has every subtopic in the attachment topic for alevel aqa psychology
can be used to write full mark essays for any topic as ao1 and ao3 is clearly seperated and stated
(used to acheive a* in psychology alevel in 2023 exams)
ATTACHMENT<3
- Caregiver – infant interactions research
- Schaffer stages of attachment/ S+E research
- Role of the father
- Animal studies – Harlow’s monkeys, Lorenz geese
- Learning theory – Dollard and Miller
- Bowlby’s monotropic theory
- Strange situation
- Cross cultural variations
- Maternal deprivation – Bowlby
- Romanian orphans
- Influences of early attachments on later relationships
CAREGIVER – INFANT INTERACTIONS RESEARCH
Research into reciprocity – by Feldman
Found interactions between infants and their caregivers involved displaying elements of
reciprocity from 3 months old
Reciprocity = important in formation of attachment as
- Helps stress responses
- empathy
- language
- moral development
overall influences child’s physical, social and cognitive development
interactional synchronicity = temporal co-ordination of micro level social behaviour /
mirroring
Research into interactional synchronicity – Meltzoff and Moore
Procedure:
Adult told to make one of three distinct facial expressions or gestures to the child
Childs response was filmed then looked at by independent observer
Link was consistently found between chosen expression adult displayed and action of infant
Suggests interactional synchronicity = almost auto feature of infants
Meltzoff and Moore study = very unscientific – open to observer bias
Research into why interactional synchronicity = important – Isabella et al
Observed 30 mothers and infants together
,Looked at interactional synchronicity + connection + attachment between mothers and
infants
Study found high levels of synchrony = associated with better quality attachment/ higher
emotional intensity of relationship
This is probs as if high levels of I.S – gives caregiver power to shape type of person infant will
become
- both physical and emotional behaviour being copied
- therefore has critical role in infants emotional development, self reg, capacity for
empathy
CAREGIVER – INFANT INTERACTIONS RESEARCH EVALUATION
Limitation = difficult to test infant behaviour
- challenging to direct/ give instructions to infants, may get overwhelmed easily, have
short attention span
- difficult to interpret infants’ behaviours – still learning to control body, tend to lack
co ordination
- problem because lack of reliability and accuracy when making conclusions on infants
behaviours
however – this prob can be overcome – e.g. Meltzoff and Moore – looked for specific
distinct actions in their obs
minimise probability of random actions being misinterpreted
limit = unethical
Strength = wider implications for understanding social behaviour in humans
- lots of evidence to suggest early interactions = impact infant behaviour in future
- e.g. Meltzoff developed like me hypothesis based on research on I.S.
infants use own experiences to better understand people
Therefore can be argued – large proportion of peoples personalities = based on observation
and SLT = major role to paly in society + as explan for behaviour
, SCHAFFERS STAGES OF ATTACHMENT
4 stages
Asocial stage – 0- No specific preferences or attachments yet
2months
Mutual interest animate + inanimate objects
I.S. + reciprocity = vital in establishing + cementing relationships
Indiscriminate stage Preference for people over objects – become more sociable
– 2-7months
Distinguish between familiar + unfamiliar pple – preference to
familiar
Not yet showing stranger or sep anxiety
Specific attachment PAF identified – person who they get especially excited when they
stage – 7months enter and show signs of sep anxiety when they leave
PAF not necessarily the person the infant spends most time with
but rather person who responds to their signals with most skill +
offers most interaction
Infant begins to show stranger anxiety
Multiple attachment Schaffer + Emerson found
stage 8-14months 29% infants: 1month after identifying PAF multiple attachments
78%: 6 months after identifying PAF had formed M.A.
So basically by around 1yr old infants start developing multiple
attachments
Schaffer + Emersons research
Aim: investigate formation of early infant-adult attachments
Pp: 60 babies, all from Glasgow, mostly skilled working class families
Procedure:
researchers visited babies and mums in homes every month for 12 months
then again 6 months after that
- had interviews (investigate attachment type)
- analysed interactions in person
The benefits of buying summaries with Stuvia:
Guaranteed quality through customer reviews
Stuvia customers have reviewed more than 700,000 summaries. This how you know that you are buying the best documents.
Quick and easy check-out
You can quickly pay through credit card for the summaries. There is no membership needed.
Focus on what matters
Your fellow students write the study notes themselves, which is why the documents are always reliable and up-to-date. This ensures you quickly get to the core!
Frequently asked questions
What do I get when I buy this document?
You get a PDF, available immediately after your purchase. The purchased document is accessible anytime, anywhere and indefinitely through your profile.
Satisfaction guarantee: how does it work?
Our satisfaction guarantee ensures that you always find a study document that suits you well. You fill out a form, and our customer service team takes care of the rest.
Who am I buying these notes from?
Stuvia is a marketplace, so you are not buying this document from us, but from seller payym5. Stuvia facilitates payment to the seller.
Will I be stuck with a subscription?
No, you only buy these notes for £5.48. You're not tied to anything after your purchase.
