Attachment key terms
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- Created by: gemshort
- Created on: 25-01-18 20:39
Attachment
An emotional relationship between two people in which each seeks closeness and feels more secure when in the presence of the attachment figure; can be characterised by staying close physically and separation anxiety
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Reciprocity
Mothers and babies interact and get a response from one another; from around 3 months, the interaction involves both the mother and baby paying close attention to verbal signals and facial expressions
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Interactional synchrony
Mother and infant reflect both the actions and emotions of the other and do this in a coordinated way; more synchronised actions are associated with better quality attachments (Isabella et al 1989)
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Stages of attachment
Developmental stages where the infant's behaviour towards others changes
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Primary attachment figure
First attachment figure; more about interaction and response than spending time with the baby
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Multiple attachments
Attachments to two or more people
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Separation anxiety
The behaviour of a child when an adult leaves the room (measure of attachment)
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Stranger anxiety
The response of a child to an unfamiliar person
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Asocial stage
First few weeks - starting to recognise and form bonds; baby's behaviour towards people and objects is similar; babies might show some preference to adults who calm them
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Stage 2: Indiscriminate attachment
From 7 months - babies start showing anxiety towards strangers; babies become anxious when separated from one particular adult (for 65% of babies, this is the biological mother)
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Stage 4: Multiple attachments
From around 8 months - baby starts to form multiple attachments (29% of children have secondary attachments within a month of forming primary attachments); at 1 year old, most infants have multiple attachments
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Animal studies
Research carried out on non-human animals, either for ethical or practical reasons (e.g. they breed faster and are quicker to study)
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Internal working model
We carry our understanding of attachment from childhood through to adulthood
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Social releasers and the critical period
Babies have a set of 'cute' behaviours, such as smiling, cooing and gripping, which are designed to make caregivers attach to them during a critical period
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Monotropy
Attachment to one person above all others is of central importance to development
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Evolution
Forming an attachment is innate; it gives us a survival advantage
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The law of continuity
The more constant and predictable the child's care, the better quality attachment they will develop
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The law of accumulated separation
The effects of separation from the mother add up and the safest 'dose', therefore, is zero
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Classical conditioning
Behaviour is learnt when we associate two stimuli together and then respond to them in the same way
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Neutral stimulus
A stimulus that does not automatically gain a response
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Unconditioned stimulus
A stimulus that automatically gains a response
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Unconditioned response
An automatic response; this response does not need to be learnt
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Conditioned stimulus
A stimulus that a person has learned to respond to
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Conditioned response
A learned response to a stimulus
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Positive reinforcement
When behaviour produces a pleasant response it is likely to be repeated
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Negative reinforcement
When behaviour produces an unpleasant response it is likely to stop
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Attachment as a secondary drive
Hunger is a primary drive that we seek to reduce naturally; because the caregiver provides food, attachment becomes a secondary drive that is learnt when the baby is fed
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Proximity seeking
An infant with a good attachment will stay fairly close to the caregiver
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Exploration and secure-base behaviour
Good attachment enables a child to feel confident to explore, using their caregiver as a secure base
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Response at reunion
The behaviour when the primary caregiver returns
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Insecure-avoidant characteristics
Explore freely; do not seek proximity or show secure-base behaviour; little reaction when caregiver leaves; little effort to make contact on reunion; little stranger anxiety; do not require comfort at reunion
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Insecure-resistant characteristics
Seek greater proximity; explore less; huge stranger and separation anxiety; resist comfort at reunion
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Secure attachment characteristics
Explore happily; return to caregiver regularly; moderate stranger and separation anxiety; require comfort at reunion
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Cultural variations
The different social practices of groups and the effects these have on development and behaviour
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Collectivist cultures
Stress the importance of the group who live and work together and are more dependent on one another
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Individualist cultures
Value independence and stress the importance of the individual
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Meta-analysis
A study that pools together many different research studies and analyses the findings together
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Maternal deprivation
The emotional and intellectual damage caused by prolonged separation from the mother/mother substitute during the critical period (up to two and a half years)
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Institutionalisation
A term for the effects of living in an institutional setting. The term institution refers to a place like a hospital or orphanage where children live for long, continuous periods of time, often with little emotional care provided
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Orphan studies
These concern children placed in care because their parents cannot look after them. An orphan is a child whose parents have either died or abandoned them permanently
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Mental retardation
An effect of institutionalisation; low IQ as the result of not forming an attachment
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Disinhibited attachment
An effect of institutionalisation; children are equally friendly and affectionate towards familiar and unfamiliar people. Rutter explained this as an adaptation to living with multiple caregivers during the sensitive period
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Other cards in this set
Card 2
Front
Reciprocity
Back
Mothers and babies interact and get a response from one another; from around 3 months, the interaction involves both the mother and baby paying close attention to verbal signals and facial expressions
Card 3
Front
Interactional synchrony
Back
Card 4
Front
Stages of attachment
Back
Card 5
Front
Primary attachment figure
Back
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