Attatchment Flashcards

Question

A03 - economic implications

Answer 1

• Identify – The research has important economic implications. • Specific – Mothers feel pressured to stay at home because of research that says mothers are vital for healthy emotional development (Grossman). • Elaborate – In some families this may not be economically the best solution – for them or for society in general. • But? – Alternatively research may be of comfort to mothers who feel they have to make hard choices about not returning to work.

Answer 2

• Identify – Research fails to provide a clear answer about why fathers aren’t usually primary attachments. • Specific – The answer could be related to traditional gender roles, in which women are expected to be more caring and nurturing than men • Elaborate – Therefore, fathers simply don’t feel they should act in a nurturing way. • Justify – Or it could be that female hormones (e.g. oestrogen) create higher levels of nurturing and therefore women are biologically predisposed to be primary attachment figures.

Answer 3

Infants from 3 months coordinate their actions with caregivers, taking turns as if they are in a conversation, e.g. one person leans forward and ‘speaks’ then the other reacts. • Each partner responds to the other, and elicits a response in a sustained way. • This is known as reciprocity. • This could be an important precursor to attachment later” - Tronick

Answer 4

- Primary caregiver and infant mirror each others actions and emotions, at the same time time. Research: - meltzoff and Moore (1977) Showed this occurs from a few weeks old - Isabella et al (1989) High levels of synchrony at 3 months is associated with better quality attachment at 9 months.

Answer 5

An adult displayed 4 different stimuli (three facial expressions and a hand gesture) and observed the behaviour of an infants in response. The observation were recorded and an obese river watched video tapes of the infants behaviour (slowed down and frame by frame). The video was then judged by independent observers who have no knowledge of what the infant had seen. The they had to use behavioural categories to note all the instances of the actions. Each observer scored the tapes twice so that both intra observer and inter observer reliability could be calculated.

Answer 6

The degree to which a single observer is consistent in their findings over time.

Answer 7

The degree to which different observers agree.

Answer 8

They found there was a clear association between the infant behaviour and the adult model. All scores were greater than 0.92, higher than 0.80 is considered reliable.

Answer 9

- no demand characteristics, babies don’t know they are being observed so their behaviour does not change in response to being filmed. - controlled observations capture fine detail which allows researchers to be confident that their findings are accurate and therefore valid. - there is clear evidence to support the existence and value of reciprocity. - brazleton et al (1975) instructed primary attachment figures to ignore babies social releases. Babies were previously shown to be normally initially showed some distress, but eventually some curled up and lay motionless. - this demonstrates the significance of infant social behaviour eliciting caregiving from adults. - value to society - could be used to improve mother - infant interactions in at risk groups.

Answer 10

- research into mother infant interactions is socially sensitive, this is because it suggests that children may be disadvantaged by particular child rearing practices. - observations don’t tell us the purpose of interactional synchrony and reciprocity. - Feldman (2012) points out that interactional synchrony simply describes behaviour occurs at the same time. - it is hard to investigate infant behaviour - practical difficulties - can’t tell if behaviour has meaning - purpose of synchrony and reciprocity not fully considered.

Answer 11

When babies signal when they are ready for interaction, which mothers respond to about two thirds of the time.

Answer 12

He was interested in how young animals attach to their mothers, and how this gave them an increased chance of survival.

Answer 13

•Lorenz carried out an experiment with grey lag geese. •He set TWO experimental conditions. CONDITION 1: He was the first moving object seen by the goose chicks after they hatched. CONDITION 2: The mother goose was the first moving object seen by the chicks after they hatched.

Answer 14

When the geese became mature… they tried to mate with Konrad.

Answer 15

Important window of time, if they didn’t form a bond in first few hours they wouldn’t have formed a bond and the geese would have died.

Answer 16

Guiton et al.’s study showed that chickens who had imprinted on yellow rubber gloves showed courtship behaviour towards gloves at first (and tried to mate with them), but then learned to mate with other chickens. This suggests Lorenz overstated the effects of imprinting.

Answer 17

• Harlow wanted to test the learning theory of attachment, whether or not food was the main cause of attachments forming.

