1
Q
define attachment
A
a strong emotional bond felt by both people for a long time
2
Q
what are the 4 key characteristics of attachment which Maccoby proposed
A
- seeking proximity
- distress on seperation
- joy on reunion
- orientation of behaviour
3
Q
why are caregiver-infant interactions so important
A
they have important roles in a child’s development and future
4
Q
how do caregiver-infant interactions affect attachment
A
the more responsive or sensitive a caregiver and infant are to each other’s signals, the deeper the attachment
5
Q
what is reciprocijty
A
a 2-way (mutual) process where each party elicits a response to the other’s signals to continue interactions
6
Q
why is reciprocity seen to be important
A
to develop later communications
7
Q
explain Tronick’s still face study
A
12 mother-infant pairs were interacting normally, and then the caregiver stops reacting and goes emotionless.
The babies encouraged a response and then became upset/angry/distressed when there was no reaction
8
Q
what is interactional synchrony
A
when a caregiver and infant reflect the actions and emotions of the other in a coordinated way - they mirror each other simultaneously
9
Q
summarise and evaluate Meltzoff and Moore’s study into interactional synchrony
A
- adult demonstrated 3 faces or hand gestures
- babies were observed by independant researchers to see if they copied
- there was an association found
good use of standardised procedure
good internal validity
10
Q
what is a limitation of studying caregiver-infant interactions
A
it is difficult to interpret the facial expressions and gestures of infants. since they don’t have gross or fine muscle control, it is unclear if their actions are intentional, so cause and effect cannot be established and results must be down to subjective interpretation
11
Q
what is psuedo-limitation
A
the idea that an infant isn’t really imitating a caregiver’s behaviour, but instead repeating it for a reward
12
Q
briefly summarise schaffer and emerson’s glaswegian babies study
A
They studied 60 babies from working-class families in Glasgow, visiting them every month for the first year, then again at 18 months. Researchers interviewed the mothers and observed the babies’ reactions to separation (e.g. from their caregiver) and to strangers
13
Q
what were schaffer ad emerson’s aims
A
To investigate how attachment develops in infants over time, particularly the age it starts and who attachments are formed with
14
Q
what were schaffer and emerson’s results
A
- Attachment develops in stages (4 stages of attachment)
- Most infants formed attachments with one main caregiver (usually the mother) around 6–8 months, but by 10 months, many had formed multiple attachments
- The primary attachment figure wasn’t always the one who spent the most time with the baby, but rather the one who responded most sensitively to their needs, usually the mother
15
Q
what does schaffer and emerson’s study tell us about reciprocity and attachment
A
attachment develops in stages through interactions with caregivers
16
Q
explain the first stage of attachment (time period, behaviour etc.)
A
asocial: 0-8 weeks
infants show innate behaviours such as crying and smiling to attract caregiver attention (no preference)
- infant does not understand that it is separate from caregivers
17
Q
explain the second stage of attachment (time period, behaviour etc.)
A
indiscriminate attachment: 2-7 months
infants begin developing a sense of trust and can distinguish between familiar and unfamiliar people, but will still accept care from anyone, and doesn’t protest when seperated from primary caregiver
18
Q
explain the third stage of attachment (time period, behaviour etc.)
A
specific attachment: 7-12 months
infants seek regular contact with caregiver and may show distress on seperation, this is the onset of stranger anxiety
19
Q
explain the fourth stage of attachment (time period, behaviour etc.)
