Introduction to attachment

• attachment=a close two way bond that develops over time between two people
• reciprocity= a two way interaction that elicits a response from one another. Both the caregiver and the infant contribute and respond to each others signals.
• interactional synchrony= the caregiver and infant mirroring each others actions and behaviours. Caregiver initiates the interaction. Movements are synchronised.
• The study for interactional synchrony was done by Meltzoff and Moore. Conducted a study on two week old infants imitating specific facial and hand features. They used an adult model who displayed three facial expressions (controlled observation). the infant had a dummy to prevent any response at first. When removed the facial expressions were filmed. Infant synchronised facial expressions to the adult.
• A limitation is that it is hard to know what's happening when observing infants. What is being observed is merely hand signals or changes in expression. It is difficult to know what is taking place from the infants perspective. This means we cant be certain that any interaction is meaningful.
• A strength is that the observations allow fine detail to be captured from multiple angles. This ensures that any behaviour filmed can later be analysed and recorded. Also babies dont know they are being observed so their behaviour doesnt change. This means the study has good validity because the baby is not influenced by others.
• Another problem is that this explanation of interactions is not culture bound. Kenyan mothers have little physical interaction yet the infants have a secure attachment. This means it cannot be generalised to the wider population.
• attachment to fathers= They are more likely to be secondary attachment figures while the mother is the primary attachment figure. This attachment normally happens around 7 months.
• Distinctive role= Grossman carried out a longitudinal study and looked at both parents behaviour and its relationship to the quality of the babys later attachments. Found that fathers are less important than attachments to mothers. Also suggests that fathers have a different role which is more to do with play and stimultion.
• Fathers as a primary attachment figure= Some studies to suggest that fathers can take on more emotional roles typical of the mother. They partake in interactional synchrony and reciprocity, primary attachment fathers spend more time smiling and playing with their children then secondary.
• A limitation is that there is inconsistent findings on fathers as different psychologists research different questions about the role of the father. On one hand they are interested in understanding the role as a secondary figure but others are more concerned with role as a primary secondary figure. This is a problem because the contradictory research shows the role of the father is unclear.
• Another limitation is conflicting evidence if fathers do have a role. Grossmans longitudinal study suggests that secondary fathers still have a distinct role. This would suggest families without a father would turn out differently when they have no change to their development making the study have low validity.
• Alot of research is biased as there are stereotypes on parenting roles. Argued that fathers dont become primary attachments because of traditional views on the mother being expected to be nurturing and caring. Therefore, making some fathers feel like they shouldnt act like that. But it could also be the fact that females have hormones such as oestrogen. This puts fathers at a biological disadvantage and could create observer bias as they focus mainly on the mother.
• Schaffer and Emerson: Longitudinal study of babies in Glasgow from working class families. The babies were recorded in different everyday situations such as being left in their room. The researcher visited every month for a year and asked the mothers to record the babies behaviour. Results were the different stages of attachment, and that the mother was the main attachment figure for 65% of children.
• Asocial stage= 2 months old and has no preferences for people or objects.

  Indiscriminate stage= 2-7 months and the baby accepts comfort from any adult and shows no sign of stranger/separation anxiety

  Specific stage= 7 months old and the baby has formed a specific attachment and shows signs of stranger/separation anxiety

  Multiple attachments= baby shows attachment to a variety of people known as secondary attacments.
• This study has good external validity because it was carried out in the families home so the parents did the observations. This meant that the baby wasnt affected by the presence of others, so their behaviour was natural. But a problem with this is that asking the mothers to observe might lead to them being bias.
• In the early few weeks the infant have poor coordination and are immobile. Therefore, it is difficult to make any judgements about them based on observation as there isnt much to observe. Makes it unclear if the infant is showing social behaiour
• Measuring multiple attachments doest take into cultural variations. This research is based off western concepts of forming multiple attachments later on but in collectivist cultures the infants form multiple attachments from birth.