Paper 1 - Attachment - Caregiver-infant interactions and stages of attachment

Question 1

Explain Interactional Synchrony in the context of attachment

Answer 1

Where a parent’s speech/behaviour and infant’s behaviour become finely synchronised so that they happen together (mirror each other)

Question 2

Explain reciprocity in the context of attachment.

Answer 2

When behaviour from parent or baby is ‘reciprocated’ eg responded to by the other/taking turns. e.g. mother smiles, baby smiles back. e.g. baby cries, mother cuddles. (Responding to each other)

Question 3

Outline a study into interactional synchrony

Answer 3

• Meltzoff and Moore - controlled observation
• Adult models, facial expressions that children imitated
• Association - adult and infant behaviour as young as days/weeks old.
• Shows these interactions are innate for attachment to form.

Question 4

Evaluate research into caregiver-infant interactions

Answer 4

:) Highly controlled, filmed, inter-observer reliability
:( Difficult to measure intentions of infant behaviour lack of internal validity
:( Does not tell us about the developmental importance
:( Socially senstitive - for mothers who return to work quickly, not there to interact with. Implications for the economy.

Question 5

What are the stages of attachment according to Schaffer and Emerson?

Bonus - with ages

Answer 5

1. Asocial (0-2 months)
2. Indiscriminate (2-7 months)
3. Discriminate (7-12 months)
4. Multiple (12 months +)

Question 6

During which stage of attachment do infants start to become more sociable?

Answer 6

Stage 2 - Indiscriminate (2-7 months)

Question 7

During which stage of attachment do infants produce similar responses to all objects?

Answer 7

Stage 1 - Asocial (0-2 months)

Question 8

Which stage of attachment do infants start to show stranger and separation anxiety?

Answer 8

Stage 3 - Discriminate (7-12 months)

Question 9

Which research led to the stages of attachment?

Answer 9

Schaffer and Emerson

Question 10

Outline the procedure of Schaffer and Emerson’s study

Answer 10

• 60 babies, working-class, Glasgow
• Observation and self-report (mothers on a scale)
• Measuring separation and stranger anxiety as an indicator of attachment

Question 11

Outline the findings of Schaffer and Emerson’s study

Answer 11

• 65% of babies primary attachment to mother
• 3% to father
• 27% multiple attachment
• 39% formed primary attachment to a person who didn’t feed them.
• Attachment develops in stages loosely linked to age

How can you use these findings to evaluate other topics in attachment?

Question 12

Evaluate research into the stages of attachment

Answer 12

:) High ecological validity - babies own homes
:( However, self-report, social desirability bias, low internal validity
:( Temporal validity since 1960s - role of the father
:( Unrepresentative sample - cultural differences not considered