is an intervening variable.
- Overly deterministic: studies have found many examples of non-attached children experiencing happy adult relationships.
