Attachment

What is attachment and how is it shown?

attachment is a close two-way emotional bond between two individuals in which each individual sees the other as essential for their own emotional security
1.proximity - staying close to attachment figure 2.separation - distress when attachment figure leaves 3.secure-base behaviour - making regular contact with attachment figure

What is Lorenz’s research procedure?

investigate relationship between infant animals and their mothers which helped inform our understanding of mother-infant attachment in humans and the mechanisms of imprinting
procedure - randomly divided a clutch of goose eggs into two groups where half of the eggs were hatched with mother goose in their natural environment (control) and the other half hatched in an incubator where the first moving object they saw was Lorenz

What were Lorenz research findings?

incubator group followed Lorenz everywhere as regarded Lorenz as their mother where as the control group hatched in the presence of their mother followed her
when two groups were mixed up the control group continued to follow the mother and experimental group followed Lorenz

What does Lorenz suggests happens?

called imprinting is when an animal such as a bird will strongly attach to first object they encounter and will then follow object where Lorenz identified a critical period between 12-17 hours and if imprinting does not occur within time Lorenz found that chicks did not attach themselves to mother figure + suggests attachment is innate and programmed genetically

What is sexual imprinting?

also investigated relationship between imprinting and adult mate preferences - he observed birds imprinted on a human would often later display courtship behaviour towards humans - Lorenz described peacock reared in reptile house where first moving object was giant tortoises as an adult would only direct courtship behaviour towards giant tortoises which was concluded sexual imprinting had occured

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What is the procedure of Harlow’s research?

aimed to study mechanism of how newborns rhesus monkeys bond with their mothers - tested idea soft objects serve some functions of a mother - 16 monkeys were separated from their mothers after birth where 8 monkeys could get milk from wire mother and in other condition 8 could get milk from cloth mother - were studies for various length of days + observations made of amount spend on two different mothers + infant response when frightened by a mechanical bear

What was Harlow’s research findings?

both groups spent more time with cloth mother and was prefered + sought comfort from cloth one when frightened regardless of which dispensed milk and would also explore more when cloth mother present
concluded ‘contact comfort’ was more important than food in formation of attachment + suggests that other primates such as humans may have a biological need for physical contact and will attach to whatever provides comfort rather than food going against behaviourist theory of attachment

What happens to maternally deprived monkeys?

concluded early maternal deprivation leads to emotional damage more the monkeys reared with wire mothers but even those reared with soft toy did not develop normal social behaviour as were more agressive,less sociable,breeded less as unskilled at mating + some as mothers some neglected their young - impact could be reversed if attachment made within made before end of critical period which Harlow concluded there was a critical period for developing normal attachment behaviour + mother figure hade to be introduced within 90 days for an attachment to form + after this time no amount of exposure could alter damage done by early deprivation

What could maternal deprivation be something else?

Harlow found therefore that it was social deprivation rather than maternal that young monkeys were suffering from - when he brought some other infant monkeys up on their own but with 20 minutes a day in a playroom with three other monkeys he found they grew up quite normal emotionally and socially

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What is the first explanation of attachment?

learning theory involves behaviourism which argues attachment behaviours are acquired through learning and can be explained by classic and operant conditioning
involves cupboard love which suggests reason children become attached to caregivers as learn caregiver provides food

How can attachment be explained by classic conditioning?

learning by association - where UCS of food will produce an UCR of pleasure + since mother (NS) usually provides food she will become associated with food - when baby sees this person there is an expectation of food and they become CS - eventually becomes source of pleasure herself + CR of pleasure
this conditioned pleasure response or love is where attachment is formed and as such caregiver becomes attachment figure

How can attachment be explained by operant conditioning?

involves learning from consequences of behaviour which can explain why babies cry for comfort which is an important behaviour in building attachment
crying leads to response from the caregiver eg feeding where as long as crying is positvely reinforced such as receiving food then baby directs crying for comfort towards caregiver who responds with comforting behaviour + making crying behaviour when hungry more likely to happen
at same time as baby is reinforced for crying as caregiver recieves negative reinforcement as crying stops - escaping from something unpleasant is reinforcing
interplay of mutual reinforcement strengthens an attachment

What other evidence can explain attachment?

dollard and miller suggests primary drives (hunger and thirst) are innate as satisfying these needs are essential for survival (biological motivator) - secondary drives are desires to complete actions that develop due to learned process in which satification of primary hunger drive is associated with caregiver which would class attachment as secondary drive as learnt by baby through access to food

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What is the other explanation of attachment?

