Learning Objectives

1. Learning Objectives • Define attachment • Outline key characteristics of attachment • Explain why children form attachments

2. Definition of Attachment • A strong, reciprocal, emotional bond between an infant and caregiver(s) characterised by a desire to maintain proximity. Attachments can be secure or insecure. Infants display attachment through separation distress, pleasure at reunion with the caregiver, and stranger anxiety.

3. Maccoby’s (1980) key characteristics of attachment: • Seeking proximity to primary caregiver • Infant stays close to the main attachment figure

5. Maccoby’s (1980) key characteristics of attachment: • Distress on separation • Separation protest – baby cries carer anxious

7. Maccoby’s (1980) key characteristics of attachment: • Pleasure when reunited • Smiles and acts excitedly

9. Maccoby’s (1980) key characteristics of attachment: • General orientation of behaviour towards primary caregiver • Secure base - returns to carer frequently

11. Why Do Infants Form Attachments? • Short-term benefits • Food • Protection • Survival • Instinctive - genetic

12. Why Do Infants Form Attachments? • Long-term benefits • Internal working model for future relationships • Hazan and Shaver (1987): the love quiz • the kind of lover you are may be related to the kind of attachment you had as an infant

13. Schaffer & Emerson’s theory of the development of attachment • Asocial stage • 0 to 6 weeks • Babies respond to inanimate objects and humans in similar ways. • Behaviour is not directed at anything or anybody in particular.

14. Schaffer & Emerson’s theory of the development of attachment • Indiscriminate attachments • 6 weeks to 7 months • Happiest when receiving attention - show sociability • Not directed at any one person • Any one will do!

15. Schaffer & Emerson’s theory of the development of attachment • Specific attachments • 7 to 11 months • Attachment to 1 person - stranger anxiety & separation protest • 65% specific attachment at 7 mths • 87% multiple attachments by 18 mths

16. Evidence for: • The stages appear to be correct • If you leave a child in a nursery before 7 months they show little distress • Infants do display separation protest and stranger anxiety • If you leave it until 9 months they will show severe separation protest

17. Evidence against: • Babies may not be asocial • 2/3 of babies only 2 days old preferred mother’s face to the face of a stranger. • Skin-to-skin hypothesis • Hormones released by mother and infant at or soon after birth help bonding, separation of mum and baby may make bonding more difficult.

18. The strange situation measures three key indicators of attachment: • Separation Protest • Stranger Anxiety • Reunion Behaviour

19. Secure attachment • A strong bond between infant and carer. • Distress at separation but easily comforted upon reunion. • Child has a positive working model of relationships.

20. Insecure attachment • Weaker attachment bond. • Severe separation distress, lack of stranger anxiety, and avoidant or resistant reactions on reunion. • Child has negative working model of him/herself and others.

21. Secure Attachment - Type B 70% Yes Yes Frequency? Separation Protest? Pleasure at Reunion? Yes Yes Yes Stranger Anxiety? Explores? Carer Secure Base?

22. Insecure Avoidant - Type A 20% No No Frequency? Separation Protest? Pleasure at Reunion? Yes Yes No Stranger Anxiety? Explores? Carer Secure Base?

23. Insecure Resistant - Type C 10% Yes Yes/ No Frequency? Separation Protest? Pleasure at Reunion? Yes No No Stranger Anxiety? Explores? Carer Secure Base?

24. Disorganised Attachment - Type D Some infants cannot be classified Inconsistent Inconsistent Why Added? Separation Protest? Pleasure at Reunion? Inconsistent Inconsistent Inconsistent Stranger Anxiety? Explores? Carer Secure Base?

25. AO1 Questions Outline two types of attachment (3 + 3) One type of attachment is secure attachment. It is a strong contented bond between the infant and caregiver. Securely attached children use the carer as a safe base and show distress on separation and pleasure at reunion State Explain Example

26. Reliability • What is it? • Test - Retest • procedure is repeated at different ages to see f the infant is classified in the same way. • Research evidence • First assessment 18month • Repeat 6 years • Secure 100% consistency. • Avoidant 75% consistency.

27. Validity • What is it? • Criterion Validity • Does it measure what it says it does? • Research evidence • Children classed as secure age 2 • Follow up late childhood • Popular, high self esteem, less aggression, social leaders. • But Correlational – why is this a problem?