Answer 18

• In the original, he used 16 infant rhesus monkeys. • They had a choice of two wire surrogate (model). A wire one and a cloth covered one. In different variations milk was dispensed from one or other. • Recorded the time spent with each (their preference) was recorded (DV) • As a further measure of attachment, the monkeys’ were frightened with loud noises and machines to test mother preference (who they ran to) • He put them in unusual situations (e.g. large cage with random objects) with or without surrogate mothers and measured their response • He studied these monkeys into adulthood. Recording long term effects.

Answer 19

4 conditions, 4 monkeys in each. • Wire mother with milk and cloth mother no milk. • Wire mother no milk and cloth mother with milk • Wire mother producing milk • Cloth mother producing milk • Baby monkeys spent longer and cuddled soft mother in preference to wire mother every time. • When frightened baby monkey went to cloth covered mother, not wire mother. • Long term maternal deprivation led to negative effects, aggressive, problems mating • They have a critical period of 90 days. If have bond develop well, no bond leads to irreversible consequences • Conclusion: ‘Contact comfort’ – not food – is key for attachment

Answer 20

• Baby monkeys cuddled soft objects in preference to wire ones, regardless of which dispensed milk. The monkeys sought comfort from cloth wire mother when frightened. • Therefore, CONTACT COMFORT was more important than food to attachment. • Long term effect- Maternal deprivation led to severe consequences in adulthood– Aggressive, less sociable, issues mating. They also neglected their own offspring or even killed them. • Critical period of 90 days. After this time consequences became irreversible.

Answer 21

- ethical issues - suffering of infant monkeys (they’re human like), but balanced against benefit from academic conclusions. - generalising monkeys to humans - but we must generalise with caution as human communication may influence attachment. - low internal validity - faces of model mothers were different in early experiments. Not just IV affecting results.

Answer 22

- real life applications - showed importance of attachment, e.g. abuse has long term effects. We must meet all a child’s needs, not just physical. - generalising monkeys to humans - monkeys have the same brain structure as humans, only smaller with fewer connections (green, 1994)

Answer 23

Learning through association

Answer 24

Learning through punishment and reinforcement

Answer 25

• The main assumption behind the learning theory explanation of attachment is that children learn to become attached to their caregiver because they give them food. • This is sometimes referred to as ‘cupboard love’. • Learning can be due to associations being made between different stimuli (classical conditioning) or behaviour can be altered by patterns of reinforcement/reward (operant conditioning)

Answer 26

According to learning theory, the baby has to learn to form an attachment with his mother. In the process of operant conditioning, the mother rewards. The infant by feeding him, so the infant associates the mother with the reward, and repeats any action that brings her close. This happens because food brings a feeling of pleasure (= reward) to the baby. Food is a primary reinforcer: by removing discomfort, it reinforces the behaviour that led to its arrival. But food never comes without the mother bringing it, so the mother becomes the secondary reinforcer – even without bringing food, the presence of the caregiver reduces discomfort and brings a feeling of pleasure. The baby will therefore repeat any actions, e.g. crying, which brings the caregiver close.

Answer 27

According to learning theory, the baby has to learn to form an attachment with his mother because of food. Dollard and Miller call it cupboard love as food is stored in a cupboard. By the process of classical conditioning, the baby forms an association between the mother (a neutral stimulus) and the feeling of pleasure that comes from being fed (an innate, unconditioned response). At first, the baby simply feels comforted by food. However each time he is fed, the Mother is there too. He quickly associates the mother with the pleasure of being fed. Before long, the mother stimulates a feeling of pleasure on her own, even without food. This means the baby feels happier when the mother is near. It is the beginning of attachment.

Answer 28

Some elements of conditioning could still be involved. The problem with learning theory as an explanation for attachment is mostly the idea that feeding provides the unconditioned stimulus, reinforcement or primary drive. However, we know conditioning is involved in human learning. Therefore, it is possible learning is involved just not for food. For example, Ainsworth says other things could be reinforces, such as responsiveness, attentiveness and comfort could build attachment.

