Mary Ainsworth & John Bowlby Attachment Theory

Who was Mary Ainsworth?

A developmental psychologist perhaps best known for her Strange Situation assessment contributions to the area of attachment theory

According to Ainsworth, what can reveal important information about attachment?

The way a child behaves during the separation and upon the mother’s return

What is Ainsworth famous for?

Her Strange Situation Experiment she created in the 1960s

Who originally proposed the Attachment Theory?

John Bowlby in the 1950s.

What did John Bowlby believe?

Influenced by Frued’s views of development and love - that early childhood experiences played an essential role in the development of personality and behavior

According to the theory, what is attachment?

An affectional tie an infant forms with their parent. It also looks at how the child reacts when the parent returns

What is the hallmark proximity-seeking behavior of attachment?

A child would seek contact and maintain proximity with the attachment figure

What do some of the earliest behavioral theories suggest about attachment?

That it is simply a learned behavior. They proposed that attachment was merely a result of the feeding relationship between the child and the caregiver. Because the caregiver feeds the child and provides nourishment, the child becomes attached.

What did Bowlby observe about feedings?

It did not diminish separation anxiety

What did Bowlby find that attachment was characterized by?

Clear behavioral and motivaiton patterns

What do children do when they are frightened?

They seek proximity to their primary caregiver in order to receive both comfort and care

What did Bowlby believe about attachment?

It was an enduring emotional connection between human beings. Also that it played a critical role in survival. By keeping the children close to their caregivers, their caregivers are better able to respond to their needs, thus improving children’s chances of survival.

What is Bowlby’s significant impact in developmental psychology?

An infant’s behavior in relation to exploration, separation anxiety, stress, and fear of unfamiliarity can predict the child’s attachment style.

What do the attachment behaviors include?

Proximity-seeking behaviors and signaling behaviors.

What are examples of proximity-seeking behaviors?

Approaching, following, and clinging.

What are examples of signaling behaviors?

smiling, crying, and calling

What type of context did Ainsworth carry out examinations of the patterns of attachment?

Unfamiliar contexts

What is the Strange Situation Experiment?

A standardized laboratory procedure created to identify differences in nfant attachment.

What does the Strange Situation Experiment measure?

How a child responds to separations and reunions with the parent to assess the early security of attachment depicted in the Attachment Theory

What was the procedure of the Strange Situation Experiment?

Children 8-12 months old were briefly left alone in a room while the researchers observed their reactions. They were observed when the parent and child were together, when a stranger entered the room, when the parent briefly left the room, and when the parent returned.

How many strange situation episodes did Ainsworth’s attachment theory test comprise of?

Eight with mothers

How many reunions and separations were there in the Strange Situation Experiment?

2 separations, 2 reunions

What 5 behaviors toward the adults were an infant’s actions scored on in the Strange Situation Experiment?

Proximity-seeking behavior

Proximity-avoiding behavior

Contact-maintaining behavior

Contact-resisting behavior

Search behavior

What is proximity-seeking behaviors?

Active behaviors such as greeting, approaching, clambering up, reaching, or leaning. Vocal signals such as crawling in the adult’s direction are also included.

What are proximity-avoiding behaviors?

Usually applies when adult enters the room or tries to engage the child. This includes ignoring, looking away, turning away, and moving away from the adult.

What are contact-maintaining behaviors?

After the baby has gained contact with the mother. This includes clinging, embracing, clutching, holding on, and resisting release. If they lose contact, they turn back and reach, and protest vocally.

What are contact-resisting behaviors?

Angry, ambivalent attempts to push away, hit, or kick the mother who tries to make eye contact. The child may squirm to get down when they’re picked up. They push or throw away toys when the mother tries to interfere with the playing. Some babies may scream angrily, throw themselves down, or kick the floor to protest.

What are search behaviors?

Was evaluated on the child’s reaction to the mother’s departure. These include following the mother to the door, trying to open the door, banging on it, remaining oriented to the door, glancing at it, going to the mother’s empty chair, or simply looking at it.

What is exploratory behavior?

How much does the child explore with or without the mother’s presence?

What is stranger anxiety?

Does the child seek/avoid or maintain contact with the stranger?

What were the 4 attachment styles that Ainsworth concluded with?

Secure attachment style

Anxious/Ambivalent attachment style

Avoidant attachment style

Fearful/Avoidant (Disorganize) attachment style

What is secure attachment?

The healthy one. Children who are securely attached generally become visibly upset when their caregivers leave and are happy when their parents return. When frightened, these children will seek comfort from the parent of caregiver. They readily accept contact initiated by a parent and they greet the parent’s return with positive behavior. While these children can be comforted to some extent by other people in the absence of a parent or caregiver, they clearly prefer parents to strangers.

What is ambivalent attachment?

Children who tend to be extremely suspicious of strangers. They display considerable distress when separated from a parent but do not seem reassured or comforted by their return. In some cases, the child might passively reject the parent by refusing comfort or may openly display direct aggression toward the parent.

What is avoidant attachment?

Children who tend to avoid parents. This often becomes especially pronounced after a period of absence. These children might not reject attention from a parent, but neither do they seek comfort or contact. They show no preference between a parent and a complete stranger.

What is disorganized attachment?

Children who show a lack of clear attachment behavior. Their actions and responses to caregivers are often a mix of behaviors, including avoidance and resistance. They are described as displaying dazed behavior, sometimes seeming either confused or apprehensive in the presence of a caregiver.

What 3 factors are thought to contribute to the development of patterns of attachment?

Consistency

Responsiveness

Neglect and abuse

What is consistency?

Parents who show this in caregiving are more likely to raise securely attached children. Inconsistency is linked to an anxious/ambivalent attachment style.

What is responsiveness?

Secure attachments develops when parents respond to their children’s needs. Poor responsiveness is often linked to avoidant attachment. Children who believe their parents won’t respond to their needs avoid turning to them for support and care.

What is neglect and abuse?

Parents who are neglectful or abusive are linked to fearful/avoidant attachment. These parents are often inconsistent in responsiveness. Sometimes they provide comfort and care, but other times they act as a source of fear, anxiety, and trauma. This confusion contributes to a disorganized mix of attachment behaviors.

What do researchers believe that child attachment styles also influence?

Adult romantic attachments. Adults with secure attachment style tend to have lasting relationships and believe love is enduring. Those with an insecure romantic attachment style believe that love is more temporary.