Attachment Key Studies

Question 1

Ainsworth (1972)

Answer 1

Devised the strange situation to investigate individual differences in types of attachment. Classified infants into one of three types - secure, insecure avoidant and insecure resistant

Question 2

Bowlby (1969)

Answer 2

developed the monotropic theory of attachment- including Internal working model, critical period, social releasers, attachment being adaptive

Question 3

Bowlby (1949)

Answer 3

maternal deprivation hypothesis
Developed maternal deprivation hypothesis after carrying out 44 juvenile thieves study - including key ideas such as: monotropy and affection less psychopathy

Question 4

Lorenz (1935)

Answer 4

demonstrated imprinting in young geese and suggested that this behaviour was an evolutionary adaptation conferring survival rates

Question 5

Meltzoff and Moore (1977)

Answer 5

investigated interactional synchrony in very young infants. Filmed child’s responses to one of three adult facial expressions

Question 6

Grossman (2002)

Answer 6

longitudinal study into role of the father suggesting that father was less important than mother as primary attachment figure but that fathers had an important role in play and simulation

Question 7

Schaffer and Emerson (1964)

Answer 7

investigated stages of attachment using longitudinal observation and interview identifying 4 specific stages. Also concluded that monotropy is not a key factor as most babies forms multiple attachment easily

Question 8

Brozleton et al 1975

Answer 8

observed interactional synchrony and then developed an experiment similar to the still face - showed the importance of social releasers because babies were initially very distressed but then often lay down motionless themselves when they received no response

Question 9

Harlow (1959)

Answer 9

Conclude that attachment in infant monkeys was primarily for contact comfort thereby contradicting behaviourist explanations. Also found that deprived monkeys generally became delinquent

Question 10

Rutter et al (1998, 2011)

Answer 10

Bucharest early intervention project
Romanian orphanage/ institutionalisation study which compared a group of orphans with a control group using the storage situation and found that only 19% of orphans were securely attached - most showed disorganised attachment

Question 11

Goldfarb (1947, 1955)

Answer 11

Deprivation
Study on orphaned children up to age 12. Found IQ of those fostered by four months of age much higher compared to those who remind in orphanage; concluded poor intellectual development could be linked to early maternal deprivation

Question 12

Main and Solomon (1986)

Answer 12

fourth attachment type
Follow up ti Ainsworth’s research whcih suggests an additional attachment type shown by a small minority of infants - disorganised attachment

Question 13

Koluchova (1976)

Answer 13

Czech twin ps study
Case study of twins recovered at age 7 after being kept in severely deprived and isolated conditions. Showed excellent recovery with good care afterwards - suggests critical period of more of a sensitive period

Question 14

Hazan and Shaver (1987)

Answer 14

IWM and later relationships
Used the love quiz to investigate continuity in attachment type and explanations for popularity and rejection from early social development