Attachments

Attachments

1. Schaffer &Emerson

   • Aim: Investigate the age at which infants become attached who they become attached to, and whether it is possible to develop multiple attachments.
     • Procedure - Longitudinal study 60 infants over first 18 months of their lives was carried out in the 1960's. They visited the children at monthly intervals in their own homes and observed their interactions with their caregivers. Observation in home
       • Results By 18 months old 31% of infant formed attachments
         • Conclusions - Infant would attach to people who responded to other signals (Sensitive responsiveness)
           • Strengths - Generalise, Interobserver, Reliability if more than 1 observer, Ethical
           • Limitations - Not representative, ethnocentric culturally biased (sample), subject attrition (pp drop out), pp reactivity.

2. A longitudinal study is a study that is carried out during a long period of time

3. Sensitiveness responsiveness is responding to the baby's signals accurately.

4. 4 characteristics of attachments Macoby 1980 1. Seeking proxmity, 2. Distressed when separated, 3. Feeling pleasure when reunited, 4 Making frequent contact infant always aware of caregiver

5. Classical conditioning - Learning by association

   • Before conditioning
     • During conditioning mother + food + Happy baby
       • After conditioning mother + happy baby

6. Operant conditioning - Reinforcement

   • The baby has to learn to form an attachment with his caregiver. In the process of operant conditioning, the caregiver rewards the baby by feeding him, so he associates the caregiver with the reward and repeats any action that brings her close. This happens because food brings a feeling of pleasure (=reward) and repeats to the baby. Food is the primary reinforce. By removing discomfort, it reinforces the behaviour that led to its arrival. But food doesn't come without the caregiver bringing it, so the caregiver becomes the secondary reinforcer - even without bringing food, the presence of the mother reduces discomfort and brings a feeling of pleasure. The baby will therefore repeat any action e.g. crying which brings the caregiver close.

7. Schaffer & Emerson Evaluation

   • Doesn't support 'cupboard' love theory because baby makes multiple attachments with other people. Sensitive responsiveness attachment - not person who fed. Not completely wrong since there might be other reinforcement.

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