attachment: part one

Question 1

What is reciprocity?

Answer 1

Reciprocity - a form of interaction between infant and caregiver - infant and mother respond to each other’s signals and each elicits a response from the other

Question 2

What is interactional synchrony?

Answer 2

Interactional synchrony - (‘mirroring’) mother and infant reflect both actions and emotions of the other and do this is a coordinated (synchronised) way

Question 3

Who described reciprocity as ‘a dance’?

Answer 3

Brazelton described reciprocity as a ‘dance’

Question 4

When does international synchrony start in babies?

Answer 4

Meltzof and Moore observed beginnings of international synchrony as young as 2 weeks- an association found between expression, gestures, and actions between child and parent

Question 5

Higher synchrony leads to…

Why is this necessary?

Answer 5

higher synchrony leads to a higher attachment.

This is necessary for the foundations from the mother and infant connection

Question 6

Who led research on the importance of interactional synchrony for good parent-child attachments?

Answer 6

Isabella (et al)

Question 7

Isabella (et al) - research on the importance of interactional synchrony for good parent-child attachments?

Answer 7

Isabella (et al) research:

• Observed 30 mums and infants together and assessed the degree of synchrony and quality of the mother-child attachment
• Researchers found that high levels of synchrony were associated with better quality mother-infant attachment

Question 8

State one strength of the Caregiver-Infant Interaction theory:

Answer 8

Caregiver-Infant Interaction - Strength
- Supportive research for Interactional Synchrony: Isabella et al (1989) – high levels of synchrony associated with better quality attachment (laboratory experiment - good internal validity)
- Supportive research for Reciprocity:
Feldman & Eidelman (2007) – mothers response to infant alertness

Question 9

State two weaknesses of the Caregiver-Infant Interaction theory:

Answer 9

Caregiver-Infant Interaction - Weaknesses

• Socially-sensitive topic: may cause distress and socially sensitive implications as it suggests mums shouldn’t go back to work soon
• Credibility: difficult to truly know the reason for actions in babies – inferences made – how do we know that a child’s imitation of adult signals conscious or deliberate – can we be sure they have a special meaning

Question 10

Case study that proves the importance of attachments in child development

Answer 10

Feral child: Genie Case Study

Question 11

Research that relates to the role of the father:

Answer 11

Research:

• Schaffer and Emerson
• Grossman
• Field

Question 12

When do the majority of babies form an attachment to their mother?
When do they form secondary attachments to other family members?
Who discovered this?

Answer 12

• Most babies form an attachment to their mother at around 7 months
• Within few weeks/months secondary attachments are formed (inc father)
• Schaffer and Emerson found this is their studies

Question 13

What did Schaffer and Emerson discover about the role of the father? (3 stats)

Answer 13

Schaffer and Emerson

• 3% of cases dad was first object of attachment (usually mum first)
• 27% - mum and dad were joint first object of attachment
• 75% - attachment was formed with the father by the age of 18 months - indicated by way infants protested when their dads went away - sign of attachment

Question 14

What research did Grossman conduct? (Role of the father)

Answer 14

Grossman - carried out longitudinal study - looked at parents’ behaviour and its relationship to quality of children’s attachments in their teens

Question 15

What did Grossman discover from his research? (3)

Answer 15

• Quality of infants attachment with mothers was related to children’s attachments in adolescence
• Quality of father’s play with infants related to quality of attachments in adolescence
• Father’s have a role more to do with play and stimulation and less to do with nurturing

Question 16

What research did Field conduct? (Role of the father)

Answer 16

Field - filmed 4-month-old babies in face-to-face interaction with primary caregiver mothers, secondary caregiver fathers, and primary caregiver fathers

Question 17

What did Field discover from his research? (3)

Answer 17

• Primary caregivers (mums and dads) spent more time smiling, imitating, and holding than secondary caregivers
• Behaviour/responsiveness more important to building attachments then gender
• Fathers are able to be the more nurturing figure

Question 18

Weakness of the role of the father

Answer 18

weaknesses role of the father:

- Socially sensitive research - same-sex parents/extra anxiety on parents when considering economic problems

Question 19

2 strengths of the role of the father

Answer 19

strengths role of the father:

• paternity leave changes (introduced in 2003)
• (Grossman) longitudinal study - quality of data (possible attrition rates?)