Answer 29

Learning theory ignores other factors associated with forming attachments: Oversimplification Research into early infant—caregiver interaction suggests that the quality of attachment is associated with factors like developing reciprocity and good levels of interactional synchrony (e.g. Isabella et al. 1989). It is very hard to reconcile these findings with the idea of cupboard love. If attachment developed purely or primarily as a result of feeding, there would be no purpose for these complex interactions and we would not expect to find relationships between them and the quality of infant—caregiver attachment. A newer learning theory explanation Dale Hay and Jo Vespo (1988) have proposed a newer explanation for infant—caregiver attachment based on social learning theory. Social learning theory is based on the idea that social behaviour is acquired largely as a result of modelling and imitation of behaviour. Hay and Vespo suggest that parents teach children to love them by modelling attachment behaviour, e.g. by hugging them and other family members, and instructing and rewarding them with approval when they display attachment behaviour of their own; 'that's a lovely smile/hug', etc.

Answer 30

where organisms that are better adapted to an environment will survive and reproduce.

Answer 31

a type of selection that occurs when individuals choose mates based on certain traits, such as size, color, or song.

Answer 32

It is the change of characteristics, happens over several generations

Answer 33

•Animals with traits that help them survive (natural selection) and reproduce (sexual selection) are more likely to live longer and have offspring. • Offspring inherit the helpful traits from their parents, and over many generations, the species changes, becoming better suited to its environment. •These traits are therefore said to be adaptive.

Answer 34

Bowlby put forward an important theory of attachment, based on the work of the ethologists. He saw humans as being just like other animals – we have an INNATE tendency to form attachments with a caregiver. This tendency gives us an ADAPTIVE ADVANTAGE, i.e., makes it more likely that we will survive. He adopted the idea of a CRITICAL PERIOD from ethologists like Lorenz and Harlow, and applied this to his explanation of how human infants form their attachments.

Answer 35

We are born with the need to form attachments

Answer 36

Adaptive – Gives an ‘adaptive advantage’, making us more likely to survive because if an infant has an attachment To a caregiver, they are kept safe, given food, and kept warm.

Answer 37

I ASC MIC INNATE ADAPTIVE SOCIAL RELEASERS CRITICAL PERIOD MONOTROPHY INTERNAL WORKING MODEL CONTINUITY HYPOTHESIS

Answer 38

Babies have social releasers which unlock the innate tendency of adults to care for them These social releasers are both: 1. Physical: the typical baby face features an body proportions 2. Behavioural - e.g. crying, cooing

Answer 39

There is a specific age period which an attachment can be formed. Once this period passes, the opportunity to form an attachment is lost Birth - 2 1/2 years old (-30 months) First 5 years are important Infants need continual care within this critical period to develop healthy bonds. Separation leads to emotional and intellectual problems later in life

Answer 40

Bowlby believed that a single attachment was important for the well-being of the child. Infants form one very special, intense attachment (usually with mother) called monotropy. Father’s role is just economic (work/job)

Answer 41

• Bowlby suggested that the mono-tropic attachment allows the infant to create an internal working model (mental framework) of the monotropic bond and what relationships should be like. • The infant gets a sense of their role in the relationship and expectations of themselves and others, i.e. they develop ideas/schema about their relationship with PCG.

Answer 42

IWM will be applied in future, giving a template for relationships influencing them well into adulthood. Influence their relationships with peers, romantic partners and even their own parenting styles (continuity) e.g. parenting positive internal working model - will become a consistent sensitive caregiver negative internal working model - will become inconsistent or neglectful caregiver

Answer 43

- support from animal studies - critical period seen in animals. Lorenz geese, 12 hours. Harlow’s monkeys, 90 days. Separation of monkeys in critical period from mother caused harm. - support for social releasers - Brazelton et al (1975) showed importance of social releasers. Distress when SR’s ignores. - support for IWM - Hazan and shavers ‘love quiz’. Correlation between early bond and later relationship expectations. - support for monotrophy - Schaffer and Emerson - that Babies will form a bond with one person due to sensitive responsiveness.

