TOPIC: ATTACHMENT Flashcards
(14 cards)
CARE-GIVER/ INFANT INTERACTIONS
What is attachment?
close two-way emotional bond
between 2 individuals -> see other as essential for their own emotional security
attachment endures over time
CARE-GIVER/ INFANT INTERACTIONS
What/who is a ‘caregiver’?
the person providing care for a child
the primary caregiver is the person who provides the most care for the child
the primary attachment figure is the person the child is most attached to
CARE-GIVER/ INFANT INTERACTIONS
What are the three attachment behaviours?
proximity seeking
seperation anxiety
secure base behaviour
CARE-GIVER/ INFANT INTERACTIONS
What is proximity seeking?
infants try to stay physically close to those they are attached to
CARE-GIVER/ INFANT INTERACTIONS
What is seperation anxiety?
infants are distressed when an attachment figure leaves
CARE-GIVER/ INFANT INTERACTIONS
What is a secure base behaviour?
infants will explore the environement but return to attachment figure for comfort
CARE-GIVER/ INFANT INTERACTIONS
What is reciprocity?
means two way
reciprocity refers to the caregiver-infant interactions being a two-way/ mutal process
each person responds to the other’s signals to sustain interactions ( turn-taking )
the behaviour of each person elicits a response from the other
babies may show reciprocal behaviour by smiling, laughing, cooking etc. when spoken to by a parent
CARE-GIVER/ INFANT INTERACTIONS
What is caregiver-infant interactions?
the interactions betweeen caregivers and infants help to develop and maintain the attachment
interactions include:
reciprocity
- interactional synchrony
long before infants can talk, they actively seek to engage their caregivers in meaningful interactions
even new born babies give off signals that they are alert and ready for interaction, and they get older these signals become more frequent
how the caregiver responds to these signals will affect quality ans strength of the attachment the two of them go on to develop
CARE-GIVER/ INFANT INTERACTIONS
What did Brazelton et al ( 1975 ) discover/study?
decribed reciprocity as a ‘dance’ becuase each partner responds to the other’s moves
it shows that infants ( as was previously thought) are not in a passive role
they are actively intiate these meaningful interactions with their caregivers
CARE-GIVER/ INFANT INTERACTIONS
Researcher MELTZOFF & MOORE ( 1977 ) study - research into interactional synchrony
AIM:
to measure interactional synchrony in infants
METHOD:
controlled observation
adults displayed one of three facial expressions or hand gestures
the child’s response was filmed
RESULTS:
there was a clear association between the infant’s behaviour and that of the adult
later research found the same findings in 3 day infants
CONCLUSION:
suggests that interactional synchrony is innate
EVALUATION:
the research by Meltzoff and Moore uses observations to examine caregiver-infant interactions
PROBLES THE MAY FACE WHEN CONCLUDING RESEARCH OF THIS KIND
babies cannot communicate so inferences ( guesses, must be made about their behaviour )
this means that the data collected is very subjective and based on opinions
babies are often asleep or being fed
it is hard to tell if the babies are intentionally imitating the behaviour or not
CARE-GIVER/ INFANT INTERACTIONS
What is interactional synchrony?
- this is where the mother and the infant mirror each other’s movements and emotions. They respond in time to sustain interaction
- mother and infant reflect both the actions and emotions of the other AND so this is a co-ordinated ( synchronised ) way
often at the same time
e.g. oking out tongue, opening mouth
CARE-GIVER/ INFANT INTERACTIONS
EVALUATION - Meltzoff & Moore
EVALUATION:
the research by Meltzoff and Moore uses observations to examine caregiver-infant interactions
PROBLES THE MAY FACE WHEN CONCLUDING RESEARCH OF THIS KIND
babies cannot communicate so inferences ( guesses, must be made about their behaviour )
this means that the data collected is very subjective and based on opinions
babies are often asleep or being fed
it is hard to tell if the babies are intentionally imitating the behaviour or not
- Issues in interpreting studies include problems distinguishing imitation from general activity in infants, failure to replicate findings, and individual differences in attachment security affecting synchrony.
- Many studies involving the observation of interactions between mothers and infants have shown the same patterns of interaction. However, what is being observed is merely hand movements or changes in expression. It is extremely difficult to be certain, based on these observations, what is taking place from the infant’s perspective. Is, for example, the infant’s imitation of adult signals conscious and deliberate?
CARE-GIVER/ INFANT INTERACTIONS
RESEARCHER: SCHAFFER & EMERSON ( 1964 )
AIMS: To investigate the formation and development of early attachments, specifically focusing on the age at which they emerge, intensity of these attachments, and with whome they are fomed
SAMPLE: 60 babies from working-class families
METHOD:
they studies 60 babies from a working class area of Glasglow, observing them every four weeks for the first year and then again at 18 months
as well as observations, interviewers were conducted with the mothers, including questions about whom the infants smiled at, responded to and who caused them distress
RESULTS:
the first specific attachment was formed by 50% of infants between 25 and 32 weeks
intensity peaked in the first month following the onset of the first attachment
multiple attachments began soon after the dirst attachment had been formed
by 18 months, 31% had five or more attachments
