Attachment

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  • Created by: D.P.Giles
  • Created on: 09-07-19 14:58
What is attachment?
An emotional bond between two people. It is a two-way process that endures over time it leads to certain behaviours such as clinging and proximity seeking, and serves the function of protecting an infant.
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What is a caregiver?
Any person who is providing care for a child, such as a parent, grandparent, sibling, other family member, childminder and so on.
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What is interactional synchrony?
When two people interact they tend to mirror what the other is doing in terms of their facial and body movements. This includes imitating emotions as well as behaviours.
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What is reciprocity?
Responding to an action of another with a similar action, where the actions of one partner elicit a response from the other partner. The responses are not necessarily similar as in interactional synchrony.
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Outline research into interactional synchrony.
Meltzoff and Moore (1977) - an adult model displayed one of three facial expressions or hand movements. A dummy was placed in a child's mouth during this period. There was an association between the child and the model's behaviour after the dummy was remo
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What did Piaget believe about imitation?
True imitation only developed towards the end of the first year. Anything before this was a kind of response-training, what the infant is doing is repeating a behaviour that was rewarded.
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What research discredits Piaget's theory?
Murray et al. (1985) - When a mother didn't react to their infant's facial or bodily gestures the child became distressed and tried to elicit a response. This shows that a mother tries to actively elicit a response rather than displaying one that's being
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Name a strength of research into reciprocity and interactional synchrony.
Additional research support - infants don't just imitate anything they see i.e. inanimate objects, only other people.
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Name a weakness of research into reciprocity and interactional synchrony.
Low reliability - Studies have been difficult to replicate.

Low internal validity - It's difficult to determine whether the infant is replicating the observed behaviour or not.
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What is meant by multiple attachments?
Having more than one attachment figure.
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What is a primary attachment figure?
The person who has formed the closest bond with a child demonstrated by the intensity of the relationship.
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What is separation anxiety?
The distress shown by an infant when separated from their caregiver.
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What is stranger anxiety?
The distress shown by an infant when approached or picked up by someone that is unfamiliar.
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What are the stages of attachment?
Indiscriminate attachments
The beginnings of attachment
Discriminate attachment
Multiple attachments
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Outline the indiscriminate attachments stage of attachment?
Infants produce a similar response to all objects, animate or otherwise. Towards the end of this period infants show a greater preference for social stimuli. During this time reciprocity and an infant establishes their reaction with others.
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Outline the beginning of attachment stage of attachment?
At the age of four months infants become more social and prefer human company. They can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar people but are comforted by any one. General sociability is the most distinctive feature of this stage.
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Outline the discriminate attachment stage of attachment?
Infants have a specific bond with one individual, their primary attachment figure, this is the person they form the closest bond with. Separation anxiety and positive reunion behaviours are displayed at this stage.
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Outline the multiple attachments stage of attachment?
Infants also develop a wider circle of multiple attachments depending on how many consistent relationships they have. These are called secondary attachment figures and elicit the same separation anxiety.
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Name a weakness of research into the development of attachment.
Lacks internal validity - The self report techniques used may lead to social desirability bias

Lacks external validity - The fact the study took place in 1960, on a small sample and on Scottish working class families limits it's generalisability.
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What is the role of the father in attachment.
Whilst they are more likely to become secondary attachment figures fathers can be primary attachment figures. That said they are more likely to take on the role of an exciting playmate for their child.
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What is imprinting?
An innate readiness to develop a strong bond with the mother which takes place during a specific time in development, probably during the first few hours after birth/hatching.
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Outline Lorenz's (1935) procedure?
Took a clutch of gosling eggs and divided them into two groups. One group was left with their mother and the other was taken by Lorenz and incubated. The first moving thing the incubated eggs saw when they hatched was Lorenz.
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Outline Lorenz's (1935) findings?
When placed with both the mother and Lorenz the incubated group followed Lorenz whereas those who saw their mother after being born followed her. Lorenz's brood showed no recognition of their natural mother.
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Outline the long lasting effects of the geese in Lorenz's (1935) research?
The imprinting process was seen to be irreversible.
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Name a strength of Lorenz's (1935) research.
Supporting research - A number of other studies have demonstrated imprinting in animals.
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Name a limitation of Lorenz's (1935) research
Contradictory research - Some research has suggested that imprinting isn't as permanent as Lorenz suggested.
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Outline Harlow's (1959) procedure?
Harlow studied eight infant monkeys were studied for 165 days. Four of which received milk from a wore mother, and four from a cloth mother. Timings were taken to see how long monkeys spent on each mother.
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Outline Harlow's (1959) findings?
Infant spent more on the cloth mother regardless of who they'd nursed on. They only fed from the wire mother before returning to the cloth mother. They also clung to the cloth mother when frightened.
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Outline the long lasting effects of the monkeys in Harlow's (1959) research?
The 'motherless' ,monkeys in the study developed abnormally. They were socially abnormal, freezing and fleeing when approached by other monkeys. They also didn't demonstrate normal mating or mothering behaviours.
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Name a strength of Harlow's (1959) research.
Real world applications - helps social workers understand risk factors in child neglect and abuse so they can intervene and prevent it.
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Name a limitation of Harlow's (1959) research.
Lacks external validity - Can't generalise results from investigation on monkeys to humans.

