Child Development Final Review - Attachment

Attachment

we like being around the person, but they are also a safe base, reliance

development of attachment

• pre-attachment - birth-2 years old, baby does not care who care giver is as long as care is being given

• attachment in the making - 2-6 months, preference for familiar people

• clear attachment - 7 months, clear preference for mom and familiar people

• relates to A not B error

attachment challenges

• stranger anxiety - 7 months

• separation anxiety - 18 months

  • dissipates between 24-30 months

assessing attachment study

• strange situation study

  • mom brings kids to play with toys in lab, stranger is present, mom leaves then returns

  • how does baby react to leaving and returning?

secure attachment

• baby is distressed when mom leaves, goes to her when she returns, is easily comforted, goes back to playing

• based on warm and attentive caregiving

*kids who were abused were coded as securely attached

avoidant attachment

• mom leaves, baby is unbothered, keeps playing, mom comes back, baby is unaffected

anxious/resistant attachment

• distressed when mom leaves, go to mom when she comes back, but not easily comforted, may show anger

disorganized / disoriented attachment

• behaves like secure kids, but looks frightened when approching mom

Bowlby and Ainsworth Study - background

• type of care giving

  • internal working models

• blame attachment style on mom

  • don’t forget the child

Bowlby and Ainsworth Study - procedure

• greater independence = more secure attachment

  • how far away does the child go from mom?

• room with 8 toys, more interesting ones are farther from mom

• secure children go the farthest (take bigger risks)

Bowlby and Ainsworth Study - conclusions / predictions

• secure children do better socially (appropriately trusting and disclosing)

• do better academically as teens

• predicts romantic attachment style

  • secure = successful relationships

  • avoidant = cold

  • anxious and disorganized = clingy

Bell and Ainsworth Study 1972 - background

should we pick up a baby when it cries for no reason?

• behaviorist perspective - crying is aversive, do not reinforce

• attachment perspective - crying is communication, pick up baby to show them that communication is successful

Bell and Ainsworth Study 1972 - method

• sent researchers into children’s homes 1st year of baby’s life

• shot 16 hours of video in each quarter of the year (3 month periods)

Bell and Ainsworth Study 1972 - results / conclusions

• in just the first months, no relationship between what mom does and how much baby cries

• mom’s response during first quarter predicts what bay does during last quarter

• no evidence of extinction - if mom did not pick up,they did not cry any less

• if mom picked up baby during first quarter, baby cried less during last quarter

• babies learn mom pays attention, can communicate differently

Bell and Ainsworth Study 1972 - big picture takeaways

• study does not mean parents should meet all demands from kids, but under stressful or uncertain times:

  • may look like misbehavior, but is plea for attention

  • may require a secure base

Feeney and Cassidy Study 2003 - background

• internal working models in teens

• how do attachment styles and inner working models affect memory?

• measure attachments in teens

• uses scenarios and multiple choice questions about how their parents respond in different situations

  • are parents a safe base?

Feeney and Cassidy Study 2003 - method

• has teen and parents discuss a topic of conflict, recorded in lab

• trained coders evaluate quality of conversations

Feeney and Cassidy Study 2003 - results

• teens with secure attachments had better conversation, more positivity, insecure attachments had worse

• 6 weeks later they come back to the lab to reflect on the conversation, securely attached kids remember it as better than it was, insecure remember it as worse

• securely attached teens are more likely to seek out and talk with parents

Consequences of Attachment in Later Marriage - stats

• people are getting married later (men 30, women 28)

• >90% want to be married someday

• 40% of children live in a cohabitating family (parental figures are not married)

• age of women at first birth is younger than age at marriage

  • women have lower standards for father of children than for husband

  • most affected people are moms who don’t go to college

*large number of children are raised in instability

Consequences of Attachment in Later Marriage - divorce

• secure attachment to dad is more difficult when mom and dad split

• secure attachment to mom is more difficult when mom dates (she is less attentive)

• #1 person most likely to harm child is mom’s boyfriend

*attachment is related to commitment - marriage indicates commitment, commitment indicates security

Consequences of Attachment in Later Marriage - consequences

• fewer secure attachments

• fewer successful romantic relationships

• more lonely seniors

• free enterprise requires trust

• legal system requires trust