These are detailed Revision Notes of the Attachment Topic of AQA A-Level Psychology. They were written by me using a combination of the textbook and class notes. I will also be uploading the other topics and creating bundles.
Topics Included:
- Caregiver-infant Interactions
- Schaffer’s Stag...
Attachment
Caregiver-Infant Interactions:
Caregiver-infant interactions
- From birth babies have meaningful interactions with their
carers, these have important functions for the child’s social Schaffer’s stages of attachment
development. Good quality early social interactions are The role of the father
associated with the successful development of attachments
between babies and their caregivers. Animal studies of attachment
Reciprocity: Explanations of attachment
- Reciprocity ~ the interaction of similar behaviour patterns
Types of attachment
between caregiver and infant.
- Babies have periodic ‘alert phases’ where they signal that they Cultural variations in attachment
are ready for interaction, research shows mothers respond two Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation
thirds of the time (Feldman and Eidleman 2007).
- From around 3 months reciprocal interactions between mother Romanian orphan studies
and baby pay close attention to each other’s verbal signals and Influence of early attachment on later
facial expressions.
relationships
- Brazleton et al. (1975) describes this as a ‘dance’. Claimed that
reciprocity is the basis for later communication skills and building the foundation for an attachment
between the infant and caregiver.
- Traditional views of childhood see the baby in a passive role however it seems that the baby takes an
active role, and both mother and child can initiate interactions and they appear to take turns in doing
so.
Interactional Synchrony:
- Interactional synchrony ~ the co-ordinated rhythmic exchanges between infant and caregiver (when
two people mirror what each other are doing).
- Meltzof & Moore (1977) observed the beginnings of interactional synchrony in infants as young as 2
weeks old. An adult displayed one of three facial expressions or distinctive gestures and the child’s
response was filmed. The babies’ expression and gestures were more likely to mirror those of the adults.
- Synchrony provides the necessary foundation for the mother and infant connection which can be built
upon in subsequent years.
- Isabella et al. (1989) observed 30 mothers and infants and assessed the degree of synchrony and the
quality of mother-infant attachment. The researchers found that high levels of synchrony were
associated with better quality mother-infant attachment.
AO3:
+ Filmed in a laboratory, distractions can be controlled. They are usually filmed from multiple angles and
the results can also be analysed later, so it is unlikely behaviour will be missed. This also means
researchers can establish inter-rater reliability of observations, this means there is good validity.
+ Babies do not know they are being filmed so there are not demand characteristics of their behaviour
changing as a response to observation. Data collected should have good reliability and validity.
- It is difficult to interpret a baby’s behaviour. They lack coordination and most of their bodies are
immobile. The movements being observed are so small, it is difficult to tell if a baby is smiling or just
passing wind. Also, we cannot know whether a hand movement is random or triggered by something the
caregiver has done.
- Feldman (2012) says ideas of synchrony and reciprocity simply give names to patterns of observable
caregiver and baby behaviour. They can be reliably observed but are not particularly helpful in
understanding child development as it does not tell us the purpose of these behaviours.
+ Isabella et al. (1989) found that interactional synchrony predicted the development of a good quality
attachment. This means caregiver-infant interactions are probably important in development.
+ Practical applications, Crotwell et al. (2013) found a 10-minute Parent-Child Interaction Therapy
(PCIT) improved interactional synchrony in 20 low-income mothers and their pre-school children. The
, findings suggest that research on interactional synchrony could lead to valuable methods for improving
and developing mother-infant attachment (particularly in at-risk groups).
- Research into caregiver-infant interaction is socially sensitive because it can be used to argue that
when a mother returns to work soon after having a baby this may risk damaging their baby’s
development.
Schaffer’s stages of attachment:
Schaffer & Emerson (1964)
- Studied 60 Glaswegian babies from working-class families, for 18 months Researchers asked the parents to
observe their children in different circumstances, keep a diary of their observations and report back to the
researchers.
- Separation anxiety was measured by everyday separations such as adult leaving the room. Stranger anxiety
was measured by asking mothers questions about their children’s anxiety response to unfamiliar adults.
- Findings: 50% of babies showed separation anxiety towards primary attachment figure between 25-32
weeks. Attachment tended to be the caregiver who was most sensitive to the infants’ signals and facial
expression (not necessarily the person they spend the most amount of time with). At 40 weeks 30% had
formed multiple attachments.
AO3:
+ External validity, most observations were made by parents during ordinary activities. This means that it is highly
likely that the babies behaved naturally while being observed. Whereas researchers being present may have
changed their behaviour.
- However, the mothers were unlikely to be objective observers, they may have been biased in what they
reported or remembered incorrectly. This means even if babies showed natural behaviour, it may be recorded
accurately.
+ The study was carried out longitudinally, this gives the study internal validity because they do not have the
confounding variables of individual differences between participants. The same children were followed-up and
observed regularly.
- Problems with how multiple attachments are assessed, just because a baby gets distressed when someone leaves
the room does not necessarily mean that they are an attachment figure. The stages of attachment do not
distinguish between behaviour to attachment figures and playmates.
- Problem studying the asocial stage, young babies have poor coordination and are fairly immobile, making it
difficult to make judgements about their behaviour, it may be that they may be social, but appear asocial due to
flawed methods.
- Bowlby (1969) argues that most babies form attachments to a single main carer before they can form multiple
attachments, but multiple attachments are seen from the outset in cultures where multiple attachments are the
norms e.g., van Ijzendoorn 1993.
+ Real-world application in childcare. In the asocial and indiscriminate ages childcare is likely to be straightforward
as babies can be comforted by any skilled adult. However, a baby starting nursery in the specific attachment
stage with an unfamiliar adult may be problematic.
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