Attachment essay plans

• AO1-Reciprocity

  Actions of primary caregiver elicits response from infant - respond to each others signals - flows back and forth.

  Condon & Sander - used frame by frame analysis of babies movements in response to adult conversation - coordinated actions with adult speech - subtle form of turn taking
• AO1- interactional synchrony

  Infant mirrors adults actions and emotions - synchronised - same pattern

  Meltzoff & Moore - observed infants for 2 - 3 weeks - adult displayed facial expressions or hand gestures - babies mimicked - interactional synchrony
• AO3- strengths of caregiver interactions

  P Well controlled procedures

  E Filming techniques- multiple angles- high detail. babies wont change behaviour- no demand characteristics

  E High internal validity

  P Practical applications

  E Understanding attachments- help individuals who have disrupted attachments. Therapies which enourage adoptive parents to mimic child’s facial expressions

  E Help strengthen/form attachments
• AO3- weaknesses of caregiver interactions

  P Problematic - don’t know what‘s occurring from babies perspective

  E Is mimicked expression conscious & deliberate? Do they have emotional feelings at the same time?

  E Doesn’t show behaviours meaningful

  P Socially sensitive

  E Mothers shouldn’t return to work shortly after baby born- reduced interactional synchrony opportunities. Isabella suggests its important for secure attachment to develop

  E Ethical issues- mothers who return to work are inferior
• AO1- Schaffer & Emerson study (aim, procedure..)

  investigated the formation of early attachments using 60 working class babies from glasgow

  visitied homes monthly for a year- mothers interview/ kept diaries- asked questions about stranger/ separation anxiety

  proposed attachment develop in 4 stages
• AO1- stages of attachment

  Asocial stage (0-6 weeks)- baby started forming bonds- relationships to objects and humans similar

  Indiscriminate stage (6 weeks -7 months)- display more observable social behaviour - smile at people over objects, recognise familiar faces, no separation anxiety- behaviour same for everyone

  Discriminate stage (7 / 8 months onwards)- specific attachment- one person- most interactions & respond to signals- mothers 65% cases- show separation & stranger anxiety

  Multiple attachments stage (9 months onwards)- secondary attachments- fear of strangers weakens
• AO3- weaknesses Schaffer

  P conflicting evidence- multiple attachments- psychologists disagree when this forms

  E Collectivist cultures- form multiple attachments straightaway- theory suggests one attachment forms before others

  E Culturally relative

  P Individual differences

  E Some individuals progress through stages quicker/ slower

  E Generalisation limited

  P Studying asocial stage limited- baby unable to move

  E relatively immobile- doesn’t mean infant isn’t having sociable feelings/ cognitions- cant be observed

  E Not completely valid
• AO1- role of the father

  traditionally fathers work and mothers stay home- role of the father changed- now its nomal for mothers to have jobs

  Geiger- fathers play interactions more exciting & pleasurable- mothers more nurturing & affectionate- fathers seen as playmates not caregivers

  Lamb- child prefers interaction with fathers when in positive emotional state and mothers when distressed & seek comfort- fathers playmates in certain situations
• AO1- role of father continued

  Hardy- fathers less able than mothers to detect low level infant distress- less suitable as secure attachment figures

  Lamb- fathers who become main care providers quickly become more sensitive to children’s needs- sensitive responding not biological ability limited to females

  security of father- infant attachments depends on high levels of intimacy- closeness affects type of relationship
• AO3- strengths role of father

  P Fathers have important role in child’s development

  E Those who grow up without a father preform worse in school and show higher levels of aggression

  E Fathers help prevent negative development

  P Idea that fathers are less suitable primary attachment figures is incorrect

  E As a result of traditional gender roles & socialisation- females expected to be more nurturing/ caring

  E Fathers raised feeling like they shouldn’t have a nurturing role not that they can’t
• AO3- weaknesses role of father

  P research suggests fathers don’t have distinct role

  E Children with single mothers or same sex parents don’t develop many different than those in 2 parent heterosexual families

  E Fathers role as secondary attachment figure not necessary for development
• AO1- Lorenz Experiment

  Divided gosling eggs into 2 groups. 1 group left with natural mother- others placed in incubator - Lorenz was first living thing goslings saw after hatching

  Found that naturally hatched goslings followed mothers, others followed Lorenz and had no recognition of their natural mother

  Imprinting occurred within critical period of 12-17 hours after hatching - form special relationship with caregiver - wont form after critical window
• AO3- Lorenz

  P Incredibly influential

  E Increased importance of skin to skin contact after babies born- spend as much time with mother as possible to promote attachment

  E Importance of critical window recognised

  P Doesn’t help understand human attachment

  E Mammalian attachments different to birds. Mammals form more emotional attachments to young than birds. mammals form attachments at anytime

  E Can‘t extrapolate Lorenz’s research to humans- functionally different
• AO1- Harlow experiment- rhesus monkeys


