introduction to attachment

Question 1

Attachment

Answer 1

Attachment is defined as a close two-way emotional bond between two individuals in which each individual sees the other as essential for their own emotional security.

Question 2

Attachment in humans takes a few months to develop. We can recognise an attachment when people display the following behaviours:

Answer 2

· Proximity – people try to stay physically close to those whom which they are attached
· Separation distress – people are distressed when an attachment figure leaves their presence·
. Secure-base behaviour – even when we are independent of our attachment figures we tend to make regular contact with them. Infants display secure-based behaviour when they regularly return to their attachment figure while playing

Question 3

Caregiver-Infant Interactions

Answer 3

Attachment begins with the interactions between infants and their caregivers. It is the responsiveness of the caregiver to the infant’s signals that has profound effects on the attachment that they form. These interactions are also thought to have important functions for the child’s social development.The specification requires that you know two types of caregiver-infant interaction – reciprocity and international synchrony.

Question 4

What did Brazleton et al (1975) liken caregiver-infant interaction to?

Answer 4

a dance where the mother and baby copy each others moves

Question 5

Definition and Importance of Reciprocity

Answer 5

Reciprocity is the process of matching behaviors during interactions such as smiling back when someone smiles.

Question 6

It is a fundamental aspect of social interactions that begins in early infancy

Answer 6

highlighting the innate human tendency to connect with others.

Question 7

According to Feldman (2007)

Answer 7

reciprocity can be observed in infants as young as 3 months

Question 8

Research Supporting Reciprocity

Answer 8

Meltzoff & Moore (1997) conducted a study showing that infants aged 12-27 days attempt to imitate facial and physical gestures

Question 9

Meltzoff & Moore (1997) conducted a study showing that infants aged 12-27 days attempt to imitate facial and physical gestures

Answer 9

demonstrating early reciprocity.

Question 10

This imitation is crucial for social bonding and communication

Answer 10

laying the groundwork for future interactions.

Question 11

Implications of Reciprocity in Development

Answer 11

Early reciprocal interactions are linked to the development of social skills and emotional regulation in children.

Question 12

Positive reciprocal interactions can foster secure attachment

Answer 12

which is essential for healthy emotional development.

Question 13

Interactional Synchrony

Answer 13

Interactional synchrony refers to the finely tuned coordination between a parent’s speech and an infant’s behavior allowing for responsive interactions.

Question 14

Feldman (2007) defines it as the ‘temporal coordination of micro-level social behavior’

Answer 14

emphasizing its significance in early development.

Question 15

Research Findings on Interactional Synchrony

Answer 15

Brazelton et al. (1975) identified three phases of mother-baby interactional synchrony through video analysis: Attention and build-up recovery

Question 16

These phases were observed repeatedly

Answer 16

indicating organized behavior in early interactions

Question 17

Impact of Interactional Synchrony on Attachment

Answer 17

Isabella and Belsky (1991) hypothesized that secure attachment relationships would exhibit more synchronous behavior compared to insecure ones.

Question 18

Observations at 3 and 9 months showed that securely attached infants interacted in a well-timed

Answer 18

reciprocal manner