A
multiple attachments: 8-9 months onwards
language develops and toddlers understand caregiver actions and motivations. they have learnt to tolerate seperations with less distress
20
Q
give 2 weaknesses of the stages of attachment theory
A
- studying the asocial stage is an issue because their motivations are unclear so any data is based on inference and assumptions, questioning its validity
- there is opposing evidence to explain when multiple attachments are formed. it is normal for swedish babies to form multiple attachments early on, hinting that stages of attachment are dependant on culture. this makes the theoy seem etnocentric and reduces its generalisaility
21
Q
give a postive to schaffer and emerson’s stages of attachment
A
useful practical applications for parents to ensure that their baby is meeting milestones (however, could cause issues if the baby develops slower than average) - should therefore be used as a guideline
22
Q
what is the typical role of mothers in interactions with infants
A
nurturing and comforting
23
Q
what is the typical role of fathers in interactions with infants
A
risk taking and physically challenging in playtime
24
Q
who do mothers often take on the more nurturing role
A
nurture is a primary need for infants and usually mothers take on the role of the primary attachment figure
25
what research evidence is there to imply that males are not suitable to be the primary caregiver
Heerman found that men seemed to lack emotional sensitivity to infant cues, which women helped with immediately. this may be due the oestrogen in a woman's body since this produces an increased emotional response - therefore, fathers may not be suitable to take on the role of the primary attachment figure because they don't have the key hormones/biological factors
26
what research contradicted Heerman's argument that biological factors prevent a man from being a primary caregiver
Lamb found that fathers can develop and learn this sensitivity. This shows that it is not down to oestrogen because it can be learnt
27
how do attachments to each parents affect later relationships
mother - good for positive internal working model to form healthier attachments
Father - good for later life development and resilience
28
what are the economic implications from the importance of fathers in attachments being discovered
The government allows fathers to receive more paternity pay, so they have to pay more benefits
29
what is a limitation for the role of fathers in attachment theory
there is a lack of difference between children who grew up with or without a father which may suggest that the father's role is insignificant, or that gender roles don't matter, and needs just need to be met, regardless of gender
30
why is research into the difference in gender roles seen as socially sensistive
1. undermines the role of the father
3. puts added pressure on parents to meet targets
31
Why are animal studies useful in understanding attachment
to look at the formation of early bonds - attachment is common in a range of species so animal results can be extrapolated
also, animal research allows us to conduct research that would be unethical otherwise (depriving an infant of its mother, for example)
32
what does imprinting mean
an innate readiness to develop a strong bond with a mother during a specific/critical period
- if this doesn't happen in time, it won't happen at all (it is irreversible and long-lasting)
33
what is the suggestion for why imprinting occurs
as a survival instinct (babies need parents to survive, etc - but we DON'T imprint!!)
34
what is sexual imprinting
the idea that imprinting can affect adult mate preferences (animals will choose to mate with the same kind of object upon which they were imprinted)
35
what is the definition of maternal deprivation
when an infant has had their attachment disrupted in infancy which can lead to negative consequences for their development and later life
36
summarise lorenz's study and the results found
goose eggs were randomly allocated into 2 conditions of the IV:
1. hatched with mother goose present
2. hatched in incubator with Lorenz present
when the groups were mixed together, and both the goose and lorenz walked through a maze, the geese in the control group (hatched with mother) followed their mother goose, whereas the geese in Lorenz's group followed him
Therefore, we can include that the geese had imprinted on the first moving object they saw, so therefore followed and trusted this object
37
what did lorenz report about sexual imprinting
a peacock raised in a reptile house tried to mate with a tortoise
38
summarise Harlow's study and the results found
16 monkeys were separated from their mothers at brith and randomly allocated to 2 separate IV conditions:
1. wire monkey
2. wire monkey with cloth
where they lived with their new motherly figure
the monkeys were then individually placed in the position where they had the option to go to the wire monkey (which provided milk) or the cloth, comforting monkey (without milk).
all monkeys chose to cloth monkey, even if they grew up with the wire monkey, proving that attachment is based on comfort and emotion instead of food
39
what were the results of the monkeys in harlow's study in later adulthood
monkeys that were deprived of a 'real' mother were more aggressive and dysfunctional. they struggled to mate and also soemtimes killed their children
40
what parts of animal research can be extrapolated to humans
- attachment is not the result of meeting physical needs, but also emotional
- attachment is important for social development and later relationships
- attachment happens within a limited timeframe
- there may be an innate readiness/predisposition to attach
41
explain the idea of continuity
The idea that we share an evolutionary history with other species, so we are likely to have similar biological structures and processes
42
what is speciesism
a form of discrimination where humans take advantage of animals
43
give a negative of harlow's research
it can be viewed as unethical because the monkeys were affected long-term. (however the study was very benfiical in understanding human attachment - does the importance outweigh the harm?). therefore, whilst significant harm was made, it may be justifiable
44
give a positive of harlow's research
scientifically credible because it used standardised procedure within a controlled lab enviroment. (however, there is low ecological validity because the monkeys were not in a stimulating enviroment), therefore it is not fully credible
45
give a strength of lorenz's research
there is further supporting evidence to prove the idea of imprinting.
