Attachment A01

Attachment A01

1. Schaffer's stages of attachment

   • 1.Asocial stage
     • Behave towards humans + inanimate objects quite similar, some preference familiar adults, happier presence other humans
   • 2.Indiscriminate
     • 2-7months, preference for ppl, recognise+familiar adults, no stranger or separation anxiety, indiscriminate
   • 3.Specific
     • specific attachment w primary attachment figure, stranger+seperation anxiety from 1 particular adult, 65% mother
   • 4.Multiple
     • 1 year, secondary attachments shortly after, Schaffer+Emersons study 29% within 1 month of specific attachment

2. KEY STUDY:SCHAFFER+EMERSON: 60 babies Glasgow wc, visited home every month for a year and at 18months. Sep anxiety measured by asking mothers about everyday separations. Stranger anxiety measured by asking mothers questions about children anxiety response to unfamiliar adults

   • 50% babies sep anxiety to particular adult between 25-32 weeks, primary attachment figure usually mother

3. Animal Studies

   • Lorenz: Imprinting
     • 12 goose eggs, half hatched mother, half Lorenz, brought 2 groups back together, also observed birds+later courtship behave
       • Control group- followed mother, found critical period imprinting needs to take place e.g few hours after hatching, if not in that time, chicks not attach themselves to mother figure, sexual imprinting also occurs when birds acquire template of desirable characters required in mate
   • Harlow:Importance contact comfort.
     • 16 Rhesus monkeys 2 wire mothers, one dispensed milk, on dispensed milk covered in cloth, monkeys preference measured, further measure attachment type behav reactions to frightening situations observed, studied monkeys deprived of real mother into adulthood
       • Cuddled soft object over wire regardless of which dispensed milk, suggests contact comfort more importance than food when came to attachment behav.sort comfort from cloth one when frightened, ones deprived real mother suffered severe consequences, more aggressive, less sociable and less skilled in mating, also neglected and sometimes killed offspring.

4. Cultural variations

   • IJZENDOORN:META ANALYSIS Proportion secure, insecure avoidant and insecure resistant attachments across range countries, looked difference within same countries for ideas of variation within cultures. Found 32 studies strange situation used, 8 countries, 15 of them in USA, meta analysed the data results combined and weighted for sample size.
     • Secure most common in all countries, 50% China 75% Britain, Individualist cultures insecure resistant rates similar to Ainsowrths original sample of under 14% but not true fro collectivist samples from China Japan and Israel rates above 25%, rates of insecure avoidant were reduced, SUGGESTS cultural differences in distribution of insecure attachment.
       • Variatons between results of studies within same country were 150% greater than those between countries. USA one study 46% attached other found 90%
   • SIMONELLI: ITALIAN KEY STUDY: Assessed 76 1yr old babies Strange Situation see if proportion attachment types matched previous italian studies. Mothers varied education terms 57% uni 40% high school, 2% didn't complete high school and profession levels 48% employees, 13% professionals, 39% part time of unemployed.
     • 50& secure, 36% insecure avoidant, lower rate of secure than in prev studies, SUGGESTED de to increasing no. mothers working long hours and using professional childcare. Cultural changes can make dramatic diff in patterns of attachment.

5. Bowlbys Maternal Deprivation

   • Continuous emotional care from mother or substitute essential 4 normal emotional and intellectual development
   • Mother separation may lead to maternal deprivation. Mother love in infancy as important for mental health as proteins are for physical
   • Seperation diff from deprivation: sep means child physically not in presence of primary attachment figure. Dep means losing emotional care as result of sep. Dep avoided if alternate emotional care offered= sep doesn't always cause dep.
     • KEY STUDY: 44 THIEVES. 44 delinquent teens accused stealing, families interviewed to establish any long sep from mothers. All thieves interviewed for signs affection less psychopathy characterised by lack of affection guilt and empathy
       • 14 found affection less psychopaths of these 12 experienced prolonged sep from mothers in first 2 years. Contrast only 5 of remaining 30 experienced sep. SUGGESTS prolonged early sep/dep caused affectionless psychopathy
   • 30 months critical period: if sep from mother without emotional substitute for extended p of time during 30 months = psychological damage inevitable
   • Dep lowers IQ: dep of material care too long in critical p= mental retardation+abnormally low IQ. GOLDFARB: lower IQ children in institutions compared foster children
   • Lack of emotional care may = emotionless psychopathy, inability experience guilt or strong emotions for others, prevents development of normal rels+associated with criminality