Attachment

• Define attachment


  A strong, enduring, emotional and reciprocal bond between two people, especially an infant and caregiver, characterised by a desire to maintain proximity.
• Attachment Behaviour:


  -Seeking proximity: wanting to be near each other

  -Distress if separated: both infant and caregiver feel distressed when separated

  -Secure base behaviour: the infant is generally always aware of the caregiver and makes frequent contact

  -Pleasure when reunited: both infant and caregiver are joyful when reunited with each other
• Why is attachment important?


  It is essential for survival.
• Meltzoff and Moore (1997) observation


  -Mouth opening

  -Termination of mouth opening

  -Tongue protrusion

  -Termination of tongue protrusion

  Newborn babies have alert phases: a signal that they are ready for interaction. Mothers respond 2/3 of the time.
• Reciprocity


  -From 3 months interaction is frequent and involves attention to each others facial expression and verbal signals.

  -Interaction is reciprocal when each person responds to the other and elicits a response from them.

  -Happens when the baby is active.
• Interactional synchrony 


  -Takes place when mother and babies’ actions and emotions mirror eachother.
• Meltzoff and Moore (1977) observation study (detail)


  -Infants aged 2 weeks.

  -Adults displayed one of three facial expressions or gestures.

  -Babies copied.
• Link synchrony and quality of attachment:

  Higher synchrony = higher quality attachment
• Evaluation of caregiver-infant interactions


  +Well-contolled procedures

  -It’s hard to know what is happening when observing infants

  -Social sensitivity
• Stage 1 Of Attachment


  -Asocial stage (birth-2 months)

  -Very young infants are Ascocial in that many kinds of stimuli, both social and non-social, produce a favourable reaction such as a smile, very few protests.
• Stage 2 Of Attachment


  -Indiscriminate attachment (2-7 months)

  -Infants indiscriminately enjoy human company. They get upset when an individual ceases to interact with them. From 3 months they smile at more familiar faces and are comforted easily by a regular caregiver. No stranger anxiety.
• Stage 3 Of Attachment


  -Specific attachment (7 months +)

  -Express protest when separated from one particular individual. They attempt to stay close to the person, and show wariness of strangers (stranger anxiety).
• Stage 4 Of Attachment


  -Multiple Attachment (by 1 year)

  -Children begin to attach to others. By 18 months the majority of infants have formed multiple attachments.