Question 20

Define ‘multiple attachment’

Answer 20

Multiple attachment - having more than one attachment figure

Question 21

Define ‘primary attachment figure’

Answer 21

Primary attachment figure - person who has formed the closest bond with a child, demonstrated by intensity of the relationship

Question 22

Define ‘seperation anxiety’

Answer 22

Separation anxiety - distress shown by an infant when separated for his/her caregiver - not always child’s biological mother

Question 23

Define ‘stranger anxiety’

Answer 23

Stranger anxiety - distress shown by an infant when approached/picked up by an unfamiliar person

Question 24

Who defined the stages of attachment?

Answer 24

Stages of attachment - Schaffer

Question 25

What are the 4 stages of attachment? (defined by Schaffer)

Answer 25

Schaffer's stages of attachment: 1. Asocial stages 2. Indiscriminate attachment 3. Discriminative/Specific attachment 4. Multiple attachments

Question 26

Define the 'asocial stages' of attachment (5)

Answer 26

Asocial stages: - 1 stage - first few weeks - babies' behaviour towards objects + humans similar - preference towards familiar adults (calmed easily by them) - happier in presence of others

Question 27

Define the 'indiscriminate attachments' stage of attachment (6)

Answer 27

Indiscriminate attachments: - 2 stage - 2 - 7 months - babies display observable social behaviour - preference to people than objects - recognise + prefer similar adults - don't show stranger/separation anxiety - attachment indiscriminate - same towards all

Question 28

Define the 'discriminative/specific attachments' stage of attachment (4)

Answer 28

Discriminative/specific attachments: - 7 months - stranger/separation anxiety - baby forms specific attachment to one primary attachment figure - person who offers most interaction and responds to baby's 'signals' with most skill - 65% biological mother

Question 29

Define the 'multiple attachments' stage of attachment (3)

Answer 29

Multiple attachments: - around one year - secondary attachments with other adults - 29% had secondary attachments within a month of forming primary attachment (Schaffer + Emerson)

Question 30

Who did the key research into the stages of attachment?

Answer 30

Stages of attachment study - Schaffer and Emerson

Question 31

Stages of attachment study - Schaffer and Emerson: | Procedure (4 steps)

Answer 31

Procedure: 1. 60 babies from Glasgow 2. Babies and mothers were visited at home every month for 30 months 3. Separation anxiety measured by asking mothers about their childhood behaviour during everyday separations 4. Stranger anxiety measured by asking mothers about children's anxiety in response to unfamiliar adults

Question 32

Stages of attachment study - Schaffer and Emerson: Findings and Conclusions (3) (key: % of babies showing separation anxiety? age? who did attachments tended to be formed with?)

Answer 32

Findings and Conclusions: - 50% of babies showed sp. anxiety towards a particular adult around 30 weeks of age - specific primary attachment usually with mum - primary attachment often caregiver who was most interactive and sensitive to infants' signals (reciprocity) - not always person baby spent most time with

Question 33

State 2 strengths of the Schaffer and Emerson Stages of Attachment Study

Answer 33

- External validity - observations of separation anxiety made by parents - baby's behaviour unlikely to be affected by presence of observers - Longitudinal study - internal validity - no CV of differences between ppt (but does it lack generalisability?)

Question 34

State a weakness of the Schaffer and Emerson Stages of Attachment Study

Answer 34

Credibility - studying only asocial year - can accurate observations be made about babies' behavior when they are quite immobile + have poor coordination?

Question 35

State 2 strengths of the Schaffer and Emerson Stages of Attachment (Theory)

Answer 35

- Evaluation points of Schaffer and Emerson's study - external validity and longitudinal study

Question 36

State a weakness of the Schaffer and Emerson Stages of Attachment (Theory)

Answer 36

- Generalisability - cultural differences - collectivist cultures because families work jointly together in everything - so multiple attachments from the start are the norm

Question 37

Studies of attachment often focus on naturalistic observations. Suggest one way the studies could be improved by using controlled conditions

Answer 37

- standardised procedures - more reliable | - controlled variables minimise EV

Question 38

Explain the economic implication of research into the role of the father

Answer 38

- gender pay gap may be reduced - if parental roles regarded as more equal - changing laws on paternity leave - government-funded so impacts the economy + employers