Ethics - the monkeys suffered greatly as a result of Harlow's study.
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What is a learning theory?
The name given to a group of explanations which explain behaviour in terms of learning rather than any inborn tendencies or higher order thinking.
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What is meant by classical conditioning?
Learning through association.
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According to the learning theory how does classical conditioning lead to attachment?
A child gets pleasure (UCR) from food (UCS). Over time the mother (NS) becomes paired with food
and eventually elicits pleasure herself. She is now a conditioned stimulus. This forms the basis of attachment.
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What is meant by operant conditioning?
Learning through reinforcement.
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According to the learning theory how does operant conditioning lead to attachment?
Being fed reduces discomfort and so negatively reinforces the behaviour. This makes it more likely to occur in the future.
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What is meant by social learning theory?
Learning through observing others and imitating behaviours that are rewarded.
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According to the learning theory how does modelling lead to attachment?
Infants observe their parents' affectionate behaviour and imitate it.
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What is a strength of the learning theory as an explanation of attachment?
Some explanatory power - Can explain some aspects of attachment.
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What is a limitation of the learning theory as an explanation of attachment?
Lacks external validity - Theory is based heavily on animal studies. Therefore it is difficult to generalise the findings to humans.
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What is the continuity hypothesis?
The idea that emotionally secure infants go on to be emotionally secure, trusting and socially confident adults.
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What is a critical period?
A biologically determined period of time, during which certain characteristics can develop. Outside of this time window such development will not be possible.
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What is the critical period for forming an attachment?
Three to six months.
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What determines whether an attachment will
form during the critical period?
Sensitivity to a child's needs.
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What is a social releaser?
A social behaviour or characteristic that elicits caregiving and leads to an attachment.
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Name an example of a social releaser?
Smiling or having a 'baby face'.
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What is monotropy?
The idea that the one relationship that the infant has with their primary attachment figure is of special significance in emotional development.
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According to Bowlby's monotropic theory of attachment why does attachment form?
Parents that are attached to infants ensure that they are cared for and survive and can pass their genes onto the next generation.
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What are the consequences of attachment according to Bowlby's monotropic attachment theory?
It gives the child insight into the caregiver's behaviour and allows them to influence this enabling a partnership to be formed. It also acts as a template for future relationships.
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What is a strength of Bowlby's theory as an explanation of attachment?
Research support - Harlow's monkeys

Supported view that attachment is adaptive - can explain why children are attached before they can crawl.
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What is a limitation of Bowlby's theory as an explanation of attachment?
Contradictory research - critical period may not be confined to three to six months.
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Outline the procedure of Ainsworth et al.'s (1971, 1978) research.
An infant was put in a 9x9 foot space and completed a procedure including of 8 episodes which tested stranger and separation anxiety and reunion behaviour. Proximity-seeking, contact-maintaining, -avoiding, -resisting and reunion behaviours were monitored
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Outline the findings of Ainsworth et al.'s (1971, 1978) research.
Three types of attachment were identified, secure attachment, insecure-avoidant and insecure-resistant.
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What is the strange situation?
A controlled observation designed to test attachment security.
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What are the three types of attachment?
Secure attachment, insecure-avoidant and insecure-resistant.
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What is secure attachment?
This is a strong and contented attachment of na infant to their caregiver, which develops as a result of sensitive responding to the infant's needs.
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What is insecure-avoidant attachment?
A type of attachment which describes those infants who tend to avoid social interaction and intimacy with others.
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What is insecure-resistant attachment?
A type of attachment which describes those infants who both seek and reject intimacy and social interaction.
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What is a strength of Ainsworth et al. (1971, 1978) research?
High reliability - findings were confirmed by a panel of judges.

Real world application - research can be used to improve children's lives.
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What is a limitation of Ainsworth et al. (1971, 1978) research?
Low internal validity - unsure whether the Strange Situation centres on whether it does actually measure the attachment type or the quality of a relationship.
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What was the most common type of attachment according to Ainsworth et al. (1971, 1978) research?
Secure attachment.
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What was the procedure of van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg's (1988) investigation?
A meta-analysis of the findings of 32 studies of attachment behaviour including over 2,000 classifications in 8 different countries.
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What were the findings of van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg's (1988) investigation?
There were small inter-cultural differences. Secure attachment was always the most common, followed by insecure avoidant, except for Israel and Japan.
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What cultural similarities were shown in van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg's (1988) investigation?
The Efe tribe from Zaire live in extended family groups. Infants are breast fed by multiple women but slept with their own mother at night. Infants at six months still showed only one primary attachment.
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What cultural differences were shown in van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg's (1988) investigation?
High levels of insecure attachment amongst German infants than in other cultures. Children don’t engage in proximity seeking behaviour.

