psych paper 1 - attachment

3 caregiver infant interactions

seeking proximity- wanting to be near each other

distress if separated- both infant and caregiver feel distressed when separated

secure base behaviour- even when independent from attachment figures you make regular check ins coming back to attached figure

why is forming an attachment so important

infancy is a period before speech begins usually in the first year of a Child’s life

one of the key interactions is non verbal communication between caregivers and infants which form attachment

the more sensitive each is to the others signals, the deeper the connection

meltzoff and moore study

controlled observation with 4 stimuli, observer watched video of infant behaviour in real time then slo mo and frame by frame

video then judged by another observer who has no knowledge of what infants had seen

observers asked to note tongue protrusions, head movements using categories and is a signal they are ready for interaction

reciprocity

where one responds to another (done in return)

happens when babies are in alert phase and signaling they are ready for interaction 2/3 of the time mothers respond

interactional synchrony

mirroring - sam act at same time

mother and babies actions and emotions mirror each other

A03 of caregiver infant interactions

well controlled procedure - filmed at multiple angles, babies don’t care they are being filmed so will behave the same way- no demand characteristics

social sensitivity- feldman 2012 synchrony research doesn’t tell us the actual purpose, may be helpful for building relationships empathy and moral development

stages of attachment

All Infants Smell Milk

asocial stage (birth-2 mth) - many kinds of stimuli social and non social produce a favourable reaction eg smile

indiscriminate attachment (2-7 mth) - indiscriminately enjoy human company and get upset when someone doesn’t interact with them

specific attachment (7mth+) - express protest when seperated from one particular individual, they attempt to stay close to the person and show stranger anxiety

multiple attachment (by 1 year) - begin to attach to others most have formed multiple attachments by 18 months

glasgow study (stages of attachment)

60 infants from working class homes 5-23 weeks, studies for a year and mothers visited every 4 weeks and reported infants response to separation in everyday situations

mothers asked to describe intensity of protest on a 4 point scale and who it was directed to

stranger anxiety also measured by seeing response to interviewer

findings: 4 stages found by 32weeks- 60% specific attachment and 57% attachment to mother

by 36 weeks- 73% showed stranger anxiety

fathers first object of attachment for 3%

A03 of development of attachment (stages)

small ethnocentric sample- same city and social class so hard to generalise

van ijzendoorn found collectivist cultures had multiple attachments from very early age more than norm

culture bias- study was in 1960s and only made up of same social class glasgow babies so low temporal validity

role of the father

Schafer and emerson found most babies attach to mother first and in 3% of cases the father first

quality of play - geiger found in observations that play interactions with father are more exciting and focused on fun and playing whereas mothers more affectionate and caring

level of responsiveness- tiffany field found fathers engaged in more game playing and primary caregivers mother or father engaged in more smiling/ higher pitched voice than secondary caregivers

A03 of role of fathers

social sensitivity - suggests children might be disadvantaged by certain child rearing practices