Answer 44

- IWM impacts on parenting - bailey et al (2007) assessed 99 mothers. Poor attachment in their childhood correlated with poor attachment in their children - Schaffer and Emerson (1964) - gender unimportant responsiveness mattered. Multiple attachments. Bowlby overestimated importance of one bond - Grossman - father has an important role (play) in development, not just economic - monotropy is socially sensitive - implication for others lifestyle choices more than fathers. Law of accumulated separation (separation from mother has negative consequences)

Answer 45

- developed by ainsworth student of bowlby - aim: To investigate the quality of attachment between a caregiver and child. - original study participants: 106 middle class American infants and mothers - method: Structured and controlled observation -> the planned watching and recording of behaviours as they occur within a controlled environment -> used particularly with infants and young children - observation of children aged 12 to 18 months responding to a situation in which they were briefly left alone and then reunited with their mothers. - based on these observations, Ainsworth concluded that there were three major styles of attachment. - the style provides the internal working model for future relationships. - measured quality of attachment in terms of: Exploration/ secure base behaviour Separation distress Stranger anxiety Reunion behaviour - results: Ainsworth found similarities between the way children react in the strange situation. She categorised these reactions into secure and insecure attachments. She found two types of insecure attachment

Answer 46

Type A - insecure avoidant Type B - secure attachment Type C - insecure resistant

Answer 47

 15% of children fall into this category  Baby largely ignores mother due to indifference.  No or little sign of distress when the mother is absent, and actively ignores her on her return  Distress is caused by being alone, and the infant can be comforted by the stranger as easily as the mother.  The mother and the stranger are treated in much the same way. - Doesn’t use mother as secure base, explores freely - little/ low stranger anxiety An internal working model of themselves as unacceptable and unworthy

Answer 48

 70% of children were found to be securely attached  The baby will play happily while the mother is present, whether the stranger is present or not. Mother largely ignored as she can be trusted to be there if needed  Clearly distressed when the mother leaves, and seeks immediate contact with her on her return, calming down quickly.  Distress is caused by the mother’s absence, not by being alone. The stranger and the mother are treated very differently. - moderate stranger anxiety Positive internal working model

Answer 49

 15% of children are Type C.  Baby is fussy and wary while the mother is present. Cries more than usual.  Has difficulty in using mother as a safe base  Very distressed when mother leaves and seeks contact with her on her return. However also shows anger and resists contact.  The baby is ambivalent towards the mother, and resists the stranger’s efforts to make contact.

Answer 50

The strange situation classification has been found to have good reliability. Reliability of the 'Strange Situation' was demonstrated by Main, Kaplan and Cassidy (1985). They tested babies at 18 months and then retested them at 6 years of age. They found that 100% of the secure babies were still classified as secure and 75% of the avoidant babies were still under the same classification. This is called test-retest reliability and checks for consistency over time. Ainsworth tested inter-rater reliability (the extent to which different observers score a behaviour in a similar way). This was also found to be .94 (almost perfect) suggesting high agreement between different observers in terms of exploratory behaviour, reunion behaviour etc. This means we can accept the research as a reliable method for examining attachment

Answer 51

Mary Ainsworth's conclusion that the strange situation can be used to identify the child's type of attachment has been criticised on the grounds that it identifies only the type of attachment to the mother. The child may have a different type of attachment to the father or grandmother. This means that is lacks validity, as it is not measuring a general attachment style, but instead an attachment style specific to the mother. In addition, some research has shown that the same child may show different attachment behaviours on different occasions. Children's attachments may change, perhaps because of changes in the child's circumstances, so a securely attached child may appear insecurely attached if the mother becomes ill or the family circumstances change. The strange situation has also been criticised on ethical grounds. Because the child is put under deliberate stress (separation and stranger anxiety), the study arguably has broken the ethical guideline protection of participants. In addition, the mother could also suffer distress if her child is judged to be insecurely attached, as attachment theory suggests that this is a result of early parenting. The sample is biased -100 middle class American families. Therefore, it is difficult to generalise the findings outside of America and to working class families as child rearing practices may differ. Babies don’t understand or care they are being observed this should improve validity however, the procedure takes place in an artificial controlled setting. This may mean that mothers acts differently reducing ecological validity Blames the parent - could be temperament hypothesis.  It is not the parenting style that determines attachment type but the temperament (personality) of the infant derived from their genetics.  Some infants form secure attachments because they are born with a tendency to be more friendly.