Attatchment

Question 1

Animal studies of attatchment

Ethology

Answer 1

The scientific study of animal behaviour

Question 2

Animal studies of attatchment

Innate

Answer 2

Characteristics that are inborn, a product of genetic factors. These traits can appear at birth or later in life

Question 3

Animal studies of attatchment

Imprinting

Answer 3

An innate readiness to develop a strong bond with a mother figure. Takes place during critical or sensitive period

Question 4

Animal studies of attatchment

Harlow’s study’s aim

Answer 4

He investigated contact comfort and whether attatchment is learned or innate

Question 5

Animal studies of attatchment

Harlow’s study’s procedure

Answer 5

1. Harlow raised 16 baby monkeys with 2 substitute mothers
2. Mother one: made of wire with food
3. Mother two: made of cloth with comfort
4. Monkeys were frightened with loud noises to test for mother preference during stress

Question 6

Animal studies of attatchment

Harlow’s study’s findings

Answer 6

Monkeys do not attatch to the mother who feeds it but instead to the mother who provides comfort. Contact comfort is associated with lower levels of stress and a willingness to explore

Question 7

Animal studies of attatchment

Harlow’s study’s conclusion

Answer 7

Attatchment concerns emotional security. Food is not enough to form an attatchment

Question 8

Animal studies of attatchment

What is a strength of Harlow’s study

Answer 8

Real world application:
Attatchment develops as a result of contact comfort
Material deprivation has long lasting, damaging effects e.g. aggression, less sociable
Also useful for zoo’s who take care of animals in captivity

Question 9

Animal studies of attatchment

What is one limitation for Harlow’s study

Answer 9

Unethical:
Extreme harm caused to monkeys. They are similar to humans so highly likely their suffering and experiences were human-like.

Question 10

Attatchment

Answer 10

A close two-way emotional bond between an infant and their caregiver that endures over time.

Question 11

The strange situation

5 signs of an attatchment being formed

Answer 11

Separation anxiety, stranger anxiety, proximity seeking, secure base, reunion behaviour

Question 12

Identify two examples of caregiver-infant interactions which are crucial for an attachment to be formed

Answer 12

Reciprocity and interactional synchrony

Question 13

Ainsworth

What 5 behaviours examined indicated an attatchment

Answer 13

1. Seperation anxiety
2. Proximity seeking
3. Secure base
4. Stranger anxiety
5. Reunion behaviour

Question 14

Bowlby’s monotropic theory

Monotropy

Define and state how it helps them survive

Answer 14

• The idea that the one and only relashionship an infant and their PAF is of special significance in healthy development
• Infants are taken care of by their PAF

Question 15

Bowlby’s monotropic theory

Social releasers

Define and state how it helps them survive

Answer 15

• Babies are born with a set of ‘cute’, innate behaviours like smiling and cooing. Intended to get attention by adults
• Both mother and baby are predisposed to attatchment in order to ensure survival

Question 16

Bowlby’s monotropic theory

Critical and sensitive period

Define and state how it helps them survive

Answer 16

• Up to 2 years. A biologically determined period of time for attatchment to occur. After this, development isn’t possible without huge effort
• Emphasises importance of early attachment for survival

Question 17

Bowlby’s monotropic theory

Internal working model

Define and state how it helps them survive

Answer 17

• Importance of the one special relashionship is that it helps to develop the template for future relashionships
• Shows improtance of early attatchement quality on later relashionships and survival of the species

Question 18

Bowlby’s monotropic theory

Safe base

Define and state how it helps them survive

Answer 18

• When infants have a place to explore from and then go to when they experience trouble and to get reassurance
• Helps attatchment as the mother/PAF can offer protection from threats

Question 19

Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis

What is his hypothesis?

Answer 19

Continuous care from a mother is essential for normal psychological development. Prolonged seperation from the mother causes damage to emotional and intellectual development.

Question 20

Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis

Seperation

Answer 20

Child not in prescence of it’s PAF

Question 21

Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis

Deprivation

Answer 21

Long term seperation or removal of attachment.

Question 22

Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis

Critical period

Answer 22

First 2 years of a child’s life. If deprived of care during this time, psychological damage was inevitable and may be irreversible.

