Infant-caregiver human attachment

• what is attachment?


  a close two-way emotional connection or bond between two people.
• what bond is attachment usually between?


  an infant and its primary caregiver
• what is the primary attachment figure usually?

  usually the mother, but could be the father, grandparent or another person.
• who can secondary attachment form between?

  fathers and other important figures in the Childs life.
• what are the four characteristics of attachment outlined by Maccoby (1980)?

  proximity seeking, separation anxiety, pleasure on reunion, secure base behaviour.
• what is proximity seeking?


  trying to stay near to the attachment figure.
• What is separation anxiety?

  distress when separated from the attachment figure.
• what is pleasure on reunion?

  Relief and observable joy when reunited
• what is secure base behaviour?


  the infant is aware of the whereabouts of the attachment figure and 'checks in' frequently.
• what is crucial for development of attachment?

  parent-infant interaction.
• what are the two types of parent-infant interaction?

  reciprocity and interactional synchrony.
• what is reciprocity?


  interaction of reciprocal when each responds to the other, and seeks to elicit a response in other; taking turns. It is like a conversation even though the baby does not have a language yet.
• According to Feldman and Eidelman (2007), how often do mothers pick up on and respond to infant alertness?

  2/3 of the time
• According to Feldman (2007), what happens at around 3 months old?


  from 3 months of age mothers response to infant alertness is more frequent and involves paying attention to each other verbal signals and facial expressions.
• What was the procedure of the still face experiment by Tronick (1975)?

  They studies the mothers and their infants. At first the mothers respond, interact with the infant. The mothers were then told to stare with a still face at the infant and not respond to them. They observed the infants behaviour.
• what was the findings of the still face experiment by Tronick (1975)?

  Initially, the infant tries to get the mother to respond by smiling, pointing and holding hands out. The baby then cried, screams and moves about showing signs of distress. This shows the baby is actively trying to engage with the mother and they are not just a passive partner.
• What is interactional synchrony?


  This is when the behaviours of the caregiver and infant mirror each other. It is less like a conversation, and more like singing from the same hymn sheet. Although, each may respond to the behavioural cues of the other.
• What did Meltzoff and Moore (1977 and 1983) find?

  that babies from two weeks imitate specific facial and hand gestures. Later they found babies as young as three days old did this, so it must be innate.
• What did Isabella et al (1989) find?

  Found a positive correlation between levels of synchrony and quality of attachment. This suggests synchrony is important in creating a strong attachment bond. (though it is a correlation and not a causation.)
• One strength is that observational research is used to study interaction. This is a strength because (demand characteristics) ... Therefore...

  This is a strength because as babies are not aware of being studied there are fewer demand characteristics. Therefore, legitimate and natural behaviour is being recorded leading to high validity. Although, can take longer as babies sleep a lot.
• One strength is that observational research is used to study observational research. This is a strength because (being filmed)... therefore...

  This is a strength because the interaction is often filmed and from multiple angles, so giving a very full and clear picture of the behaviour. Therefore it is more valid and we can have another observer view and rate the recording to check for inter-observer reliability.
• One limitation is that research into caregiver-infant interaction is gender biased as early researchers assumed the mother was the primary attachment figure. Therefore...

  The research is incomplete as it can only tell us about interactions between infants and their mothers.
• One limitation is that the research is socially sensitive This is because... And so...


  This is because it suggests certain parenting behaviours may disadvantage a child if they are full time and cannot engage in reciprocity and interactional synchrony. And so they may leave their job, work part time or others may have a pessimistic view of their parenting and feel guilty. Other people may judge them.
• who studied infant attachment in Glasgow?

  Schaffer and Emerson (1964)
• how old were the babies in Schaffer and Emerson's study?

  studied babies up to 18 months old. They were aged 5-23 weeks at the start of the study.
• what type of study was Schaffer and Emerson's?

  an observational longitudinal study - takes place over a long period of time.
• how many infants were observed and from what kind of family in the study by Schaffer and Emerson?

  60 infants mainly from working class families.
• how were the infants observed in the study by Schaffer and Emerson?

  mothers reported on the behaviours of their babies and noted their babies behaviours with themselves, other adults and strangers. Schaffer and Emerson themselves also observed them every four weeks until they were a year old, and once again at 18 months old.
• What was being observed in the study by Schaffer and Emerson?

  in infants: smiling, preference for people/ a certain person, separation anxiety and distress with strangers.
• explain the first stage of attachment by Schaffer and Emerson:

  - 0-8 weeks

  - Asocial

  - no preference yet

  - very young infants are asocial in many kinds of stimuli, both social and non social. They produce favorable reactions such as a smile with very few protests.

  - react similarly to humans are objects but are happier in the presence of humans.
• explain the second stage of attachment by Schaffer and Emerson:

  - 2-7 months

  - indiscriminate attachment

  - 'clearer' social behaviour

  - prefers people to objects and prefers similar people to strangers.

  - anyone can cuddle them and they do not show separation anxiety
• explain the third stage of attachment by Schaffer and Emerson:

  - 7 + months

  - specific attachment - the first true attachment

  - have a preference towards one person (65% of the time this was the mother.)

  - will be distressed in the presence of strangers

  - experience separation anxiety when they are not around their primary caregiver.
• explain the fourth stage of attachment by Schaffer and Emerson:

  - stage 3 + 1 month

  - multiple attachment

  - child forms secondary attachment with other adults they have regular contact with.

  - develops 1-3 months after primary attachment

  - by 18 months, almost all infants have formed multiple attachments.
• what percentage of babies primary attachment is the mother?

  65%
• what percentage of babies primary attachment is the father?

  3%
• what percentage of babies form a joint first attachment to the mother and father?

  27%
• what percentage of babies will form multiple attachments within 1 month of forming their specific attachment?

  29%
• What percentage of babies attach to someone other than the person who fed or bathed them?

  39%
• what did Schaffer and Emerson say appeared to be the most key to attachment?

  sensitive responsiveness.
• what is sensitive responsiveness?


  there is little relationship between the amount of time spent together and attachment. It is about quality not quantity. Infants who attached strongly to their mothers had mothers who responded quickly to their demands and interacted with their child.