Schaffer and Emerson (1964) Looked a the gradual development of attachments by studying 60 Glasgow babies,
They measured strength of attachment by -
Separation anxiety: how distressed the child became when separated from the main caregiver (which suggests an attachment has been formed) and
Stranger anxiety: distress shown when the child was left alone with an unfamiliar person (which suggests that the child can recognise familiar and unfamiliar people).
They found that the first specific attachment was formed by 50% of infants between 25 and 32 weeks. Intensity peaked in the first month following the onset of the first attachment. Multiple attachments began soon after the first attachment had been formed. By 18 months 31% had five or more attachments, e.g. to grandparents etc.
Asocial
(0-6 weeks)
This is short lived. Attention seeking behaviour such as crying and smiling is not directed at anyone in particular, suggesting attachments could be made with anyone.
Indiscriminate attachment
(6weeks to 7 months)
Similar in that the child seeks attention from anyone and is happy to receive attention from anyone. However, preferences are shown to familiar faces that elicit a greater response from the infant.
Specific attachments
(7 to 11 months)
Child is primarily attached to the main caregiver. If they are separated the child becomes distressed and the child is wary of strangers.
Since babies were observed in their own homes (a natural environment) we can assume that the study is high in ecological validity; the findings can be generalised to the real world. However, accuracy of data collection by parents who were keeping daily diaries whilst clearly being very busy could be questioned.
Klaus and Kennell (1976) tested the hypothesis that early skin to skin contact leads to closer bonds being formed between new mothers and babies by studying woman who gave birth in hospitals.They looked at two groups of newly born infants:
Klaus and Kennel believed that this showed that greater contact led to stronger and closer bond formation between mother and child and provided evidence for the sensitive period.
Konrad Lorenz (1935) split a clutch of goose eggs and got half to be hatched by their mother and the rest were placed in an incubator and saw Konrad on hatching. The second group subsequently followed Konrad everywhere and became distressed if they were separated from him
observing them every four weeks for the first year and then again at 18 months.
They measured strength of attachment by -
Separation anxiety: how distressed the child became when separated from the main caregiver (which suggests an attachment has been formed) and
Stranger anxiety: distress shown when the child was left alone with an unfamiliar person (which suggests that the child can recognise familiar and unfamiliar people).
They found that the first specific attachment was formed by 50% of infants between 25 and 32 weeks. Intensity peaked in the first month following the onset of the first attachment. Multiple attachments began soon after the first attachment had been formed. By 18 months 31% had five or more attachments, e.g. to grandparents etc.Asocial
(0-6 weeks)
This is short lived. Attention seeking behaviour such as crying and smiling is not directed at anyone in particular, suggesting attachments could be made with anyone.
Indiscriminate attachment
(6weeks to 7 months)
Similar in that the child seeks attention from anyone and is happy to receive attention from anyone. However, preferences are shown to familiar faces that elicit a greater response from the infant.
Specific attachments
(7 to 11 months)
Child is primarily attached to the main caregiver. If they are separated the child becomes distressed and the child is wary of strangers.
Since babies were observed in their own homes (a natural environment) we can assume that the study is high in ecological validity; the findings can be generalised to the real world. However, accuracy of data collection by parents who were keeping daily diaries whilst clearly being very busy could be questioned.
- Group one allowed contact with mother during feeding in the f irst 3 days
- Group two allowed extended contact with mother lasting several hours a day
Klaus and Kennel believed that this showed that greater contact led to stronger and closer bond formation between mother and child and provided evidence for the sensitive period.
Konrad Lorenz (1935) split a clutch of goose eggs and got half to be hatched by their mother and the rest were placed in an incubator and saw Konrad on hatching. The second group subsequently followed Konrad everywhere and became distressed if they were separated from him
Lorenz then found that there was a critical period when creating an attachment. The critical period is a specific period of time in which something has to develop. For example, in an embryo, limbs start to develop between 24 and 26 days after conception. Anything that interferes with the process during those days will have a lasting effect. For the Goslings, the attachment had to be solid within 32 hours, otherwise it would not happen at all. The same principle applies to humans.
Ethology - The study of animal behaviour.
Attachment is an emotional bond to another person. Psychologist John Bowlby was the first attachment theorist, describing attachment as a "lasting psychological connected-ness between human beings" . Bowlby believed that the earliest bonds formed by children with their caregivers have a tremendous impact that continues throughout life. According to Bowlby, attachment also serves to keep the infant close to the mother, thus improving the child's chances of survival.
The central theme of attachment theory is that mothers who are available and responsive to their infant's needs establish a sense of security in their children. The infant knows that the caregiver is dependable, which creates a secure base for the child to then explore the world.
The Components of Attachment:
- There are four key components of attachment:
- Secure Base: The caregiver provides a secure and dependable base for the child to explore the world.
- Proximity Maintenance: The child strives to stay near the caregiver, thus keeping the child safe.
- Separation Distress: When separated from the caregiver, the child will become upset and distressed.
In this procedure the child is observed playing for twenty minutes while caregivers and strangers enter and leave the room, recreating the flow of the familiar and unfamiliar persons in the lives of most children. The arranged sequence of events is as follows:
- Caregiver and infant are introduced to the experimental room.
- Caregiver and infant are left alone. Caregiver does not participate while infant plays and explores.
- Stranger enters, converses with parent, then approaches infant. Caregiver leaves inconspicuously.
- First separation episode: Stranger's adjusts his behavior to that of the infant.
- First reunion episode: Caregiver greets and comforts the infant, then leaves again.
- Second separation episode: Infant is left alone.
- Continuation of second separation episode: Stranger enters and again adjusts his behavior to that of the infant.
- Second reunion episode: Parent enters, greets infant, and picks up infant; stranger leaves inconspicuously.
Two aspects of the child's behavior are observed:
- The amount of exploration (e.g. playing with new toys) the child engages in during the time period.
- The child's reactions to the departure and return of his caregiver
Ainsworth found three different types of attachment
Secure Attachment: A child who is securely attached to its caregiver will explore freely while the caregiver is present, will engage with strangers, will be visibly upset when the caregiver departs, and happy to see the caregiver return.
The child will not engage with the stranger if the caregiver is not in the room.
Anxious-Ambivalent Insecure Attachment: A child with an anxious-resistant attachment style is anxious of exploration and of strangers, even when the caregiver is present. When the caregiver departs, the child is extremely distressed. The child will be ambivalent when she returns and will seek to remain close to the caregiver, but will be resentful, and also resistant when the caregiver initiates attention.
Anxious-Avoidant Insecure Attachment: A child with an anxious-avoidant attachment style will avoid or ignore the caregiver and show little emotion when the caregiver departs or returns. The child will not explore very much, regardless of who is there. Strangers will not betreated very differently from the caregiver. There is not much emotional range displayed regardless of who is in the room or if it is empty.