Bowlby’s monotopic theory - proposed evolutionary explanation where babies have innate attachment drive in order to survive + system that increases infants chance of attracting care need for survival - baby uses behaviours known as social releasers such as crying and smiling to maintain parental interest - recognised attachment reciprocal process + adults ‘hard-wired’ to become attachted to their infants using social behaviours such as cuddling to develop/activate an attachment bond with their child
to remember whole approach use SCAMI: Social releasers Critical period Attachment-consistency Monotrophy Internal working model

What is monotropy?

places great emphasis on child’s attachment to one particular caregiver + believed this attachment was different and more important than others - called this person mother but clear it doesn’t need to be biological mother and referred as primary attachment figure where Bowlby believed more time spend with this figure the better
two principles to clarify this: law of continuity states more constant and predictable (sensitive parenting) a child’s care the better quality of their attachment
law of accumulated separation states effects of every separation from mother adds up
infants with good attachment to their primary caregibe will use caregiver as safe base from which to explore their environment + distress if carer leaves them

What does Bowlby suggests is babies critical period?

around 6 months when infants attachment system is most active which possibly extends up to two years old + if attachment doesn’t happen in first two and a half years after birth then they will never form an attachment and will resuly in long-lasting negative social consequences where idea is based on Lorenz’s work

What is the internal working model?

where first strong attachment a child has acts as a blueprint for all of the child’s future relationship which acts as a guide on how to conduct future relationships such as if other people can be trusted or if relationships are loving
powerful effect on nature of child’s future relationships eg a child who first experience of a loving relationship with a reliable caregiver will tend to form expectations that all relationships are as loving and reliable + will bring these qualities to future relationship - however a child whos first relationship involves poor treatment will tend to form further poor relationships in which they expect such treatment from others or treats others in same way
most importantly internal working model affects childs later ability to be a parent themselves as people tend to base their parenting behaviour on own experiences of being parented which explains why children from functional families tend to have similar families themselves

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What is the stranger situation?

Ainsworth and Bell developed method of measuring the quality of attachment bond between infant and caregiver through a controlled observation recording reactions of both when introduced to a strange rooms with toys where around 100 middle-class american infants and their mothers where infants behaviour observed by a group who recorded infant behaviour every 15 seconds during a set of predetermined activities of mild stress and novelty
involved experiencing eight episodes of about 3 minutes where observed playing for twenty minutes while caregivers and strangers enter and leave room reacting flow of familiar and unfamiliar presence in most childrens lives where observers noted childs willingness to explore,seperation anxiety ,stranger anxiety and reunion behaviour + observed by one-way mirror so children did not know were being observed

What are the seven stages/activities and behaviours used to judge attachment?

1.caregiver remains passive while infant explores room - exploration and secure-base behaviours eg confidence to explore + using caregiver as secure base
2.stranger enters talks to caregiver and gradually approaches infant with toy - stranger anxiety eg display anxiety when approached by a stranger
3.caregiver unobtrusively leaves room + stranger interacts with infant - separation anxiety eg protest of seperation from caregiver + stranger anxiety
4.caregiver returns to greet and comfort infant + stranger leaves - response to reunion eg greet caregiver with pleasure and seek comfort + exploration and secure-base behaviours
5.caregiver leaves saying bye-bye and infant is left alone - separation anxiety
6.stranger returns and tries to engage with infant - stranger anxiety
7.caregiver returns and picks up child the stranger leaves - response to reunion

What are the three types of attachment?

insecure-avoidant , insecure-resistant and secure where types correlate with level of sensitive reponse of parents suggesting secure attachment develops due to attention of consistently positive and responsive mother
conclusions - most US children appear to be securely attached which highlights role of mothers behaviour in determining quality of attachment which led to caregiver sensitivity hypothesis

What is insecure-avoidant attachment?

type A - children explored freely but do not seek proximity or show secure base behaviour - show little or no reaction when their caregiver leaves + make little effort to make contact when caregiver returns - show little stranger anxiety + do not require comfort at reunion stage
additional not needed for just explaining - children likely to have a caregiver who is insensitive and rejecting of their needs - around 22%

What is secure attachment?

type B - ideal attachment type - children explore happily bit regulary go back to their caregiver using mother as safe base - show moderate separation distress and moderate stranger anxiety and had a happy reunion response that allowed them to settle quickly back into exploration as accept comfort
additional - mothers showed sensitive responsiveness - around 66%

What is insecure-resistant attachment?

type C - children seek greater proximity than others and explore less + regarded as being fussy even when mother present + show high levels of stranger and separation distress but resisted comfort when reunited with caregiver and unable to settle
additional - behaviour results from inconsistent level of response to their needs and sensitive responsiveness - around 12%

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What are the different cultures within cultural variations in attachment?

individualist cultures value independence with each working to their own individual goals eg USA and Europe (Western Cultures)
collective cultures value cooperation with each working towards the family or group goals eg Japan and Israel (Eastern Cultures)

What is the main study of cultural variation?

