8 - intro to psych - social development

what is attachment

an intense emotional relationship that is specific to two people, that endures over time, and in which prolonged separation from the partner is accompanied by stress and sorrow.

who founded attchment research

John Bowlby - looks at maternal relationships

• commissioned by WHO to look at institutionaled children

what is th epre attchment stage

up to 3 months

behaviours such as nestling gurgling and smilng

directed at anyone

no unique relationship built

indiscriminate attachment phase

3-7 months

beginning to discriinate between familiar and unfamiliar people

smiling more at the familiar

allow strangers to handle them without beibg noticably stressed

discriminate attchement phase

7-9 months

activly seek out individuals

stress if not

speration anxiety

an infant can tell difference between mother and other people

develop object perminance

fear of strangers response

multiple attchment phase

9+ months

strong bond with others that aren’t their caregivers aswell

fear of strangers typically weakens

strongest attchment typically with mother

what is the psychoanalytical ‘cupboard love’ theory

• The infant becomes attached to its caregiver (usually the mother) because of his/her ability to satisfy its instinctual needs

• feeding practices satisfy the infant's needs for food, security, and oral sexual gratification.

• Unhealthy attachments occur when infants are deprived of food and oral pleasure or are overindulged

• importnace of mother and feeding

what is the behaviourist ‘cupboard love’ theory

• Infants are becoming attached to those who satisfy their physiological needs

• Infants associate their caregivers (conditioned reinforcers) with gratification (unconditioned reinforcer) and they learn to approach them to have their needs met

• feel secure when caregiver is present

what study contraditicts cupboard love theories

Harlows monkey experiment - shows that food isnt most important

unlearnt need for comfort - not just food

what is bowlbys evolutionary theory

• argued that bc theyre helpless infants are genetically programmed to behave towards their mothers in ways that ensure their survival.

• The mother also inherits a genetic blueprint that programs her to respond to the baby

• There's a critical period during which the synchrony of action between mother and infant produces an attachment.

what are loimitations of bowlbys theory

fathers are important too

Infants form multiple attachments and display a whole range of attachment behaviours.

Attachment behaviour wouldn't have evolved if it had only functioned to protect the child - it evolved because protection and survival promoted successful reproduction.

what are features predicting attchment (schaffer and Emerson)

• Responsiveness to the infant's behaviour

• The total amount of stimulation s/he provided (such as talking, touching, and playing)

who created the stranger situations test

mary Ainsworth

what is the stranger situation test

8 scenes

Child playing with mother, alone, with mother and stranger, with stranger.

General findings: exploration and play is more vigorous in presence of mother than after stranger or absent mother

3 attchment styles identified

what are the 3 attachement styles

anxious avoident - 15% largely avoids mother whist playing, treats mother and tsranger similarly

axious resistant - 15% very distressed when mother leaves, seeks contact on return then shows resistance to contact

secure - 70% most common type happy when mother present distressed when leaves

evaluate the stranger situation

excludes other aspects of attchment

attchment styles are not perminant

type d insecure disorganised - trauma baby doesnt fit into styles

what is the link between attchment and executive function

securly attched children did better in in all ef tasks

what is the link between secure attchment and the classroom

positive correlation with studnets who are securely attached and grades in comparison to insecure

also associated with -

• greater emotional regulation

• social competence

• willingness to take on challenges

• lower levels of ADHD

• Delinquency

what is ToM

the understanding that others have feelings, desires, thoughts, beliefs and motivations of their own, and that these might be different from yours

how does ToM matter in education

teacher feedback

scientific thinking

what are the results of the false belief test

• At 30 months, the youngest age at which data were obtained, children are more than 80% incorrect

• At 44 months, children are 50% correct

• At 60 months, children are 75% correct

• Between 4 and 5 years, children generally understand false belief