caregiver-infant

• what is attatchment ?

  a close two way emotional bond between individuals
• what behaviours are displayed when we have attatchment ?

  • proximity seeking
  • separation distress
  • secure base behaviour
• what is reciprocity ?

  • description of how two people interact
  • eg both infant and mother respond to each others signals
• what is interactional synchrony ?

  • mother and infant reflect both actions and emotions of the other in a synchronized way
• what is the research support for interaction synchrony ?

  • Meltzoff and Moores study using controlled observation
  • adult model displayed 3 facial expressions
  • found that the baby would mirror these expressions once dummy removed
• what is the evaluation of reciprocity and interactional synchrony ?

  • hard to know whats happening when observing infants
  • controlled observation = high validity
  • observations dont tell us the purpose
  • not found in all cultures - not generalisable
• what are the 4 stages of attatchment ?

  1. asocial
  2. indiscriminate
  3. specific
  4. multiple
• what age is the asocial attachment stage ?

  • 0-6 weeks
• what age is the indiscriminate attachment stage ?

  • 6 weeks - 7 months
• what age is the specific attachment stage ?

  • 7-9 months
• what age is the multiple attachment stage ?

  • 10-11+ months
• what is the asocial attachment stage ?

  • form bonds w both people and inatimate objects
  • show no preference as long as they have attention
  • some preference for familiar adults
• what is the indiscriminate attachment stage ?

  • develop preference to humans
  • dont discriminate who
  • pick familiar adult
  • still interact positively w strangers
• what is the specific attachment stage ?

  • typically favour primary caregiver
  • actively seek out caregiver when distressed
  • show stranger anxiety and separation anxiety
• what is the multiple attachment stage ?

  • many individuals
  • tolerate brief separation from caregiver
  • still seek caregiver when distressed
• what does research tell us about the role of the father ?

  • 3 primary roles : provider , protector , disciplinarian
  • playmate role and encourage risk taking
  • impacted by fathers culture , age , prescence
  • impacted by childs gender and temperment
  • typically the secondary caregiver
  • can become primary caregiver if no mother and imitate behaviour
• what is the evaluation of research into role of the father ?

  • inconsistent findings
  • outdated
  • encouraged positive social change
  • economic implications
• what is the evaluation of schaeffers stages of attachment ?

  • longitudinal study
  • high ecological validity
  • self report
  • cultural differences