Attachment

    Cards (14)

    • Human attachment and evolution
      • babies need intensive, proximal care during early childhood
      • brain development continues to 25 years old
      • as brain/body proportion increases, so does time taken until sexual maturity
    • What is Bowlby's attachment theory?
      • contrast psychoanalytic views at the time (where mother-child relationship on mothers fulfilling the child's primary needs)
      • influenced by empirical findings that there is an evolutionary-ancient urge in animals to bond with caregiver
    • What is attachment? 

      bond that an infant forms with their primary caregiver - it is characterised by proximity and feelings of being comforted and content
    • What are attachment styles?
      • bonds can take different forms
    • What is attachment behaviour?
      which attachment style a child is examined by looking at their responses to different situations
    • What are the stages of Bowlby's attachment theory?
      1. first few months: orienting towards people indiscriminately
      2. 5-7 months: orienting and preferentially engaging with the caregiver (e.g. smiling)
      3. 7-9 months: going to caregiver (e.g. crawling) and expressing distress when separated from them - onset of attachment
      4. 2-3 years: goal-corrected partnership, whereby child accommodated to the caregiver's needs
      5. 4+: switch from physical proximity to the more abstract emotional closeness.
    • What is lifelong significance in Bowlby's attachment theory?
      • thought initial attachment with mother would create an 'internal working model of attachment'
      • his view on stability of attachment follow from Freud's psychoanalytic ideas of how early childhood experiences determine their future
    • What is Ainsworth's study on attachment styles?
      • detailed, longitudinal observations of mother-infant interactions in Uganda and Baltimore, USA
      • identified 3 attachment types
      • through observations, she created catalogue of attachment behaviours, 1985 4th attachment was added
      • designed strange situation procedure - still used as gold standard method of assessing attachment
    • What are the 4 types of attachment styles:
      Type A: dismissive/avoidant
      Type B: secure
      Type C: anxious/avoidant
      Type D: disorganised
    • What are the key hypothesis in attachment theory?
      • universality hypothesis: when given opportunity, most infants will become attached to at least one caregiver
      • normatively hypothesis: most infants are securely attached in contexts that are not inherently threatening to human health and survival
      • sensitivity hypothesis: attachment security depends on sensitive and prompt responses to infant's signals
      • competence hypothesis: secure attachment lead to positive child outcomes
    • What is the strange stories procedure in Ainsworth's attachment style study?
      • can use dolls or pictures
      • children are presented with a separate scenario and asked:
      • how child in scenario would feel
      • how would they feel, if they were in that situation
      • elaborated questions are asked depending on child's answers
      • why do you think?
      • what could you do make it better
    • What are parental factors in the origins of attachment?
      • self-evident behaviour groups based on Ainsworths original scale
      • sensitivity, contiguity, physical contact, cooperation
      • behaviour groups defined by 27 expects
      • synchrony, mutuality, emotional support, positive attitude, stimulation
    • What are child factors in the origins of attachment?
      • attachment style assessed using strange situation procedure in toddlers with
      • autism, pervasive developmental disorder, mental retardation etc...
      • children with developmental disorders less likely to have secure attachment than non-clinical comparison group - suggesting there are child-related factors affecting attachment style
    • What are cultural factors in the origins of attachment?
      • western middle-class assumption that sign of healthy maturity is individual autonomy
      • differences in socialisation goals
      • wild variety in caregiving arrangements
      • the hypotheses
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