Attachment

• How did Ainsworth describe attachment?

  An affectional tie that an infant forms with their mother
• How can attachment be spotted?

  Proximity, separation distress, secure-base behaviour
• How often do mothers pick up on a babies sign to get attention?

  2/3
• Interactional Synchrony


  When the infant and caregiver mirror each other’s actions whilst interacting
• Reciprocity


  When an infant responds to the actions of the caregiver with similar actions
• Grossmann (2002)

  • Carried out a longitudinal study looking at both parents‘ behaviour and its relationship to the quality of attachment into teen years
  • Father’s play sensitivity was a better predictor of the child’s long-term attachment than early measures of attachment
• Fathers as primary caregivers

  Field (1978) filmed 4 month old babies with caregivers. Fathers who were primary caregivers smiled more and spend more time holding the infant than secondary caregiver fathers
• Caregiver-infant interaction evaluation

  • Data from infant observation
  • Observations are well-controlled so can capture fine detail
  • Don’t know the purpose of reciprocity and interactional synchrony - Feldman (2012)
• Role of father evaluation

  • Inconsistent research due to research questions asked
  • If role of the father is important, why aren’t children who grow up without fathers different?
  • We don’t often see fathers as primary attachment figures
• Who studied the stages of attachment?

  Schaffer and Emerson (1964)
• Stages of attachment

  1. Asocial stage (first few weeks)
  2. Indiscriminate attachment (2-7 months)
  3. Specific attachment (7+ months)
  4. Multiple attachment
• Schaffer and Emerson evaluation

  • Can’t generalise results: working-class population from Glasgow
  • May lack temporal validity
  • Self-report
  • Are all attachments equal in multiple attachment stage?
• Who suggested that attachment happens through conditioning?

  Dolland and Miller (1950)
• Classical conditioning attachment

  1. Milk (UCS) = Happiness (UCR)
  2. Mum (NS) = No response
  3. Milk + Mum = Happiness
  4. Mum (CS) = Happiness (CR)
• Operant conditioning attachment


  Hungry infant feels uncomfortable. Food is a negative reward as it takes away the hunger. Food is the primary reinforcer. Parent is the secondary reinforcer
• Who suggested that attachment happens through social learning?


  Dale Hay and Jo Vespo
• Social learning theory of attachment

  • Modelling: children observe their parents’ affectionate behaviour and imitate this
  • Rewarded attachment behaviours, such as hugs and kisses
• Learning theory evaluation

  • Based on animal studies (Skinner, Pavlov)
  • Can explain role of association in attachment
  • Emphasis on the role of food
• Bowlby suggested that attachment is innate and is an evolutionary survival method
• Lorenz

  • His research suggests that organisms have a biological tendency to form attachments
  • He studied imprinting in geese
  • Goslings were hatched either in an incubator or with their mother, those from the incubator saw Lorenz first and imprinted onto him
  • Imprinting operates in a critical period
  • Suggests that attachment models future relationships
• Lorenz evaluation

  • Can’t be generalised
• Harlow

  • Rhesus monkeys were caged from infancy with a wire food-dispensing surrogate mother and a cloth-covered surrogate mother
  • The monkeys displayed attachment behaviour towards the cloth-covered mother when scared
  • They were willing to explore a room but only when they could use the cloth-covered mother as a safe-base
  • These monkeys had dysfunctional adult behaviour (timid, unpredictable, difficulty mating, the females were inadequate mothers)
• Harlow evaluation

  • Can’t generalise to humans
  • Unethical
• Bowlby’s theory of attachment

  • Attachments happen both ways
  • Critical period (3-6 months old)
  • Sensitivity of caregiver
  • Social releases
  • Monotropy
  • Internal working model
  • Continuity hypothesis
• What is the critical period for attachment according to Bowlby?

  3-6 months
• Social releases


  Behaviour displayed by babies to ‘unlock’ the innate tendency of adults to care for them. Can be physical (baby face) or behavioural (crying, cooing, smiling)
• Monotropy


  A superior attachment with the primary caregiver, usually the mother. If the mother isn’t available then the baby can attach to a mother-substitute who is an ever-present adult. Secondary attachments act as emotional safety nets
• The continuity hypothesis


  Individuals who are strongly attached in infancy continue to be socially and emotionally competent whilst those who are not strongly attached have social and emotional difficulties in childhood and adulthood
• Bowlby’s theory of attachment evaluation

  • May not be critical for survival
  • Attachments can form after critical period - Rutter et al
  • Grossman and Grossman support difference in primary and secondary attachment
• Who developed the Strange Situation?

  Mary Ainsworth
• How was data recorded in the Strange Situation?

  Group observation using a video recorder or two-way mirror
• Behavioural categories in the Strange Situation

  1. Proximity and contact-seeking behaviour
  2. Contact-maintaining behaviour
  3. Proximity and interaction-avoiding behaviour
  4. Contact and interaction-resisting behaviour
  5. Search behaviour

  Each item was scored for intensity in a scale from 1 to 7
• Strange Situation findings

  • 66% secure attachment
  • 22% insecure-avoidant attachment
  • 12% insecure-resistant attachment
• Secure attachment

  • Confident that attachment figure is available ti meet needs
  • Use attachment figure as a safe-base
  • Seek the attachment figure at times of distress
  • Easily soothed by attachment figure when distressed
• Insecure-avoidant attachment

  • Do not orientate to attachment figure when exploring environement
  • Independent both physically and emotionally
  • Don’t seek contact with figure when distressed
• Parent of insecure-avoidant child

  Insensitive and rejecting of child’s needs, may withdraw from helping during difficult tasks, often unavailable during times of emotional distress
• Parent of securely attached child


  Sensitive to child’s signals and responds appropriately to their needs
• Insecure-resistant attachment

  • Clingy and dependant towards attachment figure
  • Rejecting of attachment figure when they engage in interaction
  • Lacks feelings of security from figure
  • Have difficulty moving away from attachment figure and exploring
  • Difficult to sooth when distressed as they aren’t comforted by interaction with attachment figure
• Parent of insecure-resistant child


  Inconsistant levels of response to child’s needs
• Separation anxiety


  Distress when away from attachement figure