Attachment

Attachment

1. Types of attachment

   • Secure
   • Insecure Avoidant
   • Insecure Resistant

2. The use of the "Strange Situation"

   • An observational technique that places an infant in different situations in order to research the quality of attachment to their caregiver. The researchers used a behaviour checklist to assess: Exploration, Separation anxiety, Reunion behaviour, Stranger anxiety.
   • Secure attachment: 66%, Insecure avoidant: 22%, Insecure resistant: 12%
   • 8 stages: Child and Mother play, Stranger enters, Mother leaves, Stranger attempts to interact with the child, Mother returns and stranger leaves, Mother leaves child alone, Stranger returns and attempts to calm the child down, Mother returns.
   • Evaluation:
     • Ethics: 20% of infants were reported to cry desperately, this could cause psychological harm to the infant, however, Ainsworth claimed the situation was no more distressing than ordinary life.
     • Reliability: Panel of judges were in almost perfect agreement. High inter-rater reliability.
     • The Circle of Security project was developed to encourage secure attachment. (Real world application)

3. Cultural Variations

   • Individualist and Collectivist societies
   • German infants more likely to be classified as insecurely attached as they didn't seek out their caregiver. However, German culture involves keeping some distance between parents and children, children may only appear insecurely attached
   • Meta-analysis. Western cultures: most common insecure attachment type was avoidant. Non-western cultures: most common insecure attachment type was resistant.

4. Impact of Daycare

5. Disruption of attachment, Privation and Institutional Care

6. Explanations of attachment

   • Learning Theory
     • Operant conditioning: Learning through reward. Primary reinforcer= food, secondary reinforcer= caregiver.
     • Classical conditioning: learning through association. 3 steps. UCS, UCR, NS, CS, CR.
   • Evolutionary Theory (Bowlby)
     • Adaptive, Social Releasers, Critical Period, Monotropy, Internal Working Model (Continuity hypothesis)

7. How research influences child care practices

8. What is it?

   • A bond between a child and a caregiver.
   • Maccoby's 4 characteristics: 1) Seeking proximity, 2) Distress if separated, 3) Pleasure when reunited, 4) General orientation.