Attatchment Flashcards
What is attachment as a definition
A close two way attachment or emotional bond which is essential for a persons individual security
What are the three attachment behaviours
Proximity = where people try to stay physically close
Separation distress = distress when attachment figure leaves
Secure base= explores environment but can return to attachment figure for comfort
What is reciprocity
How two people interact with one another where babies have alert phases and signal they are ready for interaction whilst mothers typically pick up on responses to alertness.
What did brazleton eat al. Say about reciprocity
Described interaction as a dance because each partner responds to each others movements with a movement of their own
What is interactional synchrony
Mother and infant reflect both the actions and emotions of one another in a co-ordinated synchronised way.
What did meltzoff and Moore say about interactional synchrony
Adults displayed one three facial expressions and one hand gesture. The child’s response wads filmed- and an association was made between the infants behaviour and that of the adult model
What did Schaffer and Emerson of 1964 set out to study?
Aimed to investigate the formation of early attachment, in particular the age at which they developed emotional attachments and bonds
What was Schaffer and Emerson’s 1964 study’s procedure and sample size
60 babies from working class Glasgow families. This was a longitudinal study where the babies and mothers were studied every month for the first year and then again in 18 months.
They observed and interviewed mothers assessing their separation anxiety through leaving the baby outside a shop and letting it cry at night. Also assessing stranger anxiety with the researcher starting home visits by approaching the infant- seeing if they got distressed
What were the findings of Schaffer and Emerson’s 1964 study
at 25-32 weeks they showed separation anxiety from their caregiver mothers- with high levels of reciprocity.
By 40 weeks 80% of babies had a specific attachment with 30% showing multiple attachments to either grandparents or non immediate family members.
- shows the attachment of children as a common, universal predictable experience. Where its based on not who they spend the most time with but who’s the most alert to their child’s signals (start of reciprocity)
What are the 4 stages of attachments
- Indiscriminate attachments
- The beginning of attachments
- Discriminate attachments
- Multiple attachments
What is the indiscriminate attachment stages
When infants show similar reactions and responses to animate and inanimate objects.
Reciprocity and interactional synchrony play a big part in this aswell
What is the beginnings of attachments
When at age 4 months infants become more social beginning to distinguish between different faces and are easily comforted by anyone
What is discriminate attachment
Where by 7 months infants form an attachment to a primary caregiver. They protest highly when that person leaves them (separation anxiety) and quickly comforted by them.
Attachments formed to people most responsive and sensitive to child’s signals
What is the stage of multiple attachments
Schaffer and emerson found within 1 month 29% of infants had multiple secondary attachment- grandparents, aunties.
Within 6 moths= rises to 78%
What can we say about the ecological validity of Schaffer and Emerson’s study
It has high ecological validity- research was done in own homes+ most observation with own parents. Reflective of real life situations- no demand characteristics, behaviour is more natural.
However, lacks generalisability, 60 infants, middle class, same district of Glasgow. Non representative- child rearing practices differ from one culture/ social class- can’t generalise across cultures. Temporal validity? Changes since the 1960s in child rearing practices. Fathers as primary attachments.
What is a strength and counter argument of Schaffer and Emerson’s studies when looking at the study as a longitudinal piece of research
Same children follows up, better than cross sectional (comparing two different groups)- better internal validity —> same participants so no confounding variables within participants
However could have social desirability bias, data from mothers could lie —> to make themselves look better, desirable answers. Lacks some internal validity as its difficult to establish between truth and lies
What was lorenzs procedure
Lorenz took a clutch of goslings eggs leaving one half with the other and placing another in an incubator. They eventually hatched with the incubated eggs seeing Lorenz as a pose to the mother when they hatched. He then reunited both half’s where both himself and the mother were present.
What were the findings of lorenzs study
The gosling quickly divided themselves back to incubated and non incubated which lorenzs goslings following him as a pose to their biological mother. Displaying their innate readiness to imprint with a primary attachment figure. This is described as a critical period after birth where imprinting is long lasting and permanent. And if not happening in this period, it may never happen.
Furthermore, he found that imprinting had an impact on their sexual partners, modelling of of the person imprinted= sexual imprinting
What was Harlow procedure
Harlow took baby female rhesus monkeys and placed them in an enclosure with two artificial mother- one wire mother who provided milk and food, whilst the other was covered in cloth and had more realistic features but didn’t provide nutrients. 8 baby rhesus monkeys where studied for 165 days. They were also presented with a frightening stimulus robot and their reactions were recorded
What were the findings of Harlow experiment
All 8 spent more time with their cloth mothers, seemingly going to them for comfort whilst only leaving them temporarily for food and water.
When monkeys were frightened they returned back to their cloth mothers and stayed with them when playing.
Showed love and comfort over food
Further monitoring shows an abnormal social development, self harm, introverted behaviour, anti social characteristics which allows Harlow to agree with the critical period of 3 months for an attachment to form otherwise they wouldn’t recover
How did Guitan et als research counter lorenzs
-Challenged research
-Guitan et al found chicken that imprinted on yellow washing up gloves would try to mate with them as adults- but after time learnt to prefer mating with their own species.
- suggests impacts of imprinting behaviour isn’t as long lasting as suggested by Lorenz
How can we criticise Lorenz in his research with his part in his own research
-Researcher bias
-wanted to support theory- imprinting. Interpreted behaviour to fit that theoretical description? Lacks internal validity and credibility.
What can we use to criticise Harlow besides generalisability and ethicalness
Harlow use 2 diff. Monkeys with 2 diff. Heads which could be a confounding variable
Lack control= confounding variables
May be the reseason they preferred cloth more- more realistic features- lacks internal validity
What are strengths of Harlow research
Real life application- captive monkeys
Need for proper attachment figures in zoos and therefore can care more appropriately for monkeys
Better wellbeing and care
Increases ethicalness and adds to cost benefit analysis
What did Dillard and miller propose as their explanation for attachment
Explained through learning theories- ‘cupboard love’ as it emphasises the importance of a caregiver for food
Children love who feeds them
How can we describe operant conditioning in attachment
A baby crying is being reinforced by the process of positive reinforcement which is the caregiver response of feeding
Negative reinforcement= caregiver removes hunger (negative feeling) reinforced by feeding the infant
What does social learning theory suggest
That we learn through observation and imitation of others behaviours to influence our own.
