what is an internal working model?
mental representation of a persons relationship with primary caregiver (bowlby)
hazard and Schaffer
- love quiz
- aim: to see if attachment type links to later adult relationships
myron wilson and smith
- looked at association of attachment type and bullying using standardised questions for children
-insecure resistant = most likely to be bully
insecure avoidant= most likely to be bullied
secure= uninvolved
kerns
looked at attachment type association with quality of peer relationships in childhood
secure= form best friendships insecure= friendship difficulties
McCartney
looked at attachment type association to adult relationship quality
-asked 40 women to establish attachment type as babies
-secure- had formed best relationships in adulthood
avoidant- intimacy problems
resistant- friendship difficulties
what is definition of attachment?
2 way emotional bond between 2 people eg. mother and child
what is reciprocity?
2 way interaction
- elict response onto one another
- take turns
why is reciprocity important for later life?
the rhythm important for communication/ conversations
what is interactional synchrony?
interactions have shared timing
-mirroring one another
meltzoff and Moore
- observed interactional synchrony in babies
- adult displayed facial expressions and babies response was recorded for assessment.
- evidence for interaction synchrony as baby would copy adult
Isabella et al
observed synchrony and quality of attachment in babies with mothers
observed 30 mothers
high synchrony found in mother and babies that had higher quality attachment
advantages of observing babies in research
won’t respond to demand characteristics/ work out aims
disadvantages of observing babies in research
- can’t consent
- difficult to distinguish important movements(could be completely random)
Schaffer and Emerson
stages of attachment
Schaffer and Emerson study
- observed 60 babies from Glasgow working class
- longlitudinal design (babies visited each month for year then at 18 months)
- asked mothers questions about separation/ stranger anxiety to work out babies attachment types
- identified 4 stages in development of attachment
what are the 4 attachment stages?
asocial
indiscriminate
specific
multiple
what is asocial attachment stage?
0-8 weeks
happier around others than alone
-smile at anyone
-likes familiar people
what is indiscriminate attachment stage?
2-7 months
- prefer familiar people
- smile at more familiar than unfamiliar
- accept comfort from anyone
what is specific attachment stage?
7-12 months
- primary attachment
- stranger/ seperation anxiety
what is multiple attachment stage?
1 year+
secondary attachment formed with people that time regularly spent with eg. grandparents
strengths of Schaffer and Emerson study
- REAL LIFE APPLICATION
- aid parent decision making on when to send to nursery to avoid anxiety/ problematic behaviour eg. specific
- HIGH EXTERNAL VALIDITY
- babies observed in own homes so shows a more natural/ realistic behaviours.
limitations of Schaffer and Emerson study
- LOW GENERALISABILITY
- sample from Glasgow/ working class
- isnt representative of all parents/ babies
- low population validity
- LACK OF VALIDITY
- when answering questions mothers may have made themselves look good (social desirability) may give inaccurate answers