  Investigate whether attachments are formed primarily through food - 8 infant monkeys observed for 165 days

  2 monkeys- cloth covered & wire mother- measured amount of time monkeys spent with each mother

  found all 8 monkeys spent more time with cloth covered mother. Those who fed from wire mother spent short amount time getting food, then retuned to cloth mother. Frightened by mechanical teddy bear- clung to cloth mother

  Concluded baby moneys have innate drive to seek comfort- attachment formed due to need fro security
• AO3- Strengths Harlow

  P Incredibly influential in understanding human attachment

  E Disproved learning theory- attachment doesn’t develop through food but instead as a result of contact. Importance of early healthy attachments- later social development

  E Informed child-rearing practices across world

  P Practical applications for humans & monkeys

  E Humans- help social workers understand risk factors of child neglect- intervene and prevent. Monkeys reared in zoos- influenced care of captive monkeys- understand importance of attachment figures & breeding programmes in wild

  E Benefit society
• AO3- weaknesses Harlow

  P Unethical

  E Monkeys taken away from natural mother soon after birth- distress from being in cages and social isolation

  C Ethical as still had some sort of mother
• AO1- learning theory- classical conditioning

  Learn through association

  Food(UCS) –> pleasure(UCR)

  Food(UCS) + food-giver(NS) —> pleasure(UCR)

  after repeated pairings NS becomes associated with food

  Food-giver(CS) —> pleasure(CR)

  forbs attachment
• AO1- operant conditioning

  Learn through reinforcement

  food is positive reinforcer, food-giver is secondary reinforcer

  infant seeks proximity(attachment) with caregiver- reinforcing through food and attention

  food-giver provides food- produces feeling of pleasure which is rewarding

  Attachment provides reinforcement between parent and child- seek each others proximity- form/maintain attachment
• AO3 strengths learning theory

  P Logical idea to explain attachment

  E Highly plausible babies attach to person providing essential needs for survival through reinforcement

  E Face validity
• AO3 weaknesses learning theory

  P person who infant is attached to not always person who feeds them

  E Schaffer & Emerson- 39% cases person feeding infant not primary attachment figure

  E Theory problematic

  P Challenging evidence from Harlow

  E Baby monkeys attached to cloth mother not wire mother which provided food. Seeked proximity to cloth mother- cling onto it

  E Theory incorrect- attachment not based on food- lacks internal validity
• AO1 Bowlby‘s monotropic theory

  Bowlby reviewed the work of Lorenz & Harlow and suggested an evolutionary theory of attachment

  Attachment is an innate process- adaptive for child- promotes survival

  social releasers (crying/smiling)- encourages caregiving response- form attachment

  Monotropy- innate tendency to attach to one adult female(mother)

  critical period for forming attachments- 6/7 months or

  2-3 years- not possible for attachment to for after

  continuity hypothesis- relationship leads to child forming internal working model- template for future relationships
• AO3 strengths Bowlby

  P Research support

  E Hazen & Shaver- love quiz which asked people about early attachment experiences & current romantic experiences. Securely attached infants have long lasting relationships. Insecurely attached more likely to be divorced

  E Continuity hypothesis correct
• AO3 weaknesses Bowlby

  P Overemphasised importance of attachment to mothers. Form other attachments- father, grandparents

  E Schaffer & Emerson- only 65% first attachments with mothers

  E Theory partially correct

  P Socially sensitive to mothers & fathers

  E Mothers shouldn’t return to work & instead stay home and attach to child. Fathers not as important in child’s development- leads to prejudice

  E Theory has negative implications
• AO1- Ainsworth’s strange situation

  controlled observation- assess attachment types in 100 American middle class 9-18 month old babies

  8 episodes- set of activities observed

  exploration-how child explores environment while using mother as secure base

  stranger anxiety- how child responds to presence of a stranger

  seperation anxiety- how child behaves when mother leaves
• AO1- attachment types

  Insecure- avoidant - 22% play not affected by mother, not distressed on separation

  secure- 66% used mother as safe base when playing / exploring, distress when mother leaves but easily comforted when she returns, cautious of strangers but friendly when mother is present

  insecure- resistant - 12% difficulty using mother as safe base, intense distress on separation - not easily soothed, ambivalent behaviour towards stranger
• AO3 strengths Strange situation

  P Highly reliable

  E Well controlled conditions- involves large movements which are easy to observe

  E Confident that attachment type not dependent on subjective judgement

  P Strange situation strongly predictive of later development

  E Secure- better outcomes later on- preform better at school & less bullying. Better mental health in adulthood

  E Measures something meaningful in development
• AO3 weaknesses Strange situation

  P Culture bias- based on western ideals of infant behaviour

  E Japanese study showed babies have high levels of separation anxiety which suggests insecure resistant. However in Japan separation form mother is rare

