Attachment S&E

Attachment S&E

1. Caregiver-infant interactions

   • Reciprocity interactions between 2 which result in both being able to produce a response for each other
     • Murray & Trevarthen 'frozen face' babies became upset and tried to draw mothers back into interaction
     • suggests that without it infants will lack communication skills later on in life
   • interactional synchrony mother & infant simultaneously reflect an action at the same time
     • Isabella et al high levels of synchrony linked to better quality mother-infant attachments (high emotional intensity relationship)
     • suggest that it gives infants fundamental skills for future relationships
   • Le Vine said Kenyan mothers have little interactions with their children but the infants have high quality attachments.
     • suggests that IS & R is not essential for attachments

2. Role of the father

   • Most babies attach to mother first (primary attachment) this suggests that mothers are more of a priority and are the main caregivers
   • Grossman food that the quality of childhood attachment was down to their infant attachment with their mother but in adolescence was down to the fathers play role this suggests that m&f have different roes and are influential at different stages
   • Field found that in some circumstances fathers adopted the roles of the mother, this suggests that the role of main caregiver has nothing to do with gender.

3. Stages of attachment

   • Schaffer and Emerson investigated formation of attachment
   • they asked mother how the child behaved when left by the caregiver and when the were approached by strangers, if the baby didn't cry it suggested that it didn't have a strong bond with the main caregiver

4. Attachment

   • a close 2 way emotional bond between individuals who believe that each other are essential for their emotional security
   • ensures survival, act as prototype for future relationships