Socioemotional Development – Attachment, Emotions, and Social Relationships

Question 1

Based on the results of Harlow and Zimmerman’s (1959) attachment research with infant monkeys, they concluded that ________ is an important contributor to an infant’s attachment to his/her caregivers.

Answer 1

contact comfort

Question 2

Bowlby’s (1969) ethological theory distinguishes between four stages of attachment that occur during the first two years of life:

Answer 2

1) preattachment
2) attachment-in-the-making
3) clear-cut attachment
4) the formation of reciprocal relationships.

Question 3

According to Bowlby, an infant’s attachment relationships lead to the development of ________ that consist of beliefs about the self, others, and the self in relationship to others and that affect future relationships.

Answer 3

internal working models

Question 4

Signs of attachment first become apparent at about ________ of age and include the following:

Answer 4

• 6 months
• Social referencing: 6 to 8 months
• Separation anxiety: begins at about 6 to 8 months, is most intense from 14 to 18 months
• Stranger anxiety: 8 to 10 months and begins to decline at about age 2

Question 5

What are the 4 attachment patterns identified by Ainsworth and her colleagues?

Answer 5

1) secure attachment
2) insecure/resistant (ambivalent) attachment
3) insecure/avoidant attachment
4) disorganized/disoriented attachment

Question 6

A baby with secure attachment:

Answer 6

• explores the room when his/her mother is present
• may or may not cry when she leaves
• actively seeks contact with her when she returns
• prefers her to a stranger

Mothers are: sensitive and responsive.

Question 7

A baby with insecure/resistant (ambivalent) attachment:

Answer 7

• stays close to his/her mother initially
• is distressed when she leaves
• may be angry and resist her attempts at contact when she returns
• is fearful of a stranger even when his/her mother is present

Mothers are: inconsistent

Question 8

A baby with insecure/avoidant attachment:

Answer 8

• seems indifferent toward his/her mother
• exhibits little distress when she leaves
• avoids her when she returns
• reacts to his/her mother and to a stranger in a similar way

Mothers are: rejecting or intrusive and over-stimulating

Question 9

A baby with disorganized/disoriented attachment:

Answer 9

• is fearful of his/her mother
• often has a dazed or confused facial expression
• may or may not be distressed when his/her mother leaves
• exhibits disorganized, confused behavior when she returns and when with a stranger.

The majority of these babies have been maltreated by their caregivers.