intro to attachment Flashcards
(22 cards)
What did Bowlby (1958) propose about attachment?
Attachment is an innate drive that uses behaviors like crying, clinging, and smiling to elicit caregiving responses.
What is Bowlby’s “goal-corrected system” (1969)?
A system where attachment behaviors are triggered by environmental cues to maintain proximity to the caregiver.
According to Bowlby, what is the primary function of attachment?
To keep the infant close to the caregiver for protection and care.
How did Bowlby relate attachment to cognitive development?
He stated attachment depends on the infant’s cognitive ability to understand when a caregiver is absent, based on Piaget’s concept of object permanence (develops around 8 months).
What are Bowlby’s four phases of attachment development?
Pre-attachment (0–2 months): No preference for familiar/unfamiliar people.
Attachment-in-the-making (2–7 months): Recognition of attachment figure.
Clear-cut attachment (after 7 months): Separation protest and stranger anxiety.
Goal-corrected partnership (around 2 years): Greater independence, caregiver needs acknowledged.
What are Bowlby’s four key characteristics of attachment?
Safe haven: Caregiver provides comfort during threat
Secure base: Child explores while feeling secure
Proximity maintenance: Desire to stay near caregiver
Separation distress: Anxiety when separated
What did Mary Ainsworth contribute to attachment theory?
Developed the Strange Situation procedure to assess attachment types in infants.
What does the Strange Situation involve?
Eight episodes including introductions, separations, reunions, and interactions with a stranger to observe infant behavior.
What behaviors are coded in the Strange Situation?
Proximity-seeking
Contact-maintenance
Resistance
Avoidance
What are the original three attachment types identified by Ainsworth?
Secure (Type B)
Insecure-avoidant (Type A)
Insecure-resistant (Type C)
What fourth attachment type was added later?
Disorganised (Type D) – disoriented behavior, no clear coping strategy (Main & Solomon, 1986, 1990)
What are the global prevalence rates of attachment types?
62% Secure
15% Insecure-avoidant
9% Insecure-resistant
15% Disorganised
What are internal working models in attachment theory?
Mental representations of self, caregivers, and relationships based on early experiences, used to guide future social interactions.
What did Van den Boom (1994) study?
An intervention to increase maternal sensitivity in 6-month-old infants.
What were the key results of Van den Boom’s study?
At 9 months: Improved maternal behavior and infant sociability
At 12 months: More secure attachments in the intervention group
How is attachment linked to anxiety?
Insecure-resistant and disorganised attachments are risk factors for later anxiety (Brumariu & Kerns, 2010).
What did Moss et al. (2006) find about disorganised attachment?
Children with disorganised attachment at age 5–7 had more anxiety symptoms two years later.
How do life events interact with attachment?
Dallaire & Weinraub (2007): Attachment at 15 months moderated effects of life stress on anxiety at age 4.5.
What predictors of child anxiety were identified in Hudson & Dodd’s study?
Temperament (inhibition)
Maternal overinvolvement
Maternal negativity
Maternal anxiety
Attachment style
What is the preschool version of the Strange Situation?
An 8-episode procedure including separations, reunions, and solo play used to assess attachment in older children (Cassidy & Marvin, 1992).
What attachment classifications are used in preschool assessments?
Secure (B), Insecure-Avoidant (A), Insecure-Resistant (C), Disorganised (D), Insecure-other
Is attachment stable over time?
Not always.
Belsky et al. (1996): Only 50% stability over 6 months
Booth-LaForce & Roisman (2014): Little stability at 15, 24, 36 months
Bar-Haim et al. (2000): No link between infancy behaviors and attachment at age 4