guiton found that chickens which imprinted on yellow washing up gloves would try to mate with them as adults. this gives weight to the ideas of sexual imprinting (but the effects were not permanent). this gives the theory reliability, but it is still fairly useless because humans are more cognitively advanced so cannot extrapolate the findings
46
why has lorenz's research been so influential within the field of developmental psychology
suggested that attachmenet is formed under biological control and within a critical period. this lead to bowlby's research, and improved hospital policies after birth to give children best chance at life
47
what 4 things did bowlby propose about attachment
1. attachment is innate
2. attachment occurs during a critical period
3. what are social releasers
4. monotropy
48
what does innate mean
a naturally occurring, biological thing that children are born with in order to survive (these have changed/adapted over time to strengthen the survival advantage)
49
what does critical period refer to
The time when attachments should form - if this doesn't happen (usually 2 years), the child will face difficulties growing up
50
what are social releasers
a set of innate 'cute' behaviours which encourage an adult's attention to activate their adult attachment system
51
what is monotropy
a unique and close attachment between the primary caregiver and infant which shapes future relationships
52
what is the law of accumulated separation
the idea that every seperation from the mother has a prolonged effect and add up, therefore the safest dose is 0
53
what is the law of continuity
The idea that the more constant and predictable a child's care, the better quality present and future attachments will be
54
what did bowlby propose about our internal working model
we form a mental representation of what relationships should be liek based on our interactions with our primary attachment figure.
this acts as a template for how we behave in future relationships, and impacts out expectations of relationships and future parenting styles
55
outline the IWM of a child who has grown up with a positive, secure attachment
positive. perceives themselves in a good way, repeats good actions, high expectations in relationships
56
outline the IWM of a child who has grown up with a negative, insecure attachment
negative template. perceive themselves in a bad way, low standards, repeat negative actions in future, harder to form/keep relationships
57
what is a way of remembering Bowlby's theory
SO MAGIC
So - social releasers
M - monotropy
A - adaptive
G - gotta stay close
I - internal working model
C - critical period
58
what evidence is there to support bowlby's theory (alongside harlow's)
Hazan and Shaver - conducted a 'Love Quiz' and found a correlation between early infant attachment style and later romantic relationships. those who were more securely attached in infancy tended to have more successful relationships as adults.
this supports the IWM (continuity of behaviours) and suggests some valditity, but this is a correlation so it cannot be definite
59
what evidence is there to oppose bowlby's theory
Scheffer and Emerson found that from approxmatly 40 weeks children form multiple attachments, all of the same quality (this refutes the idea that there is only 1 main attachment). therefore making the theory less valid
60
give a strength of bowlby's research
has had influential real world applications - maternity and paternity leave etc.
61
give a weakness of bowlby's research
It places a terrible burden on. mothers, as they can arguably be blamed for anything that goes wrong in their child's life - may restrict them from going back to work
62
what was the aim of ainsworths strange situation
to assess how infants aged 9-18 months behave under conditions of mild stress and novelty to test stranger anxiety, separation anxiety, and the secure-base concept
63
outline Mary Ainsworth's procedure for a Strange Situation study
she conducted a controlled observation where 106 infants and mothers from middle class, american families were placed in 7 eipsodes, each lasting 3 minutes. it took place in a lab with a 2-way mirror so psychologists could observe the children's behaviour. the enviroment was unfamiliar to the infant, hence the name
firstly, the infant and caregiver were in the kab together and the infant was allowed to explore (secure base behaviour)
secondly, the stranger enters and interacts with the infant (stranger anxiety)
thirdly, the caregiver leaves the infant and stranger alone (stranger anxiety and seperation anxiety)
fourthly the caregiver returns and stranger leaves (reunion, base behaviour)
fifthly the caregiver leaves the child alone (seperation anxiety)
sixly the stranger returns (seperation and stranger anxiety)
lastly the caregiver returns and stranger laves (reunion behaviour)
64
how was behaviour sampled
time sampling: every 15 seconds the category of behaviour displayed was recorded and scored on an intensity scale
65
what were the % found of children in each attachment style/group
70% secure
20% avoidant
10% resistent
66
how did securely attached babies react to seperation anxiety, stranger anxiety, and on the reunion
separation: moderate distress when mother leaves
stranger: avoident when alone, mildly friendly when caregiver is present
reunion: positive and happy on return
67
how did avoident attached babies react to seperation anxiety, stranger anxiety, and on the reunion
