Attachment

• What is the definition of attachment?

  Attachment is the formation of a strong, reciprocal emotional bond between and infant and primary caregiver.
• What are the 3 ways a baby shows a secure attachment style and how?

  -Proximity: the baby tries to stay close to the attachment figure.

  -Separation: the baby is distress when separated, and has pleasure when reunited.

  -Secure-based behaviour: even when the baby is independent (like playing) they make regular contact with the attachment figure.
• What are the two studies that show reciprocity?

  -Mettzoff and Moore (1997)

  -Tronick.
• What did Mettzoff and Moore do and what are their findings?

  -They pulled tongues and waved hands at the baby.

  -->Aged 12-21 days a baby could imitate.

  ---->Shows that a baby can reciprocate.
• What did Tronick do and what are their findings?

  -Asked mothers to play with their baby and then randomly stop smiling.

  -->The babies become puzzled at first and then quickly becomes distressed.

  ---->Shows that babies expect reciprocity.
• Who explored the stages of attachment and what year was the study?

  -Schaffer and Emerson in 1964
• What was the aim of Schaffer and Emerson's study?

  -To find out the stages and any patterns in development of attachment between infants and parents.
• How many participants were there in Schaffer and Emerson's study?

  -60 babies took part, all from Glasgow and in the same area.
• What was the procedure for Schaffer and Emersons study?

  -Longitudinal study, lasted 18 months.

  -Observed and kept diary records, interviewed mothers, visited monthly until 12 months old and again at 18 months old.

  -Measured attachment by amount of stranger anxiety and separation distress.
• What did Schaffer and Emerson find between the attachment at age birth-3 months?

  -Called the Asocial or Pre-attachment stage.

  -Observable behaviour towards humans and inanimate objects is similar.

  -->But study showed babies tended to show a preference towards familiar people.

  --->Starting to form the basis of later attachment.
• What did Schaffer and Emerson find between the attachment at age 3-7 or 8 months?

  -Called the indiscriminate attachment stage.

  -Their attachments become more obvious.

  -->Showed a clear preference of being with other humans.

  -Haven't shown separation anxiety or stranger anxiety yet.
• What did Schaffer and Emerson find between the attachment at age 7 or 8 months and beyond?

  -Called the specific attachment stage.

  -Babies started to display classic attachment to one specific person.

  -->This was to the primary attachment figure, the person who interacted the most with the baby.

  -Separation and stranger anxiety began.
• What did Schaffer and Emerson find between the attachment at age 9 months and beyond?

  -Called the multiple attachment stage.

  -Babies started to extend attachments with familiar people, these are called secondary attachment figures.

  -By 1 years old, the majority develop these.
• What are some strengths to Schaffer and Emersons study?

  -High external validity: ordinary activities so most likely that the babies behaved naturally.

  -Lots of detail: multiple ways this was recorded.

  -High ecological validity: took place in a naturalistic environment.

  -Real world application: can be adapted from house to house.
• What were some limitations to Schaffer and Emersons study?

  -Poor evidence for asocial stage: babies have poor co-ordination and are fairly immobile so this makes it difficult to observe.

  -Lack of population validity: happened in working class families in Glasgow so cannot be generalised.

  -Self report could result to bias: the observers were mothers.

  -May lack internal validity: self report may not be accurate and could miss detail due to being busy.
• What did Schaffer and Emerson found in the relation to the role of the father?

  -75% of babies formed a secondary attachment to them by 18 months.

  ->29% of these doing so within a month of forming their primary attachment.

  ---->Shows that the attachment is important but unlikely to be the first the baby has.
• What does Tiffany Field (Field et al) found in the relation to the role of the father?

  -Found that if the father is the primary caregiver, they will adopt an emotional role.
• What does Grossman et al found in the relation to the role of the father?

  -Stated that the quality of the fathers play had with the baby was related to the quality of adolescent attachment.

  ->Suggest that the mother is the caregiver, where as the father was about stimulation.
• What are the limitations into the role of the father research?

  -It is a socially sensitive issue: if a baby has a developmental abnormality people will blame this on their parents.

  -There is a lot of confusion on the question being asked.

  -There is a lot of conflicting evidence: MacCallum and Golombok demonstrated that families who grew up in homosexual or single-parent families were not different to those with hetreosexual parents.
• What are the strengths of the role of the father research?

  -Can help new parents: the mother doesn't need to feel guilty of going back to work etc

  -Helps the father feel reassured: if the baby hasn't been favouring him, can see its just a stage in attachment.
• Animal Studies: What does Lorenz show?

  Imprinting.
• What is imprinting in relation to Lorenz?

  -Its when animals will attach to the first moving object/person they see after birth.
• What did Lorenz do?

  -Split the hatch from the mother.

  -->Half stayed with the mother and was naturally birthed, the other to Lorenz were he set up an incubator.

  -The ones who saw Lorenz first saw him as their primary attachment figure, and the ones who saw the mother saw her as their primary attachment figure.

  --->Even when mixed, both sides ran to their primary attachment.
• What did Lorenz find?

  -Imprinting must occur in the critical period of attachment (usually first 30 months), if not the consequence of this failure to form attachment are irreversible.
• What are the limitations in Lorenz's study?

  -Cannot generalise findings: mammalian attachments are different to those of birds. Mammals can potentially form these at any time during their lives and at a greater emotional intensity.

  -Sexual imprinting isn't permanent: Guiton et al, found that chickens finally figured they are unable to mate with a washing up glove despite their imprinting.

  -->Shows that learning and experience is much more important to attachment than imprinting.
• What are the strengths of Lorenz's study?

  -Showed the important of imprinting.

  -Findings have been highly influential withing psychology.
• What did Harlow show in his study?

  -The importance of contact comfort for attachment.
• What did Harlow do?

  -Set up 2 wired monkeys, one that just dispensed milk with the other being cloth bound to provide comfort.
• What did Harlow find?

  -The monkeys would always seek comfort from the cloth bound monkey when scared or were irrespective of which one dispensed milk.

  -->Concluded that contact comfort was more important than food in the development of attachments.