Attachement

Question 1

What are the main psychologist that I need to know when thinking about attachment?- The 3 big names

Answer 1

-Bowlby
-Harlow
-Ainsworth

Question 1

Bowlby key words/terms

Answer 1

-Monotropy -Only the mother will do
-Maternal deprivation hypothesis
Bowlby stages of development

Question 2

What did Bowlbys early work on attachment propose?

Answer 2

• Proposed infants have an innate drive to form a close relationship with a caregiver.
• Infant produces ‘social releaser’ behaviours: sucking, clinging, crying,smiling, following – which elicit care from the caregiver.
• Only mother will do: monotropy
  This bond serves as the model for other relationships ( so all other relationships in our life)

Question 3

What is Bowlbys maternal deprivation hypothesis?

Answer 3

Breaking this bond any time in the first 5 years of life can lead to profound cognitive, social, and emotional consequences – e.g. aggression, depression, delinquency

This isn’t just long term deprivation - mother shouldn’t go away even for a few days

Question 4

What are the 4 stages of development that Bowlby suggested?

Answer 4

-Pre attachment phase
-Attachment in the making
-clear cut attachment
-Formation of reciprocal attachment

Question 5

What is the Presattachment phase?

Answer 5

• Birth- 6 Weeks (Presattachment phase)

Babies orientating and signalling to anyone around them - haven’t really figured out whats going on yet

Question 6

What is the attachment in the making phase?

Answer 6

• 6 weeks- 6-8 months - Attachment in making

Increasingly orienting to and seeking comfort from primary caregiver.

Question 7

What is the clear cut attachment phase?

Answer 7

• 18-24 months -” Clear cut” attachment

Stays close to primary caregiver. Separation protest; fear of strangers. Anxious to be close to their primary caregiver during this period

Question 8

What is the formation of reciprocal attachment phase?

Answer 8

• 18-24 months + -Formation of reciprocal relationship

With mother/caregiver. Child increasingly accommodates mother’s needs- realise it’s just about themselves.

Reduction in immediate proximity-seeking; development of internal working model of relationship ( healthy/goood relationship - which becomes template for future relationship)

Question 9

What is Bowlbys internal working model about?
Draw the model too

Answer 9

• This internal working model captures the child’s beliefs about how trustworthy others are; their own value; and their own social effectiveness.
• Very influenced by Lorenz’s theory of imprinting
• Believed that attachment had a critical or sensitive period

Question 10

Who evidenced attachement in primates and what did they show?

Answer 10

Harlow
Harlow showed that monkeys need ‘contact comfort’ from mother – no tjust food

Question 11

What was the shift from these early attachment theories proposed by Bowlby - Who caused this shift?

Answer 11

Ainsworth

-She had initially worked with Bowlby, but she went on to work with other cultures
-She concluded that infants can have more than 1 attachment figure
-Showed that they can multiply attach
-Also introduced the concept of different styles of attachment

Question 12

What is the famous method that Ainsworth used to research attachment?
What age group was this method conducted on?

Answer 12

The strange situation
12-24 month olds

Question 13

What was the procedure for the strange situation?

Answer 13

1. Mother, infant & experimenter in room
2. Mother & infant play
3. Stranger enters, talks to mum, plays with infant
4. Mum leaves. Stranger plays with baby.
5. Mum returns. Stranger leaves. Mum settles infant

.6. Mum leaves: infant alone

7. Stranger comes in, tries to settle infant, then stands back.
8. Mum returns. Stranger leave. Mum settles infant

5 and 8 are the reunions— which are really important

Question 14

How did they measure the strange situation?

Answer 14

How does infant react on reunions with mum?

• These are scored every 15 seconds, on a scale of 1-7 intensity.

1. Proximity and contacting seeking
2. Contact maintaining
3. Avoidance of proximity and contact
4. Resistance to contact and comforting

• Does infant use mum as a base to explore from at the start?
• e.g. Infant plays with toys* e.g. Infant moves around room
• How does the infant behave when mother is absent?* e.g. Infant looks at or goes to door