  E Not valid for assessing attachment in non- American cultures

  P Research suggests Ainsworth’s attachment type not complete

  E Main & Solomon identified a fourth category- disorganised attachment- mixture of resistant & avoidant- likely to have experienced severe neglect/ abuse

  E Doesn’t include all attachment types
• AO1- cultural variations

  Van Ijzendoorn & Kroonenburg conducted a meta analysis of 32 studies from 8 nations that used the strange situation

  secure most common in all culture

  collectivist cultures (Japan/Israel) had high levels of insecure- resistant

  individualist cultures (Germany) had high levels of insecure- avoidant

  variations within cultures grater than those between cultures

  most studies in US (18)
• AO3 weaknesses cultural variations

  P Issues of sample sizes

  E 27 studies on western countries & only 5 on non-western countries

  E Second sample too small, therefore data not truly representative of these countires

  P Strange situation culturally biased-Ainsworth measure of attachment reflects her own society’s values(US)- not accurate of other countries

  E Japan babies rarely leave mother- more distressed (high levels separation anxiety)- suggests insecure attachment- not true according to Japanese cultural values

  E Not valid - attachment in different cultures-behaviour different meanings
• AO3 strengths cultural variations

  P Large sample

  E 2000 babies & primary attachment figures measured

  E Increases internal validity as it reduces the impact of anomalous results due to unusual participants or poor methodology
• AO1- Bowlby maternal deprivation theory

  Maternal Deprivation- lack of warm, intimate, continuos relationship with mother- leads to problems in psychological/ emotional development

  repeated separation before 2.5 years old- become emotionally disturbed

  Leads to problems with intellectual development, behavioural disorders, affectionless psychopathy
• AO1- Bowlby(1944)- Juvenile thieves study

  44 juvenile thieves compared to control group off 44 juveniles who had emotional problems

  interviewed children & mothers about their early lives in terms of separations from mother- assessed for signs of affectionless psychopathy

  Findings: 32% have affectionless psychopathy, 86% of these experienced early & prolonged separation before age 5. None of control group affectionless psychopaths

  Concluded that maternal deprivation early in life causes affectionless/ antisocial behaviour
• AO3 strengths Bowlby

  P Practical applications

  E Work focused on importance of continuous relationship with mother. Hospital policies changed- parents stay with sick child

  E Benefitted society
• AO1- Rutter ERAs longitudinal Study

  165 romanian orphans adopted in Britain compared to control group of 52 English adopted children

  assessed physical, cognitive, emotional development

  when children arrived their intellectual development was seriously affected

  age 11 - different rates of recovery linked to age of adoption- measured by IQ scores

  before 6 months- 102

  6 months- 2 years- 86

  After 2 years- 77
• AO1 Rutter findings/conclusions

  adopted after 6 months showed disinhibited attachment- clingy, attention seeking, indiscriminate friendliness

  adopted before 6 months rarely showed this attachment type

  concluded that those adopted after 6 months suffered from the long term impact of privation. Those adopted before 6 months able to reverse the effects of institutionalisation
• AO3 strengths Rutter 


  P Practical applications

  E Improved the way children cared for in institutions (orphanages/care homes). instead of having 50 different cares which causes indiscriminate friendliness, child has 1 or 2 key workers

  E Benefit society

  P Research support for Rutters conclusions

  E Tizard & Hodges found those adopted at 4 months formed attachments with their adopted parents. Those remaining in institutions until age 16 didn’t form strong attachments

  E Subsequent loving care after institutionalisation overcomes negative effects
• AO1- Zeanah Bucharest early intervention project


  assess attachment types in 95 Romanian children compared to control group of 50 children using strange situation

  carers asked about behaviour- disinhibited attachment

  74% control group securely attached & less than 20% had disinhibited attachments

  19% institutionalised children securely attached, 44% disinhibited, 65% disorganised
• AO3 strength Zeanah

  P Manipulated IV randomly assigned participants- fostering or remained in institution

  E Findings more valid as she removed extraneous variables & individual differences

  C Ethical issues and some children given chance to have improved surroundings and therefore better development
• AO3 weakness Rutter

  P Methodological flaws

  E IV not in control of experimenter as participants not randomly assigned to conditions leading to confounding differences which could explain results. Participant variables- children adopted before 6 moths may be more sociable and therefore more likely to adopted & less likely to have social problems later on

  E Conclusion that early adoption reverses effects of institutionalisation invalid
• AO3 Weaknesses Bowlby MD

  P Contradicting evidence critical period

  E Czech twins locked in cellar from 18 months- 7 years- didn’t have warm, continuous relationship with mother before age 2.5 - developed normal social, emotional functions, above average IQs

  E Incorrect concept deprivation during critical period leads to irreversible damage

  P Theory flawed based on faulty research

  E Study doesn’t control extraneous variables could account for later emotional problems. Also doesn’t identify initial reasons for seperation which could cause later affectionless psychopathy

  E Theory invalid