Summary
Summary Psychology AQA Attachment notes
Psychology AQA Attachment notes
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Cultural variations in attachment Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivationIJzendoorn and Kroonenberg look at proportions of attachment types across a range of countries to asses The idea that continual presence of care from a mother or mother-substitute is essential for normal psychological
cultural variations. Located 32 studies of strange situation. Conducted in 8 countries and studied 1,990 children. development. Maternal deprivation has serious consequences. Brief separations, where the child is provided with a
Data was meta-analysed. In all countries secure attachment was the most common classification (75% in Britain substitute care are not significant for development but extended separations can lead to deprivation. First 2 ½ years are
but 50% in China). Individualist cultures rates of insecure-resistant similar to original studies, not true for critical period of psychological development. Deprivation within this period causes inevitable damage.
If a child is deprived of maternal care for too long during critical period they would experience delayed intellectual
collectivist samples where this exceeded 25%. Variation was 150% within the same country than between
development. Goldfarb – lower IQ in children who remained in care opposed to those fostered.
countries. Deprivation of emotional care from mother figure impacts emotional development. Affectionless psychopathy is common in
Simonelli conducted study in Italy. 76 babies aged 12 months. 50% secure. Researchers suggested this low % is children deprived of this.
due to more mother working long hours and using childcare. Bowlby – 44 criminal teens. Interviewed for signs of affectionless psychopathy. Families’ interviewed to establish prolonged
Study in Korea. 87 babies. Most classified as insecurely attached were resistant and only one avoidant. separation from mothers. Compared to control group. 14/44 thieves described as affectionless psychopaths, 12 of these
Distribution similar to results in Japan. experienced long separations. Only 2 in control experienced long separations. Concluded that prolonged deprivation leads to
Secure attachment seems to be the norm in a wide range of cultures, supporting Bowlby’s theory that affectionless psychopathy.
- Attempts to replicate 44 thieves study did not produce similar results.
attachment is innate. Research does however show cultural practices can influence attachment types.
- Open to bias. Bowlby conducted interviews himself and influenced by Goldfarb research. Cofounding variables as
- Studies conducted by indigenous psychologists. Language barriers and cultural bias avoided. Enhances Goldfarb studied children who experienced trauma + separation. However, new line of research provided support
validity. However, not true for all cross-cultural attachment research. Some data may be affected by for Bowlby. Levy shows that separating rats from mother for as little as day effects social development.
bias or communication issues. - Confusion. Rutter drew distinction between deprivation and privation. Deprivation is when there is a loss of
- Cofounding variables. Sample characteristics such as poverty, class, environment can cofound results. primary attachment figure after attachment has formed but privation is the failure to form attachment initially.
- Imposed test design does not work in all cultural contexts. Imposed etic. Behaviours measured in Long-term damage could be due to privation instead.
strange situation not have same meanings in different cultures. Comparing cultures is meaningless. - Incorrect critical period of 2 ½ years. Czech twins physically and emotionally abused between 18 months and 7
years. Were able to recover by their teens as they received excellent care. Lasting harm not inevitable. Sensitive.
Roman orphan studies: Institutionalisation
Rutter followed 165 Romanian orphans as part of English and Romanian Adoptee study. Investigate the extent to which good
care can make up for poor early experiences. A group of 52 children from the UK adopted were used as a control group. ½ Influence of early attachments on later relationships
adoptees showed signs of delayed intellect and undernourishment. The mean IQ at 11 for those adopted before 6 months was Bowlby suggested internal working model that states a baby’s first relationship with primary attachment figure leads to
102 compared to 86 (6months-2 years) and 77 (2+years). Children adopted after 6 months showed signs of inhibited mental representation of relationships that act as a template in the future.
attachment. Securely attached babies tend to form best quality childhood friendships. Bullying behaviour can be predicted. Myron-Wilson
Zeanah. Assessed 95 Romanian children aged 12-31 months who had spent 90% of life in care. Compared to control group of and Smith used questionnaires in 196 children 7-11 to assess bullying behaviour. Secure children were unlikely to be
50 who were never in care. 74% of control were classed as securely attached. Only 19% of institutional were securely attached. involved. Insecure-avoidant were most likely to be victims and insecure-resistant most likely to be bullies.
Disinhibited attachment applied to 44% of institutionalised children compared to less than 20% of control. Hazan and Shaves analysed 620 responses to a love quiz. 56% were securely attached, 25% insecure-avoidant and 19%
Disinhibited attachment – showing equal affection to stranger and familiar people. Rutter explained this as an adaption to insecure-resistant. Those reporting secure attachments were most likely to have long lasting romantic relationships.
living with multiple carers. Avoidant tended to reveal jealousy and fear of intimacy.
Intellectual disability – most children showed signed of intellectual disability when adopted. Most adopted before 6 months McCarthy studied 40 women who were assessed as babies to establish attachment types. Securely attached had best
were able to catch up. friendships and romantic relationships. Insecure-resistant had problems maintaining friendships and those classed as
- Improved conditions. Heightened importance of avoiding having large numbers of carers for each child and foster insecure-avoidant struggled with intimacy in romantic relationships. Attachment types can be passed down through
seen as more desirable. Children have a chance at developing normal attachments. generations due to a tendency to imitate parenting style.
- Lack of cofounding variables. children handed over to orphanages by loving parents meaning trauma and abuse do - Evidence. Early attachment consistently predicts later attachment. Insecure avoidants convey disadvantages and
not cofound results. Higher internal validity. However, quality of care was remarkably poor. Harmful effects disorganised strongly associated with later mental disorder. However, not all evidence supports. Regensburg
represented may reflect the effects of poor institutional care rather than general institutional care. longitudinal study followed 43 individuals. At age 16 attachment had no evidence of continuity. Other factors.
- Lack of data on adult development regarding lifelong mental health problems and success in forming and - Retrospectively. Causes validity problems as research that is not longitudinal relies on honesty and ability to
maintaining romantic and parental relationships. Longitudinal studies some time before knowing long-term effects. differentiate early attachment and adult attachment. Cofounded by other factors.
- Socially sensitive. Results that show poor developmental outcomes published during their lives could created lower - Cofounding variables. Parenting style. Genetically influenced personality. Cannot be sure if early attachment and
perceived expectations of the children and create a self-fulfilling prophecy. However, much has been learned from not other factor that influence later development.
these studies that has benefitted future institutionalised children.
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