Attachment in Everyday Life

Attachment in Everyday Life

1. Social behaviour defined as peer relationships, friendships & aggression

2. Different types of daycare: Nursery, childminder, nanny, playgroup...

3. Andersson

   • followed 119 Swedish children, from 1-8 years old
   • found that children who started day care before 1 had greater social skills, than children who started later
   • - conflicting research, Di Lalla found children raised in daycare less cooperative with other children

4. Clarke-Stewart

   • studied 150 children starting school the first time
   • found that children who went to nursery had better social skills, compared to children cared in family settings

5. Violata & Russell (aggressive behaviour)

   • meta-analysis, concluded that regular day-care had marked negative effect on social-emotional behaviour

6. NICHD (aggressive behaviour)

   • found that the more time children spend in day care, the more adults rated aggressive both at school & at home

7. - Most research is correlation, cannot infer causal link

8. - too much emphasis on role of day care in child's aggressiveness, other factors e.g. mother's sensitivity, parent's income etc.

9. Impact of research on day care

   • Low staff turnover, to minimise effects of disruption
   • Low child-to-caregiver ratio, NICHD study recommends 3:1
   • Qualified staff
   • Provision of key workers, who will serve as a secure attachment figure for child