Van IJsendoorn and Kroonenberg aimed to investigate if attachment styles are universal across cultures or culturally specific (vary considerably from place to place due to traditions,the social environment or beliefs about children) as well as the proportions of each type
analysed data from other studies using method called meta analysis on 32 studies in 8 different countries were analysed involving around 2000 infant participants
all 32 studies used strange situation procedure to study attachment using meta analysis they calculated average percentage for different attachment styles within each country

What are the findings of the main study?

average findings were relatively consistent with Ainsworth original research where 6/8 countries produced findings that were proportionally consistent with Ainsworth
non-western collectivist countriels like Japan,Israel and China revealed a higher incidence of insecure-resistant but insecure avoidant were reduced whereas individualistic western countries like Germany had a higher incidence of avoidant than resistant (35%)
secure attachment was most common classification in every country but proportion varied eg 75% in Britain but 50% in China
variations between results of studies within the same country were actually 150% greater than cross-cultural variations where speculated linked to differences in socio-economic factors and levels of stress that varied between samples used within each country

What is the Germany study about cultural variations in attachment?

Grossman and Grossman - found German infants are much more likely to be classified as insecurely attached where German culture includes more respect for personal space and less close contact where children do not engage in proximity-seeking behaviour in strange situation which may affect how behaviour is assessed and give appearance of insecure attachment

What conclusions can be made about cultural variations in attachment?

global pattern of attachment appears to be similar to that found in US (secure attachment) and would support idea attachment is universal and how secure attachment suggests it is globally preferred attachment style suggesting it may be the innate way for caregivers to interact with their baby
however cultural practices do influence attachment type where modest cross-cultural differences may reflect effects of mass media which portray similar notions of parenting

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What is Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation?

idea that continual presence of nuture from a ‘mother’ is essential to normal psychological development where maternal deprivation is not receiving suitable emotional care from a maternal figure and this occuring in early childhood has serious consequences
is important distinction not simply separation from mother but child being deprived from emotional care which can happen when mother present where a substitute caregiver can result in deprivation

What is the critical period?

psychological development occurs during critical period (birth to 2 ½ yrs) and if attachment disrupted or not formed then psychological damage is inevitable where likely to have permanent negative intellectual and emotional consequences which will be permanent

What are the effects of maternal deprivation on development?

intellectual development - Bowlby believed if deprived too long during critical period they would experience delayed intellectial development as cognitive abilities lower eg low IQ Goldfarb found lower IQ in children who had remained in instituions as compared with children who were fostered
emotional development - consequence is affectionless psychopathy as delayed emotional development are unable to show caring behaviours to others or empathy for people’s feelings + little guilt over harmful actions as well as delinquency due to delayed social development and show behaviour outside of acceptable norms
also can lead to aggression and depression

What is Bowlby’s research on maternal deprivation?

44 thieves study with aims to investigate long-term effects of maternal deprivation examining link between affectionless psychopathy and maternal deprivation
procedure - sample consisted of 44 criminal teens accused of stealing and were all interviewed for signs of affectionless psychopathy + families to find out whether the ‘thieves’ had prolonged early separations from their mothers + control group of non crimincal but emotionally disturbed young people were set to see how often maternal deprivation occured when children were not thieves
findings - 14 from the theft group were described as affectionless psyhopaths of this 14,12 had prolonged separation in first 2 years of lives in contrast only 5 of remaining 30 had experienced separation where in control only 2 had separation so concluded prolonged early separation may lead to affectionless psychopathy

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What is institutionalisation?

effects of living in an institutional setting where people live for continuous periods of time and often have very little emotional care where many of Romanian orphans experienced privation which is total lack of any attacment whereas deprivation is not receiving suitable emotional care from primary attachment figure

What are the effects of institutionalisation?

disinhibited attachment is a typical effect where they are equally friendly towards people they know well or who are strangers this is unusual behaviour where Rutter explains it is adaptation tp living with multiple caregivers during sensitive period of attachment
intellectual disability