Psychology - Attachment

Front 1

Caregiver-infant interactions

Back 1

Reciprocity - When each person responds to the other & elicits a response from them.

Interactional synchrony - Takes place when mother & infant interact in such a way that their actions & emotions mirror the other.

Hint 1

R__________ & I____________ S________.

Front 2

Caregiver-infant interaction studies

Back 2

Reciprocity - Feldman & Eidelman (2007) found mothers typically pick up on & respond to infant alertness around two-thirds of the time.

Brazleton et al (1975) described this interaction as a 'dance' because it's just like a couple's dance where each partner responds to each other's moves.

Interactional synchrony - Meltzoff & Moore (1977) observed infants as young as 2 weeks. An adult displayed 1 of 3 facial expressions/1 of 3 distinct gestures. Child's response filmed & identified by independent observers. Association was found between expression/gesture & actions of baby.

Isabella et al (1989) observed 30 mothers & infants together & assessed degree of synchrony as well as quality of mother-infant attachment. Found high levels of synchrony associated with better quality mother-infant attachments (eg. Emotional intensity of relationship).

Hint 2

Reciprocity - F______ & E_______ (20__), B________ et al (197_).

Interactional synchrony - M_______ & M____ (197_), I_______ et al (198_).

Front 3

Caregiver-infant interactions Evaluations (x3)

Back 3

-) Hard to know what's happening when observing infants - It's extremely difficult to be certain what's taking place from the infants perspective. For eg) if their actions are conscious & deliberate. This means we can't know for certain that behaviours in mother-infant interactions have special meaning.

+) Controlled observations capture fine detail - Well-controlled procedures, with both mother & infant being filmed. Very fine details of behaviours captured & can be later analysed. Babies don't know/care they're being observed so no artificial behaviours. This is a strength of this line of research because it means it has good validity.

-) Observations don't tell us the purpose of synchrony & reciprocity - Feldman points out that synchrony (& reciprocity) simply describe behaviours that occur at the same time. These are robust phenomena as they can be reliably observed, but aren't particularly useful as it doesn't tell us their purpose. However, there's some evidence that reciprocal interaction & synchrony are helpful in the development of mother-infant attachment, as well as helpful in stress responses, empathy, language & moral development.

Hint 3

-) Hard to know what's happening when observing infants.

+) Controlled observations capture fine detail.

-) Observations don't tell us the purpose of synchrony & reciprocity.

Front 4

Attachment figure studies

Back 4

Parent-infant attachment - Shaffer & Emerson (1964) found the majority of babies became attached to their mother first (around 7 months), & within a few weeks/months formed secondary attachments to other family members, including dad. In 75% of the infants studied an attachment formed with dad by the age of 18 months.

The role of the father - Grossman (2002) carried out a longitudinal study looking at both parents' behaviour & its relationship to the quality of children's attachments into their teens. Quality of Attachment with mothers but not fathers was related to children's attachments in adolescence suggesting the father attachment less important. However, quality of fathers' play with infants was related to quality of adolescent attachments. Suggests fathers have a different role in attachment - one to do with play & stimulation.

Fathers as primary carers - Field (1978) filmed 4-month old babies face-to-face interaction with primary caregiver mothers, fathers & secondary caregiver fathers. Primary fathers, like mothers, spent more time smiling/imitating/holding infants than secondary fathers. This behaviour seems to be important in building attachment with infant. So it seems fathers can be more nurturing attachment figures. Key to attachment relationship is level of responsiveness not gender of parent.

Hint 4

Parent-infant attachment - S_______ & E_______ (196_).

The role of the father - G_______ (200_).

Father as primary carers - F____ (197_).

Front 5

Attachment figures evaluation

Back 5

-) Inconsistent findings on fathers - Research is confusing because different researchers interested in different questions. Some are interested in understanding role as secondary figures & some primary figures. Former tender to see dads behaving differently & having distinct role. Latter tended to find dads can take on a 'maternal' role. This is a problem because we can't easily answer a simple question people ask: what is the role of the father?

-) If fathers have a distinct role why aren't children without fathers different? - Study by Grossman found secondary fathers had important role in child's development . However other studies have found children growing up in single/same-sex parent families don't develop any different than those in heterosexual families. Seems to suggest father's role as secondary unimportant.

-) Why don't fathers generally become primary attachments? - Could simply be because of traditional gender roles where women are expected to be more caring & nurturing than men. Therefore fathers don't feel they should act like it. On the other hand, it could be that female hormones such as oestrogen create higher levels of nurturing & thus women are biologically pre-disposed to be primary.

Hint 5

-) Inconsistent findings on fathers.

-)If fathers have a distinct role why aren't children without fathers different?

-) Why don't fathers generally become primary attachments?

Front 6

Key study: Schaffer & Emerson (1964)

Back 6

Method - 60 babies, 31 male & 29 female, Glaswegian, majority from skilled working-class families. Visited at home every month for 1st year & again at 18 months. Asked questions about protest babies made in everyday separations, eg) adult leaving room (separations anxiety). Also assessed stranger anxiety.

Findings - Between 25 & 32 weeks of age, about 50% showed signs of separation anxiety towards particular adult, usually the mother.