seperation: no signs of distress
stranger: plays normally with stranger and seems relaxed (no difference to previously)
reunion: no interest
68
how did resistent attached babies react to seperation anxiety, stranger anxiety, and on the reunion
seperation: intense distress at seperation
stranger: high levels of anxiety and fear
reunion: approaches with joy, but then resists contact
69
give 2 negatives of the strange situation
1. seen to be culturally biased because it only follows the norms of western parenting styles
2. the caregiver sensitivty theory has been disproven, and shows that the correlation between parental sensivity and child attachment types is weak, therefore making it invalid and potentially reductionist (may be due to lots of things)
70
give 2 positives of the strange situation
1. good reliability (been replicated and usually gives consistent results)
2. high internal validity because it is identical for each ppt (but very low ecological validity)
71
what was the aim of van ijzendoorn and kroonenberg's study
to investigate whether there are significant differences/results between attachment types in different cultures from the strange situation procedure
72
what was the procedure of van ijzendoorn and kroonenberg's study
they used a meta-analysis of data across different countries (32 studies from 8 countries were analysed) after doing the strange situation experiment
73
what is a meta analysis
an objective examinations of published studies analysed to find patterns and draw conclusions
74
What results did van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg find from their study
most common: secure
Eastern areas had higher resistance levels: Japan 27, Israel 29
Germany has the highest avoidance rates due to independence (35)
75
what conclusions can we make about attachment across cultures
there are 2 main types of cultures:
1. individualist (avoidant babies in western countries which value independence)
2. collectivist (resistent babies in eastern countries which value cooperation and collective working)
Therefore, the enviroment/people you grow up with affects attachments
76
who conducted the strange situation experiment in germany, and what results were found
Grossman: found that there were a greater number of anxious avoident attachment types due to the encouragement of indepdnance and early weaning from young
77
who conducted the strange situation experiment in Japan, and what results were found
Takahashi: there were 0% avoidant, 32% resistant, 68% secure. this is because Japanese mothers do not leave their children with others to pacify them, so they rarely cry, explaining why infants were so distressed at seperation
78
what do these cultural variations show about the straneg situation
standardised measures of attachment may not be appropriate/valid across all cultures as they are not generalisable
79
give 2 strengths of cross-cultural research
tends to use standardised procedures. the strange situation is replicated identically in each country, and this makes it easy to compare results and draw patterns, therefore leading to more valid conclusions
large sample sizes so anomalies have less impact, improving the validity of the results
80
give 2 weakness' of cross-cultural research
the strange situation may be ethnocentric because it is not appropriate for all cultures. ainsworth based it on American ideals. this means that also judgements may be made about cultures such as in Germany, where babies have mostly avoidant attachments due to the encouragement of independence. these results may result in german mothers being viewed as lacking in sensitive responsiveness, when in reality it may be the measures being used that are not applicable for that culture.
therefore, this may lead to an imposed etique where it is assumed that attachment behaviour based on 1 culture is appropriate universally, therefore leading to other cultures potentially being views less favourably, creating cultural bias.
the cross-cultural research was only conducted from 8 countries, and this may not represent cultures. a country does not automatically represent a unified culture, and differing cultures may exist within a country due to variables such as income, employment etc. (however, Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg did acknowledge that variation within cultures was 150% greater than between cultures). therefore, cross-cultural research tells us very little about all cultural groups as not every culture is represented, making the results less valid.
81
what is the definition of affectionless psychopathy
a lack of concern for others, a lack of guilt, and inability to form meaningful relationships (you act on impulse)
82
What is meant by deprivation is attachment
when the attachment is disrupted or broken (usually due to the caregiver being physically or emotionally distant/absent)
83
how can future emotional damage due to deprivation during the critical period be mitigated by
an appropriate emotional substitute
Psychology
flashcards
Decks in class (16)
# Cards
-
Definitions of Abnormality18
-
Phobias36
-
Depression25
-
OCD34
-
Social Influence139
-
Zimbardo's experiment14
-
Research Methods251
-
The Learning Approach56
-
The cognitive approach21
-
The biological approach42
-
Psychodynamic Approach43
-
Humanistic Approach27
-
Origins of Psychology24
-
Memory98
-
Attachment83
-
Approaches A03 (SODAS)14
