Temperament + Attachment

Question 1

temperament

Answer 1

• person’s behavior style, typical emotional responses

- believed to be base of adult personality

Question 2

easy children

Answer 2

• ~40% of children
• adaptable to change/new situations
• fairly happy

Question 3

difficult children

Answer 3

• ~ 10% of children
• hard to put on regular schedules
• not adaptable (react badly to new situations)
• cry frequently/extensively

Question 4

slow to warm up children

Answer 4

• ~ 15% of children
• inactive overall
• act like difficult children in new situations, but slowly adjust and improve mood
• lack consistently positive moods of easy children

Question 5

attachment

Answer 5

close emotional bond between child and caregiver

Question 6

4 main theorists on attachment

Answer 6

1. John Bowlby
2. Mary Ainsworth
3. Jerome Kagan
4. Erik Erikson

Question 7

“strange situation” attachment experiment

Answer 7

in a room:

1. mother, baby, experimenter
2. mother, baby
3. mother, baby, stranger
4. stranger, baby
5. mother, baby
6. baby
7. stranger, baby
8. mother, baby

Question 8

John Bowlby (in depth)

Answer 8

• saw attachment as all or nothing: child must develop close bond with caregivers in first year of life or experience severe emotional consequences
• believed separation anxiety (crying, searching/reaching for parent, etc) = healthy / normal part of attachment, peaks btwn 6-24 mos

Question 9

Mary Ainsworth (in depth)

Answer 9

• conducted “strange situation” attachment experiment

- saw 4 distinct attachment styles (rather than bowlby’s all/nothing approach)

Question 10

insecure ambivalent attachment

Answer 10

• extremely distressed when mother leaves
• avoidant/fearful of strangers
• when mother returns, approaches but resists contact, may push her away
• cries more + explores less than other attachment styles

Question 11

insecure avoidant attachment

Answer 11

• no distress when mother leaves
• okay with stranger (plays normally)
• little interest when mother returns
• -> mother + stranger comfort child equally well

Question 12

disorganized attachment

Answer 12

• child appears nervous/confused around caregiver

- associated with potential abuse

Question 13

Jerome Kagan (in-depth)

Answer 13

• focused on nature’s role in attachment
• believed temperament and genetics influenced attachment –> insecure attachment was not related to caregiver’s behavior