Question 23

Strange situation

Who studied this?

Answer 23

Mary Ainsworth

Question 24

Strange situation

Procedure

Inclue sample and type of observation

Answer 24

A controlled observation of 12-18 month old infants to investigate separation anxiety, stranger anxiety and reunion behaviour. From this, their attachment “type” can be assessed.
100 middle class white American children & their mothers.
Observation consisted of a standardised procedure of 7 episodes - 3 minutes each through a 1- way mirror.

Question 25

# Strange situation Outline all the episodes and what happens in each

Answer 25

1. Caregiver (C) takes infant (I) into the laboratory room and they are left to explore 2. A stranger (S) enters and approaches I 3. C leaves quietly and S interacts with I 4. C returns and S leaves 5. C leaves so I is alone 6. S enters and interacts with I 7. C returns and greets the infant

Question 26

# Types of attachment Insecure avoidant

Answer 26

* Explore freely * Low proximity seeking * Low secure base * Little stranger anxiety and seperation anxiety * Do not need comfort on reunion

Question 27

# Types of attachment Secure attachment

Answer 27

* Explore freely * Moderate proximity seeking and secure base * Moderate seperation anxiety and stranger anxiety * Accept comfort on reunion

Question 28

# Types of attachment Insecure resistant

Answer 28

* Explore less because of greater proximity seeking * A lot of stranger and seperation anxiety * Resist comfort when reunited with their carer

Question 29

# Stages of attachment Aim

Answer 29

To investigate the formation of early attachments; in particular the age at which they developed, their emotional intensity and to whom they were directed.

Question 30

# Stages of attachment Procedure

Answer 30

60 babies (31m, 29 f) aged 0 to nearly 1 year, from working class families in Glasgow, Scotland. Families were visited in their homes every month, and mothers were asked about their infants behaviour e.g separation distress and stranger anxiety.

Question 31

# Stages of attachment Findings

Answer 31

Attachments tended to be formed with the caregiver who was most interactive and sensitive to infant signals (reciprocity). By the age of 40 weeks, 80% had a specific attachment, and 30% had multiple attachments.

Question 32

# Stages of attachment Stage 1 | Name, age and what happens

Answer 32

* Asocial * 0-8 weeks * Similar behaviours between humans and inanimate objects

Question 33

# Stages of attachment Stage 2 | Name, age and what happens

Answer 33

* Indiscriminate * 2-7 months * Babies show a preference for people rather than objects * No stranger or seperation anxiety

Question 34

# Stages of attachment Stage 3 | Name, age and what happens

Answer 34

* Specific * 7-12 months * Show stranger and seperation anxiety from a PAF (usually the mother)

Question 35

# Stages of attachment Stage 4 | Name, age and what happens

Answer 35

* Multiple * 12+ months * After specific attachment is formed, babies show attachment behaviours to other adults

Question 36

# Lorenz Aim

Answer 36

To test imprinting to see if animal infants bond with the first mocing subject they meet

Question 37

# Lorenz Procedure

Answer 37

1. Took a large clutch of goose eggs and divided them into 2 groups 2. One half were placed under a goose mother and Lorenz kept the other half in an incubator and made sure he was the first moving object they saw

Question 38

# Lorenz Findings

Answer 38

The 2 groups seperated to go to their respective 'mothers' when they were mixed up in a group

Question 39

# Lorenz Conclusion

Answer 39

Birds will innately imprint on the first moving object they see. This affected sexual imprinting later on in life

Question 40

Cultural variations

Answer 40

The differences in norms and values between people from various cultures

Question 41

# Cultural variations Procedure

Answer 41

Conducted a meta analysis of 32 studies in 8 countries where the SS was used to measure attachment types.

Question 42

# Cultural variations Findings

Answer 42

Individualist countries that support independence (e.g. germany) had high levels of insecure avoidant Secure attachment was most common in all 8 countries Insecure resistant is least common- 3% in Britain compared to 30% in Isreal

Question 43

# Cultural variations Korean study

Answer 43

Jin et al found more insecure-resistant than avoidant. This is similar to Japan and thought to be due to mothers rarely seperating from their infants