AQA Psychology A-Level: Attachment Notes

Part 1: Caregiver-Infant Interactions

Reciprocity and Interactional Synchrony

• Attachment: A strong reciprocal emotional bond between an infant and a primary caregiver.
• Reciprocity: Mutual exchange; both child and mother must bond. Demonstrated by Brazleton et al.
  • Importance: Teaches child communication, helps parent respond to child’s needs effectively.
• Interactional Synchrony: Synchronization of actions and emotions between child and caregiver.
  • Condon and Sander (1974), and Brazleton et al: Infants mimic gestures and expressions.
  • Impacts: Leads to better parent-child communication.
• Studies: Controlled observations for reliability. Challenges include understanding if infants' actions are meaningful.

Part 2: Stages of Attachment Identified by Schaffer

Schaffer and Emerson's Study (1964)

• Aim: Identify stages/patterns in attachment development.
• Participants: 60 babies from Glasgow.
• Method: Observations, caregiver interviews, and diaries tracking separation anxiety, stranger anxiety, social referencing.
• Findings: Sensitive responsiveness is more crucial than time spent for attachment formation.
  • Stages of Attachment:
    • Asocial (0-6 weeks): Similar response to objects and people.
    • Indiscriminate (6 weeks - 6 months): Comforted by anyone, responds more to people.
    • Specific (7 months +): Preference for particular caregiver, shows stranger and separation anxiety.
    • Multiple (10/11 months +): Multiple attachments form, varying in strength.
• Evaluation: Issues with population and internal validity due to self-report method.

Part 3: The Role of the Father

• Fathers as secondary attachment figures in 75% of cases by 18 months.
• Fathers can become primary attachment figures (Tiffany Field).
• Role of father varies; influence debated due to societal and biological factors.

Part 4: Animal Studies of Attachment

Lorenz

• Imprinting: Attachment to the first moving object after birth.
• Critical period: First 30 months, attachment must form.
• Generalization issues: Differences between mammals and birds.

Harlow

• Importance of contact comfort over food.
• Developmental issues without secure attachment.

Part 5: Explanations of Attachment

Learning Theory

• Attachment as learned behavior through conditioning.
• Contradicted by studies emphasizing comfort and synchrony over food.

Bowlby’s Monotropic Theory

• Attachments are innate and evolutionarily advantageous.
• ASCMI: Adaptive, Social releasers, Critical period, Monotropy, Internal working model.
• Supported by Bailey et al and contrasted with cultural variations.

Part 6: Ainsworth’s Strange Situation

• Assessing attachment security and types:
  • Secure: Distress upon separation, easy soothing.
  • Insecure resistant: Distress, seeks and rejects attention.
  • Insecure avoidant: No distress or stranger anxiety.
• Evaluation: Issues with cultural bias, ecological validity, and ethical concerns.

Part 7: Cultural Variations in Attachment

• Van Izjendoorn's meta-analysis: Patterns differ across cultures.
• Influences of cultural practices on attachment.
• Criticism for cultural bias and lack of ecological validity.

Part 8: Bowlby’s Theory of Maternal Deprivation

• Essential for psychological and emotional development.
• Consequences: Inability to form future attachments, affectionless psychopathy, delinquency.
• Criticized for methodological limitations and lack of concrete critical period.

Part 9: Effects of Institutionalisation

Hodges and Tizard

• Longitudinal study of institutional care effects.
• Negative impact on relationship formation despite subsequent emotional care.

Rutter et al

• Romanian orphan study: Importance of early adoption for recovery.
• Disinhibited attachment in later adoptees.

Part 10: Influence of Early Attachment on Relationships

• Continuity between early attachment and adult relationships.
• Internal working model formed from early attachments.
• Supported by Bailey (2007) and Hazan and Shaver.
• Criticism for being deterministic and reductionist.
• Alternative explanations include temperament hypothesis by Kagan.