attachment - 1

interactional synchrony, reciprocity

the temporal coordination of microsocial behaviour

One person elicits a signal while the other give us a response. Brazelton stressed the active rather than passive role of the infant

Moore, Isabella

Studies two week old babies. Found an association between the adult expression and infants behaviour.

looks at 30 babies. Found a higher quality of attachment between those with the highest levels of interactional synchrony.

it is difficult to know what is actually going on during the observation. We are merely looking at changes in expression/movement. It is unclear what the infants perspective is and what they are doing is conscious. Researchers cannot assume that lies any special meaning., Observations into caregiver infant interactions don’t tell us the purpose of reciprocity and interactional synchrony. Just because there is synchronise behaviour doesn’t mean it is important in anyway. Also further research suggest these interactions are more natural and moral development/language/empathy.

observations have high control often involves recording interactions for very close analysis later. Infants also do not care that they are being observed, nor are they aware of it reduces the problem of demand characteristics in ordinary observations. Gives research strong validity.

researchers differ in that idea in the role of the father some believe they are irrelevant to a child’s development of this say they can be the primary caregiver.

found that after seven months mothers were the primary caregiver and fathers were the secondary caregiver after a few months

That the quality of attachment in determining the quality of attachment for a child and adolescent was significant regarding the Mother but not the father. He found that the quality of the fathers play what’s important instead = father’s purpose is play/stimulation.

Looked at the face-to-face interactions of infants with a primary caregiver mother/secondary caregiver father/primary caregiver father. primary caregiver had more smiling/holding/imitating than none. Shows attachment is based on sensitive responsiveness rather than gender.

Findings into the role of the father has been inconsistent. Researchers approach study with different ideas. Some believe his role is distinct (Gottesman) users, think he can form just as equal of an attachment, based on responsiveness to infant (Tiffany Field), Findings of the father as important. Do not explain why children without fathers don’t develop any differently e.g. Golombok sound children from female, same/sex or single mother families do not develop differently. Suggest the father as a secondary caregiver is unimportant, It is unclear why fathers are usually not the primary caregiver. This could be due to the traditional gender roles or it could be due to biological factors such as women having higher levels of oestrogen and therefore being more nurturing plus stressing the importance of them is that over half the father go to have socially sensitive implications YouTube not being able to work (however, a study by Fox shows that there is plenty of time to interaction to occur beyond work hours)

Schaffer and Emerson

They did a longitudinal study on 60 babies from Glasgow. Same street of the semi skilled working skilled families. Home visits every month for one year and again at 18 months.

by 40 weeks, 80% form a specific attachment by 7 months, 50% formed a separation anxiety after 32 weeks

asocial stage, indiscriminate stage, specific attachment, multiple attachment

First few weeks. Same behaviour towards humans and objects happier in the presence of the familiar humans.

Enjoys the presence of people. Recognises familiar adults. No separation or stranger anxiety.

7 months. 65% has a specific attachment with the biological mother. Primary attachment figure. Person who is most responsive to the signals.

secondary attachments. 29% formed multiple attachments after their specific. By one year, the majority of people had formed one.

Good external validity. Conducted in the homes of participants and from parents themselves and late analysis by researchers. Behaved naturally., A longitudinal study used. Better than using many different children do out time removes participant variables. Decreases confounding variables compared to cross-sectional studies.

Limited sample characteristics. They were all from the same distinct and social background. Child rearing practices decide between cultures and across time periods. (turn 50 years ago.) cannot generalise findings.

there is conflicting evidence from multiple attachments. Schaffer and Emerson said specific attachment, must form first/Bowlby said there is only one attachment figure. Researchers in other, cultural context argue it can form instantly when people are involved in the Child rearing, e.g. collectivist cultures, Difficulty studying infants in asocial stage. Very little action practically immobile. Not a lot of observational behaviours. Difficult to make objective judgements., difficulty measuring multiple attachments. Protesting at separation may not be appropriate in testing. e.g. infants protest when separated from a playmate not necessarily attached.

Harlow

16 Baby rhesus monkeys, why are all cloth mother (wire=milk, cloth=none)

babies always prefer to use the cloth Mother, who provided contact comfort. Monkeys with the the wire mother explored much less., into adulthood, the monkeys raised with the wire mother were dysfunctional. they had difficulty meeting/were poor, parents often killing their offspring., monkeys had to form an attachment by 90 days, anything after lead to damage

Lorenz

The clutch of goslings were separated, one being in the control group, which were hatched in their natural environment and then the variation group which were hatched in an incubator., Variation group first moving object that they saw where Lorenz, so they imprinted on him, whereas the control group first saw their mother, so imprinted on her

Placed the gooses in an upturned box and released them. Half of them followed Lorenz and the other half followed the goose mother = imprinting

a matter of a few hours

CS peacock how saw tortoise in zoo and attempted meeting with them later in to adulthood

Lorenzo’s idea of sexual imprinting are questionable. it may not be permanent. Researchers so chickens who imprint on gloves and try to meet after sometime they moved onto meeting with other chickens., Difficulty generalising animal study findings on to humans. Humans are more affectionate than birds. Can form attachments at any point in life though it is harder. cannot extrapolate findings

Harlow’s findings have had beneficial practical applications. In zoos workers are aware when to give baby monkeys apparent take out to prevent psychological damage. Social workers also understand the dangers of child neglect.

classical conditioning, operant conditioning

Attachment is a secondary drive to hunger = primary drive (drive reduction)

The food is an unconditioned stimulus that produces pleasure (so food is unconditioned response). So then the Messiah becomes associated with the pleasure, so the mother becomes a condition stimulus.)

food satisfies the infant’s hunger and makes it feel comfortable again (drive reduction). Food is therefore a primary reinforcer. The mother is associated with food and becomes a secondary reinforcer.

Counter evidence from animal studies. Harlow found infants attach to mothers, providing contact comfort rather than by Amazon who dispensed milk. Lorenz geese imprinted on moving things before being fed., Counter evidence from human research. Schaffer and Emerson found infants attached to primary caregiver, even though many people were involved in the feeding process. feeding is not a key element of attachment, no unconditioned stimulus/primary drive involved., Ignores us are factors like infant caregiver interactions. Reciprocity/interactional, synchrony. Would mean they have no purpose.

Bowlby

He said that babies have an innate drive to form an attachment, and if this does not happen, they will have difficulty later in the forming attachment

we have an innate tendency to form attachment as it gives us a survival advantage. He says attachment is a two-way process so parents must be attached to their infant as well as the infant to ensure their care for survival

This attachment is different/more important. ‘Created law of continuity.’ and ‘law of accumulated separation’

Innate cute behaviours that activates adult attachment system

it is the time in which attachment needs to form two years is the critical/sensitive period

Mental representation of relationships to primary caregiver. Ability to become a parent.