what is an attachment?
an emotional connection or bond between the child and the caregiver, characterised by mutual affection, frequent interaction and a desire for proximity
what is interactional synchrony?
-carrying out the same action simultaneously
-caregiver and baby mirror each other
-meltzoff and moore
-isabella et al - high synchrony associated with better quality of attachment
what is reciprocity?
-sequential turn taking between the caregiver and infant
-attract infants attention and pauses
-brazleton et al - ‘dance’
-infants need intimate interactions from birth, signal this by alertness
outline research from stages of attachment (schaffer and emerson)
-60 babies for 18 months - from w/c communities in glasgow
what are the 4 stages of attachment (schaffer and emmerson)
0-3mth - asocial stage - no recognition that humans and inanimate objects are different
3-7mth - indiscriminate attachment - comfort accepted from any adult, familiar adults recognised
7-9mth - discriminate attachment - fear of strangers, separation anxiety, primary attachment to specific person
9+mth - secondary attachments, separation anxiety for multiple caregivers
evaluation of the stages of attachment theory
+find out if a child developing normally and making attachments. certain age and not formed attachment - intervention strategies. can be used in real life to help parents.
-issue in how multiple attachments are measured. bowlby - children may get distressed when playmate leaves but this doesn’t signify attachment. difficult to measure if multiple attachments have been formed
outline research into the role of the father
S+E - stage theory says the mother was the primary attachment figure at 7 mths. later, they had secondary attacchments. 18mths - 75% attached to father. fathers have some importance but not as much as mothers
Grossman- longitudinal study of 44 families, studied babies attachments. infants relationship with fathers had no bearing on quality of attachments in adolesence. quality of play with fathers did correlate with attchments - father’s role is play and stimulation
Field - observation into 3 types of caregivers. it is sensitive responsiveness, not gender taht is crucial for attachment formation
evaluation of role of the father
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