Lecture Notes on Attachment in AQA Psychology A-level

Part 1: Caregiver-Infant Interactions

Key Concepts

• Attachment: A strong reciprocal emotional bond between an infant and a primary caregiver.
• Reciprocity: The mutual exchange in interaction, essential for attachment formation.
  • Importance: Teaches communication, helps caregivers respond effectively to infant needs.
• Interactional Synchrony: Synchronization in behavior and emotions between infant and caregiver.
  • Studies: Condon and Sander (1974) and Brazleton et al.
  • Benefits: Leads to better communication as the child grows.

Research Methods

• Controlled observations often used, such as filming interactions.
• Challenges: Determining the meaningfulness of infant actions.

Part 2: Stages of Attachment by Schaffer

Schaffer and Emerson's Study (1964)

• Aim: Identify attachment stages and patterns.
• Participants: 60 Glasgow babies.
• Method: Interaction analysis, caregiver interviews, and diaries.
• Findings: Sensitive responsiveness is crucial for attachment; time spent is less important.

Stages of Attachment

• Asocial Stage (0-6 weeks): Similar response to objects and people.
• Indiscriminate Attachments (6 weeks-6 months): Prefers human company.
• Specific (7 months+): Strong preference for one caregiver; shows anxiety.
• Multiple (10/11 months+): Forms attachments with multiple people.

Evaluation

• Issues of population and temporal validity.
• Potential self-report bias in data collection.

Part 3: The Role of the Father

• Fathers often form secondary attachments by 18 months.
• Gender roles in caregiving are influenced by societal expectations.
• Disputes exist on the father's primary attachment role.

Part 4: Animal Studies of Attachment

Lorenz's Study

• Imprinting: First moving object seen by animals becomes the attachment figure.
• Challenges: Generalizing bird attachment models to mammals.

Harlow's Study

• Contact Comfort: More important than food for attachment.
• Development Issues: Poor social skills observed in monkeys.

Part 5: Explanations of Attachment

Learning Theory

• Attachments are learned through classical and operant conditioning.
• Criticism: Contradictory evidence from animal and human studies.

Bowlby's Monotropic Theory

• ASCMI: Adaptive, Social releasers, Critical period, Monotropy, Internal working model.
• Critiques: Socially sensitive implications, variations in attachment style.

Part 6: Ainsworth's Strange Situation

• Procedure: Controlled observation to classify attachment types.
• Types:
  • Secure
  • Insecure resistant
  • Insecure avoidant
• Evaluation: Cultural bias, ecological validity, ethical concerns.

Part 7: Cultural Variations in Attachment

• Van Izjendoorn's Meta-analysis: Examined attachment patterns in various cultures.
• Findings: Cultural practices influence attachment types.
• Evaluation highlights differences between countries and cultural biases.

Part 8: Bowlby's Theory of Maternal Deprivation

• Negative effects of deprivation on emotional and cognitive development.
• 44 Juvenile Thieves Study: Maternal deprivation linked to affectionless psychopathy.
• Critiques: Methodological limitations, alternative findings.

Part 9: Effects of Institutionalisation

Studies

• Hodges and Tizard (1989): Effects of privation on attachment.
• Rutter et al (2007): Effects of adoption age on recovery.

Findings

• Importance of early attachment formation.
• Long-term consequences less severe with opportunity for later attachment.

Part 10: Influence of Early Attachment on Later Relationships

• Internal Working Model: Early attachments shape future relationship expectations.
• Research: Supported by findings from Bailey et al., Hazan and Shaver.
• Critiques: Determinism, alternative explanations.