Overview
This lecture covers the concept of attachment, focusing on how and why infants form attachments, the types and stages of attachment, key studies in both humans and animals, and the effects of attachment on later life.
Features of Attachment
- Attachment is an emotional bond between an individual and an attachment figure, enhancing security and promoting proximity.
- Key caregiver-infant interaction features include reciprocity (mutual response) and interactional synchrony (coordinated actions).
- Other features include mimicking, physical contact, and motherese (baby talk).
- Evidence shows interactional synchrony and mimicking help form strong attachments; physical contact is crucial, while motherese is less significant.
Stages of Attachment (Schaffer)
- Pre-attachment (birth–3 months): preference for humans over objects, but cannot distinguish people.
- Indiscriminate attachment (3–8 months): prefers familiar faces but accepts strangers.
- Specific attachment (~8 months): strong bond with primary caregiver, separation and stranger anxiety observed.
- Multiple attachments (~10 months): forms additional attachments, but primary bond remains strongest.
The Role of the Father
- Fathers often act as playmates; mothers provide comfort and nurture.
- Societal changes mean fathers increasingly serve as primary caregivers.
Animal Studies of Attachment
- Lorenz’s imprinting in goslings shows attachment to the first moving object within a critical period.
- Harlow’s monkey studies reveal comfort through physical contact is more important for attachment than food.
Explanations of Attachment
- Learning theory: attachment is learned via classical and operant conditioning (association with food and reduced discomfort).
- Bowlby’s monotropic theory: innate, evolutionary drive to form one main attachment (usually mother); secondary attachments are less important.
- Critical period exists for attachment formation (up to 3 years); primary attachment shapes expectations for future relationships (internal working model).
Types of Attachment (Ainsworth)
- Strange Situation procedure categorizes attachment as secure (70%), insecure-avoidant (15%), or insecure-resistant (15%).
- Secure: distressed by absence, soothed upon return, explores confidently.
- Insecure-avoidant: indifferent to absence and reunion, explores independently.
- Insecure-resistant: distressed by absence, resists comfort, less exploration.
Cultural Variations
- Attachment styles differ across cultures, with Western countries showing more insecure-avoidant and Japan/Israel higher insecure-resistant rates.
- More variation exists within countries than between them.
Effects of Attachment
- Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis states prolonged separation leads to permanent psychological harm.
- Institutionalization (privation) results in delayed development but can be reversed with care if intervention is early.
- Romanian orphan studies support reversibility of effects if adopted early.
Influence of Early Attachment
- The continuity hypothesis: early attachment style influences later relationships and parenting.
- Studies show secure attachments lead to better social and romantic outcomes; some argue innate temperament may also explain continuity.
Key Terms & Definitions
- Attachment — Emotional bond with an attachment figure.
- Reciprocity — Mutual exchange of signals/actions between caregiver and infant.
- Interactional synchrony — Synchronized, rhythmic caregiver-infant interactions.
- Imprinting — Rapid attachment to first moving object seen, often in animals.
- Critical period — Limited time window for forming attachments.
- Internal working model — Mental template influencing future relationships.
- Strange Situation — Lab procedure for assessing attachment style.
- Maternal deprivation — Loss or prolonged separation from the mother, potentially causing harm.
- Institutionalization — Effects from being raised in children’s homes with no primary attachment.
Action Items / Next Steps
- Review and compare learning theory and Bowlby’s monotropic theory.
- Learn key features and outcomes of the Strange Situation procedure.
- Be familiar with Lorenz, Harlow, and Rutter studies and their implications.
- Study the effects of early attachment on later life relationships for exam preparation.