Japanese infants showed no evidence of insecure-avoidant attachment, but high insecure resistant attachment.
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What are cultural variations?
The ways that different groups of people vary in terms of their social practices and the effects these practices have on development and behaviour.
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What was concluded from van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg's (1988) investigation?
Strongest attachments formed with mothers. Differences in patterns of attachment that can be related to differences in cultural attitudes and practices.
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Name a strength of research into cultural variations in attachment.
Research support - expressions of maternal sensitivity and manifestations of secure-base behaviour may vary across cultures the core concepts are universal.
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Name a limitation of research into cultural variations in attachment.
Lacks internal validity - cultural similarities may not be due to innate biological influences but are because of our increasingly global culture.
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What is deprivation?
Refers to the loss of emotional care that is normally provided by a primary caregiver.
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Outline the procedure of Bowlby's (1944) 44 juvenile thieves study.
He studied 88 children, 44 acted as a control group and 44 had been caught stealing things. The latter group were referred to as affectionless psychopaths. All of the children attending the clinic were emotionally maladjusted.
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Outline the findings of Bowlby's (1944) 44 juvenile thieves study.
Those that were diagnosed as ‘affectionless thieves’ had experienced frequent early separations from their mothers. Early separation was defined as continual or repeated stays in foster homes and hospitals, where they were rarely visited.
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What are the long term consequences of maternal deprivation?
Emotional maladjustment or even mental health problems such as depression.
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Name a strength of research into Bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation.
Research support - baby rats separated from their mothers for as little as a day had a permanent effect on their development.
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Name a limitation of research into Bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation.
Methodological issues - Bowlby carried out the interviews himself. His expectations may have influenced his results.

Low reliability - When the study was replicated maternal separation did not predict criminality or difficulty forming relationships.
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What is institutionalisation?
The term can be applied widely to the effects of an institution but specifically how time in an institution such as an orphanage can affect the development of children.
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Outline the procedure of Rutter et al.'s (2010) Romanian orphan study.
165 of the orphans from Romanian institutions were studied, the adoptees were tested at regular intervals to assess physical, cognitive and social development. They were compared to 52 British children.
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Outline the findings of Rutter et al.'s (2010) Romanian orphan study.
At the time of adoption, the Romanian orphans lagged behind the British group on all aspects of development. By four all those that were adopted before 6 months had caught up. Major issues remained in those that had been institutionalised beyond this.
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What are the effects of institutionalisation?
Physical underdevelopment, intellectual under functioning, disinhibited attachment and poor parenting.
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Name a strength of research into the effects of institutionalisation.
Real life application - this study has led to improvements in our understanding of the way children are cared for in institutions.
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Name a limitation of research into the effects of institutionalisation.
Low external validity - Romanian orphanages had particularly poor standards of care. It's therefore difficult to generalise these findings.

Low internal validity - Romanian orphans experienced other traumas that may have caused differences.
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What is an internal working model?
A mental model of the world which enables individuals to predict and control theor environment.
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How does the internal working model relate to attachment?
In the case of attachment the internal working model relates to person's expectations about future relationships.
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Outline the procedure of Hazan and Shaver's (1987) investigation?
A ‘Love Quiz’ was placed in the Rocky Mountain News, a small town publication. 620 responses were analysed. Questions were asked about: current attachment experiences, attachment history and attitudes towards love.
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Outline the findings of Hazan and Shaver's (1987) investigation?
A positive correlation between attachment type and love experiences. Securely attached adults described happy, friendly and trusting relationships that lasted 10 years on average. Securely attached people tended to have a positive IWM.
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How are childhood friendships impacted by early attachments?
Individuals that were rated as securely attached were highest rated for social competence later in childhood, were less isolated and more popular and more empathetic. Securely attached infants are more friendly and trusting, enabling easier relationships
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How is parenting impacted by early attachments?
Lack of IWM means that children lack a reference point to subsequently form relationships with their own children.
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How are romantic relationships impacted by early attachments?
Individuals that are securely attached had longer lasting romantic relationships.
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How is mental health impacted by early attachments?
Lack of an attachment during the critical period will result in a lack of an internal working model. This can lead to attachment disorder.
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What are the limitations of research into the influence of early attachment?
Correlation not causation - Research linking the IWM/early attachment with later relationship experiences is correlational therefore claim cause and effect.

Deterministic - suggests early experiences have a fixed effect on later relationships.
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Other cards in this set

Card 2

Front

What is a caregiver?

Back

Any person who is providing care for a child, such as a parent, grandparent, sibling, other family member, childminder and so on.

Card 3

Front

What is interactional synchrony?

Back

Preview of the front of card 3

Card 4

Front

What is reciprocity?

Back

Preview of the front of card 4

Card 5

Front

Outline research into interactional synchrony.

Back

Preview of the front of card 5
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