Attachment

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why do we have attachments?
evolutionary drive - biologically based system - principle function not to love but to modulate stress in the infant - to help infant learn stress regulations
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what does an attachment type reflect?
nature of relationship with primary caregiver and internal state of infant that they have about relationships reflected in their behaviour in certain situations
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who originally proposed attachment?
bowlby - need to be looked after in early stages of life because vulnerable and need protection and relationships best way to get this
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what are the benefits?
psychological benefits - secure attachment is perfect psychological context to grow up in - emotional, psychological and cog growth
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why has the infant attachment system evolved? (from infants point of view)
to regulate 2 needs: fear system (functional from birth - scans world for danger all the time) and stress system (that acts on this fear) - its evolved to protect the stress system from being overworked
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how is the extent to which the infants system is aroused?
modulated by how close caregiver is - learns effective behaviours to get comfort to modulate stress
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how is the infants stress system deactivated?
by responses of caregiver that change with age
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how is the caregiver system different?
the infant doesnt need to activate the caregiver system as much due to a basic drive to protect children
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what is sensitive parenting?
getting the balance right - between not wanting to be too controlling but also protect the child
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what are the characteristics of a secure attachment in strange situation test?
infant doesnt seek comfort from stranger (represents fear) as learn to associate mother with comfort - infants stressed when caregiver leaves, dont engage with stranger, and quickly soothed when caregiver returns
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what are the characteristics of insecure resistant in strange situation test?
parent leaves room, child isnt bothered and interacts with stranger, cries when on own - easily comforted by stranger but not when caregiver returns - shows signs of oth distress and wanting to be comforted due to inconsistent relationship
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what are characteristics of insecure-avoidant in strange situation test?
infant left alone continues playing - interacts with stranger - wont interact with caregiver when re-enters - very little emotion - avoiding experience of distress perhaps because knows there isnt a good response to the emotion
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what are internal working models?
model of relationships and what to expect/behave - make world predictable - largely unconscious representational mental schemas (info processing approach)
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when are internal working models mainly activated?
under threat - needs to know how to respond to fear and where solution will be - draw upon model of relationships and what has/hasnt worked - general bias towards stability (importance of early years)
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how is a coherent internal model formed through development?
different models with different parent form a coherent model in adolescence
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how are children used to measure attachment?
Q sorts and projective tests - look at lang children use in relationships -e.g. children finish stories and read into what they say
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how is attachment measured in adolescents?
interviews
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how are attachments measured in adults?
interview - ask ppl to recall 4 sig people in life and describe them and difficult times in life (look at discourse they use and see distinguishable patterns)
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what are the 3 classifications of relationships in adults?
preoccupied adult, dismissing adult, and unresolved/fearful/unclassified adult - these are all organised ways of sorting out relationships
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whats a limitation of adult research?
the interviews are expensive and need training to do it
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what is a preoccupied adult?
constantly trying to figure out relationships
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what is a dismissing adult?
dismissive of emotion and importance of relationships
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what is unresolved/fearful/unclassified adult?
havent found a way to make sense of relationships at all
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what is the stress response?
immediate experience vs. chronic stress - release of glucocorticoids which are important in understanding stress children are under
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what are the effects of prolonged stress?
controversy to whether HPA axis is blunted or activated in prolonged stress but it matters - HPA reactivity is a key mechanism explaining adversity in life and poor mental/physical outcomes
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what people are more likely to have poor mental health in prolonged stress?
those in poverty, conflict, bereavement, abuse etc (unpredictable environment) - more cases of depression and anxiety
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what are the 2 key hormones involved in stress?
cortisol and oxytocin
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what are the effects of cortisol?
there is an association between child attachment classification and cortisol regulation as infants and adults
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what did Laurent et al (2016) longitudinal study of cortisol show?
infants who had less sensitive mothers showed elevated cortisol levels - more sensitive mothers = better stress regulation - evidence that HPA hyperactivation is consistent with prolonged stress
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what are the effects of oxytocin?
oxytocin = hormone of closeness
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what are the outcomes/characteristics for secure attachment (B)?
healthy behaviours - exploration, regulate stress, seek comfort, greater openness to emotions, adaptable to changing environment, predicts ToM (understand others intentions), healthier stable peer relations, good problem solving skills
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what are the outcomes/characteristics for anxious-avoidant (A)?
ignore/reject signals and avoid emotions, act out to manage strong emotions, no expectations of others, minimise/dismiss own feelings, think others are perfect, predisposes to more depressive difficulties, and struggle forming friendships
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what are the outcomes/characteristics for anxious-resistant (C)?
infant cant tell whats going to happen, exaggerated distress to get attention, demanding, see self in neg ways and cant cope with distress, reduced exploration in unfamiliar settings, passive/aggressive behaviour, preoccupied with emotions
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what are the outcomes/characteristics for disorganised attachment?
unresolved/abusive parent, in care (66% in care) with 15% of these from middle income, difficult to read expression, odd body movements, exaggerated expressions, risk of later/current psychopathology (mental health and substance abuse)
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what is reactive attachment disorder?
show disturbed/inappropriate social relatedness due to abuse etc - only explained by cognitive delay - failure to form social relationships - caregiver both source of fear/comfort (chaotic template) - disinhibited children will go up to anybody
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what did the Romanian institution study show?
association between duration of deprivation and severity of attachment disorder behaviours - children with relationships with some staff had protection
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what is the extreme early effects model?
lawful discontinuity - early attachment predicts later development regardless of any change to environment - any early experiences have direct constant effect on development
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gender differences in early effects model?
girls arent as vulnerable as boys - not a straight causal relationship
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effects of environmental continuity?
if we reduce the conflict in the environment and have high levels of attachment can change the outcome
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what is the dynamic interactive model?
interaction between attachment representations and response to changing environment to explain (dis) continuity of effects
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what is the mediating experiences model?
any continuity/discontinuity is about instability of environment - the mediator explains why there is a relationship - (e.g. exposure to stress)
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what is lawful discontinuity?
the need to search for situations where childrens functions will or will not predict later outcomes
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Card 2

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what does an attachment type reflect?

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nature of relationship with primary caregiver and internal state of infant that they have about relationships reflected in their behaviour in certain situations

Card 3

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who originally proposed attachment?

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Card 4

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what are the benefits?

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Card 5

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why has the infant attachment system evolved? (from infants point of view)

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