Unit 3/4 Test Flashcards
(106 cards)
What is Emotional Attachment
The strong, affectional tie we feel for special people in our lives that leads us to feel pleasure and joy when we interact with them and to be comforted by their nearness during times of stress. By the second year of life, infants have become attached to familiar people who have responded to their needs for physical care and stimulation.
what is Bonding
the process of developing a strong bond of attachment with another person, in this case, between a mother or other primary caregiver and the child.
what is Trust
the reliance a baby develops on the parent/caregiver to consistently respond to and meet his/her needs.
How do infants and caregivers become attached to one another?
The first 6-12 hours is a sensitive period for emotional bonding, suggesting mothers who have had some skin-to-skin contact with the infant during this time will develop the strongest possible affection for their babies
Studies (Klaus and Kennell, 1979) have found that amount of early contact a mother has with her infant is less important than the timing of the contact
Why do infants and caregivers become attached to one another
Hormones present at the time of delivery may help to focus the mother’s attention on her baby and make her more susceptible to forming an early attachment – called “hormone mediation” hypothesis
Studies also show that fathers that are present at the birth also shows strong attachments (hormone theory cannot explain this)
Later studies (Goldberg, 1983) have found that early contact effects are neither large or long lasting
Study showed that the early contact effects are not long lasting
Parents who had later contact with their baby also showed increasing affection and responsiveness to their child
Adoptive parents also develop close emotional ties
How infants promote attachments
Younger boys and girls react positively to babyish facial features
Adults react more favourably to attractive babies than unattractive babies
Lorenz (1943) suggested that a baby’s “kewpie doll” appearance (large forehead, chubby cheeks, soft rounded features) makes the infant appear cute or loveable to caregivers
what is ethology
Ethology is the theory that many human behaviours have evolved over the history of our species because they promote survival
Ethological theory of attachment
John Bowlby theorized that infant’s relationships with parents begin as a set of innate signals that call the adult to the baby’s side and, over time, a true, affectional bond develops
Most widely accepted view of infant attachment
what is the most widely accepted view of infant attachment
ethology
Four phases of theory - Phase 1
Pre-attachment Phase
birth to 6 weeks
Grasping, smiling, crying and gazing help bring newborn babies in contact with humans
Can recognize own mother’s smell and voice
Infant not yet attached to mother; doesn’t mind being left with an unfamiliar adult
Four phases of theory - Phase 2
Attachment-in-the-Making Phase
6 weeks to 6-8 months
Infant begins to respond differently to familiar caregivers than to a stranger
Learn that their own actions affect the behavior of those around them
Begin to develop a sense of trust
Do not protest when separated from a parent
Four phases of theory - Phase 3
Phase of “Clear Cut” Attachment
6-8 months to 18 months - 2 years
Babies show separation anxiety (distressed reaction to departure of caregiver)
Suggests that infants have a clear understanding that the caregiver continues to exist even when not in view
Older toddlers may act more deliberately to maintain parent’s presence – approach, follow or climb
Four phases of theory - Phase 4
Formation of a Reciprocal Relationship (18 months – 2 years and on)
Start to understand some the of factors that influence a parent’s coming and going to predict when they will return – separation protesting declines
Start to negotiate with the caregiver – using requests and persuasion
Sigmund Freud
Saw young infants as oral creatures who derive satisfaction from sucking and mouthing objects and should be attracted to any person who provides oral pleasure
Logical that mothers would become the baby’s primary object of security and affection especially if she was relaxed and generous in her feeding practices
Erik Erikson
Also believed a mother’s feeding practices will influence the strength or security of her infant’s attachments
Suggested that a mother’s overall responsiveness to her child’s needs are more important than feeding itself
Caregiver who consistently responds to an infant’s needs will foster a sense of trust in other people whereas unresponsive or inconsistent caregiving breeds mistrust
Untrusting child will become over-dependent – who will “lean on” others to ensure his/her needs are met
Learning Theory
Also thought infants would becomes attached to persons who feed them and gratify their needs, but for different reason than psychoanalysts
Feeding important for two reasons:
Elicits positive responses from a contented infant, increasing a caregiver’s affection for the baby
Mothers are often able to relax with their infants while feeding them and providing comforts – food, warmth, tender touches, etc.
Baby will eventually associate the mother with pleasant feelings and pleasurable sensations – mother becomes a source of reinforcement – baby will do whatever necessary (coo, babble, cry, follow) to attract the caregiver’s attention
Cognitive Development Theory
The ability to form attachments depends, in part, on the infant’s level of intellectual development
Infant must be able to discriminate familiar persons from strangers
Must also recognize that familiar companions have a “permanence” about them
7-9 months, attachments occur at same time infants show object concept (Piaget)
Harlow/Zimmerman (1959) - Study of social attachment in infant monkeys
Compared the importance of feeding and tactile stimulation for the development of social attachments in infant monkeys. Monkeys were separated from their mothers in the first day of life and reared for the next 165 days by two surrogate mothers. Each mother had a face and well proportioned body made of wire. One mother was wrapped in foam rubber, and cloth - the other was just wire but had feeding bottle. Would the infant become attached to the “mother” who fed them or the soft, cuddly terrycloth mother?
Harlow/Zimmerman (1959) - Findings
Infants clearly preferred the cloth mother, regardless of which mother fed them
Spent more time with the cloth mother, ran to the cloth mother when frightened
Concluded that feeding is not the most important determinant of an infant’s attachment to caregivers
Learning theorists argue that infants should be attracted to individuals who are quick to respond to their social signals and who provide them with a variety of pleasant or rewarding experiences
attachment and anxiety - “Strange Situation”
Measuring Attachment
Widely used technique for measuring quality of attachment between 1-2 years old is the Strange Situation developed by Mary Ainsworth
Identified a secure attachment pattern and patterns of insecurity (S.A.R.D)
Two common fears in infancy - Stranger anxiety:
Wary reaction to a stranger
Familiar people = smiling, babbling, positive greetings
Become fearful after 7 months (after attachment has developed)
Two common fears in infancy - Separation anxiety
A wary or fretful reaction when separated from persons to who they are attached
May cry, cling, follow when caregiver is leaving
Usually peaks around 14-20 months and then declines
Secure Attachment Patterns ([S].A.R.D)
Secure attachment
Use the parent as a secure base from which to explore
May or may not cry if separated but is because they show a strong preference for the adult over a stranger
Seek contact with parent when they return and crying reduced immediately
65% of American children
Secure Attachment Patterns (S.[A].R.D)
Avoidant attachment
Unresponsive to parent when present
Not distressed when parent leaves and react to stranger in same way as they do to the parent
Avoid or slow to greet parent when they return
Don’t cling when picked up
20% of American babies
