Attachment
A close two-way emotional bond between two individuals in which each individual sees the other as essential for their own emotional security
What is reciprocity?
What is interactional synchrony?
Caregiver-infant interactions studies?
Meltzoff and Moore (1977) ⮕ Adults displayed 1 of 3 facial expressions or 1 of 3 distinctive gestures. Association was found between the expression or gesture the adult displayed and the actions of the babies - shows interactional synchrony.
Isabella et al (1989) ⮕ Observed 30 mothers and infants together and assessed degree of synchrony. Also assessed quality of mother-infant attachment. They found that high levels of synchrony were associated with better quality mother-infant attachment - shows interactional synchrony is important for development of mother-infant attachment.
Evaluation of caregiver-parent interactions?
:) - Research support from Isabella et al. and Meltzoff and Moore
:) - Controlled observations capture fine details
:(- It is hard to know what is happening when observing infants - difficult to know what is taking place from infants perspective, is the infant’s imitation deliberate?
What did Schaffer and Emerson believe the role of the father to be?
What did Grossman believe the role of the father to be?
What did Field believe the role of the father was?
Evaluation of the role of the father?
:( - inconsistent findings on fathers - some researchers interested in fathers as secondary caregivers, some are more interested in fathers as secondary caregivers
:( - children without fathers conflicting evidence - same-sex parents didn’t develop children differently.
:( - socially sensitive research - may make mothers who return to work early feel guilty as they may be restricting their child’s development
:) - real world application - can be used to offer advice to parents - parental anxiety about the role of the father can be reduced
Schaffer and Emerson (1964) study?
Aim: to investigate the formation of early attachment
Method: 31 male babies, 29 female - Glasgow. Majority from skilled working-class families. Visited every month for first year, then at 18 months. Researcher asked questions about protest shown by their babies in 7 everyday separations.
Findings: between 25 and 32 weeks, 50% of babies showed signs of separation anxiety towards a particular adult (usually mother). Attachment tended to be caregiver who was most interactive and sensitive to infant signals - not who spent the most time with the infant
Evaluation of Schaffer and Emerson (1964)?
:) - good external validity - most of observations carried out in own homes
:( - longitudinal study - would have been quicker to carry out cross-sectional study
:) - longitudinal study = better internal validity - no confounding variable of participant variables
:( - limited sample characteristics - all families involves from the same district and social class - also 50 years ago - lacks generalisability and population validity
Schaffer’s stages of attachment?
Evaluation of Schaffer’s stages of attachment?
:( - hard to study asocial stage
:( conflicting evidence on multiple attachments - Van Ijzendoorn et al - multiple attachments from birth
:) - real-world application - practical application in day care
Define imprinting
Where the young follow and form an attachment to the first large moving object they meet.
What was the procedure of Lorenz’s geese study?
What were the results of Lorenz’s study?
What did Lorenz’s discover about sexual imprinting?
He observed that birds that imprinted on a human would often display courtship behaviour towards humans.
In 1952, he described a peacock that had been reared in a reptile house of a zoo where the first moving objects the peacock saw after hatching were giant tortoises. As an adult, this bird would only direct courtship behaviour towards giant tortoises - he had undergone sexual imprinting.
Issues with Lorenz’s research and findings?
:( - Difficult to generalise to humans - birds are very different to humans , mammals may be able to form attachments at any time.
:( - Case study - difficult to generalise from single case
What did Guiton et al find about sexual imprinting?
Found that chickens who imprinted on yellow washing up gloves would try to mate with them as adults (as Lorenz predicted), but that with experience they eventually learned to prefer mating with other chickens.
What was the procedure of Harlow’s research on monkeys?
What were the findings of Harlow’s research on monkeys?
What did Harlow find when the baby monkey’s grew up?
Evaluation of Harlow’s research?
:( - Ethical issues - monkeys suffered greatly as a result of the experiment and some even died.
:( - Difficult to generalise to humans - more similar than Lorenz’s geese, but still not human.
:) - Theoretical value - has profound effect on psychologist’s understaning of human mother-infant attachment.
:) - Practical value - important applications e.g. helps social workers understand risk factors in child neglect.
What did Dollard and Miller (1950) propose?