Child Development: Chapter 10B

attachment

attachment

an emotional bond that exists between a child and a significant other, usually a parent

what is central to our well being throughout life

attachment

who was involved with the term strange situation

Mary Ainsworth

strange situation

places the mother and baby in a series of situations that will become increasingly stressful for the infant. basically, she introduced the child to a stranger with and without the mother present

secure attachment

a strong, positive emotional bond with a particular person who provides

insecure attachments

anxious avoidant attachment and ambivalent resistant

anxious avoidant attachment

type of attachment in which the infant is not distressed when the mother leaves, is comfortable with a stranger while she is gone, and does not greet the mother upon her return. does not seek out the caregiver

ambivalent resistant

an attachment where the infant is afraid to move away from the mother to explore and is very distressed when she leaves. When she returns the child approaches her, but is angry and resists attempts for her to pick the child up. Both seeks and rejects contact with the caregiver

disorganized

infants behavior is disorganized, unpredictable and shows no coherent way of dealing with attachment

what type of attachment is often linked with parental abuse or neglect

disorganized

who came up with the stages of the development of attachment

Bowlby

development of attachment stages

pre-attachment, attachment in the making, clear-cut attachment, goal corrected partnerships

pre-attachment

(birth to six weeks) cry to communicate needs, facial expression, infants love to be touched and held. Infants act in ways that make adults want to pick them up as well

attachment in the making

(6 weeks to 6-8 months) by about two months the child demonstrates a social smile. Can discriminate between the familiar and unfamiliar. Begins to develop stranger anxiety

clear cut attachment

(6-8 months to 18 months-2years) see the development of separation anxiety. Child is okay as long as parent is present

goal corrected partnership

(18 months on) Toddlers are able to to form an internal working model. Children’s future actions are based on past experiences. Takes time and patience. Internal working models are stable over time but can be changed

what is an internal working model

a symbolic representation of particular attachment relationships they have experienced.

reasons that mothers are likely to respond positively to the infant

• they have a positive relationship with partner

• adequate economic resources

• good psychological health

• history of good care in their own childhood

• have an infant that is easy to care for

it is necessary to have skin to skin contact with mother and child in order to develop a positive attachment

it is not necessary

mothers are usually a sense of ______ for the infant

security

fathers become the _______ for the child

playmate

what does the research say about father’s being more likely to have a secure attachment

• they are more extroverted

• better understand the infant’s state of mind

• they believe that play is an important role in child’s development

for parents with adequate resources, research shows that having a an irritable baby may lead to an

even more secure attachment with the child than one who is not irritable. this is because the parent may need to pay closer attention to the child

why are infants born prematurely or with a neurological problem difficult to form a secure attachment with

because signals are hard to read

attachment is connected to our

biology

what chemical rises in children after interacting with their parents

oxytocin

infants with insecure and disorganized attachment respond differently to stress than those with a ______ attachment

secure

t/f: an insecure attachment has been associated with impaired function of all three stress symptoms

true

the three stress symptoms

release of cortisol, the activation of fight or flight response of sympathetic nervous system, and functioning of immune system

what does a secure attachment help a child do

helps the child regulate their emotions and their physiological response to stress

does the proportion of children who have secure attachments vary from country to country

no

why is attachment stable over time

because most families do not change dramatically

reactive attachment disorder

a disorder marked by the inability to form attachments to caregivers

disinhibited social engagement disorder

disorder where children approach strangers indiscriminately without differentiating between attachment figures and other people

enhanced sensitivity of mother to needs of the infant increase the likelihood of a

secure attachment and decrease the chances of an attachment disorder

how can attachment be made greater

when the father is involved