28. Definition of Cross-cultural variations • Behaviour, attitudes, norms, and values differ across cultures. This affects childrearing styles and beliefs about which qualities should be nurtured. This in turn may affect attachment type.

29. Results of Van IJzendoorn et al

30. Evaluation • Universality in attachments. • the same characteristics underpin infant-caregiver interactions across cultures. • Variation within greater than between • 1.5 times. Does this make the measure invalid. • Imposed Etic? • measure is ethnocentric – based upon western childrearing ideals.

31. The Psychodynamic Approach • ‘Cupboard-love’: Libidinal desires are satisfied. • Oral stage – pleasure mouth • attach to mum as she provides food • Suckling - pleasureable • Prototype for future relationships. • secure child can give and receive love • insecure child may orally fixate to compensate for poor relationships

32. Evaluation • Harlow’s(1959) research contradicts ‘cupboard love’.

34. Evaluation • Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) research suggests that 40% of infants do not attach to the primary caregiver. • responsiveness and stimulation were more important factors in attachment.

36. Learning Theory • Classical Conditioning • UCS Food leads to UCR Pleasure • UCS Food paired with CS Mother leads to UCR Pleasure • CS Mother leads to CS Pleasure

37. Learning Theory • Operant Conditioning • mother is a source of positive reinforcement • she is a secondary reinforcer as she is associated with food, warmth, security and attention.

38. Evaluation • Also contradicted by Harlow’s research and Schaffer and Emerson. • Reductionist • oversimplified only accounts for one factor – learning • Ignores nature or genes • We may be genetically programmed to attach.

39. Promotes safety and survival Influenced by Darwin Innate Babies respond to human faces very early Internal Working Model psychodynamic theory irreversible Monotropy

40. Monotropy primary attachment is special Psychological ‘stay-close’ mechanism maintain proximity invisible string Attachment is reciprocal infant has social releasers carer is ‘programmed to respond’

41. Evaluation • Theory has positive applications • children should be adopted before they are 3 • stimulated Ainsworth’s research. • IWM deterministic • peers may also influence behaviour. • Attachment may not be monotropic • Children clearly have multiple attachments – mum, dad, granny, daycare etc. • Evolutionary theory is post hoc. • inferred afterwards • unfalsifiable

42. Deprivation • Separation leading to bond disruption. Leads to long term emotional problems. (Affectionless Psychopathy) Once broken bond cannot be remade.

43. Privation • Lack of an appropriate attachment figure. More likely to cause permanent emotional damage or “affectionless psychopathy”.

44. The Maternal Deprivation Hypothesis • Emotional care is important for mental development, as important as good standard of physical care. • Children need a warm and continuous relationship with the mother or mother substitute • Frequent or prolonged separations disrupt continuity and lead to emotional disturbance – affectionless psychopathy • IF it happens before 21/2 and there is no substitute mother-person available.

45. Evaluation • Positive impact - mothers stay with children in hospital, fostering rather than children’s homes. • Deprivation may be indistinguishable from privation. Parents who die or are absent may mean that the child never forms and attachment • Maladjustment may not just be caused by deprivation there could be a third factor eg social conditions • Post-war politics – Mums go back home Dads need the jobs

46. Hodges & Tizard Summary • Effects reversible criticism of Bowlby • children attached to foster parents despite negative working models and being outside the critical period. • Problems with peers supports Bowlby • perhaps new attachment cannot be generalised if outside critical period • Harris’ Groups Socialisation Theory contradicts internal working model • Peer relationships become more important with age.

47. Positive and Negative Effects • How might day care improve social development? Why? • How might it negatively affect social development? Why? • How might day care improve cognitive development? Why? • How might it negatively affect cognitive development? Why?

48. Social development • Development of social competence including social skills, ability to relate and empathise with others, and formation of close and meaningful relationships. Determined by an interaction of biological predisposition and the environment.

49. Cognitive development • Development of mental processes including thought, reasoning and memory. IQ tests and school performance are used to measure cognitive development. Determined by an interaction of biological predisposition and the environment.

50. Individual Differences include: • attachment type • Insecure benefit, secure children suffer. • quality of daycare & maternal sensitivity • Children in poor quality daycare who had low sensitivity parents more likely to be insecure • level of stimulation at home • daycare can compensate for low stimulation at home