5.10.12Attachment DevelopmentConcept of attachmentDefinition: baby’s emotional tie to a specific person or people usually the caregiversFoundational theorist: John BowlbyPhylogenetically evolved adaptive system for dealing with danger or threat ex: Harlow experiments with rhesus monkeys the monkey wanted to feel the clothe rather than the feeding bottle/ under threat they run to the attachment figureBehavioral manifestation: proximity seeking (going closer) to the caregiver, most often the motherStages in the development of attachmentPreattachment phase(birth to 6 wks): baby is undiscriminating in social responsivenessany onecan pick up the babyAttachment in the making (6-8 mos-18-24 mos)Baby builds the sense of trustbuilt up through the primary attachmentDiscriminating responsesClearcut attachment (6-8mos- 18-24mos)Strong attachment for one or two ppl(be able to protect) and these are the 2 signs…..Separation distresscrying and protestingStranger anxietydesire to be close to the attachment figure is mirrored by not wantingto be close to anyone else and fearful of strangersAdaptive responses to stranger dangerhighly evolvedStandardized measurement of attachment:The strange situation (developed by Mary Ainsworth)7 episodesBehavior is observed upon departure and re-entry of mother or strangerStranger anxiety*Behaviors categorized as secure attachment**Sadness on attachment figure’s departurecrying**Happy reunion upon re-entrybaby starts smiling, the baby returns to play/ the baby expects security from the mother**Secure base behavior the feeling when an attachment figure is around it gives the baby confidence to explore(baby plays with toys)If no one is in the room the baby likes that episode the leastThe stranger tries to comfort the child if the mother is gone but the baby remains distressedVideo using strange situation to illustrate how behaviors are used to classify children as having secure, avoidant or resistant attachments(2 types of insecure attachments)Secure-The baby calms down with the contact of the mother and is only interested in the mother then she becomes interested in the toysInsecure-the baby is avoidant/ baby can’t calm down/ slaps toys away/ anger/ resistant because they want her back but can’t use the contact/ the mother has been inconsistentwhen the baby has sought contact which causes insecurity/ keeps her hands down and arms out and the baby stays silent when the mother returns after she leftWhen babies are taught to be able to rely on the mother than he/she is more likely to trust othersAttachment dynamics and secure attachment behaviors in the real world (2 yrs oldfull attachment behaviors)When the child is very unhappymother leftThe child is joyfulthe mother returnsSecure attachments are in the overwhelming majority around the worldLower for Isreal children because they did not have a reliable caregiver raised in a children’s homesSeparation distress: the older you get the lies you cry when you are departed from you’re mother/ separation distress is universal/ a peak in separation distress between 10-15mos. Of age and then separation distress (the percentage of children who cry following maternal departure) goes downReactions to separation are also situation-specificWho can function as an attachment figure depends on the level of threatStudy by CummingsLaboratory (unfamiliar, relatively high threat) strange situationDaycare center(familiar, relatively low threat)Babies: 12-18 mos. Old, N=30Babies observed in strange situation and in daycare drop-ofStrange situation (high threat)1min. trial with teacher and stranger (used two diferent teachers in one trial each)Daycare drop-of (low threat)Child left with same teachers (1 drop-of with each teacherone familiar and one less familiar for each child)LaboratoryChildren cried 40 times when mother left 40Children follow mother 28 timesResponses equally negative to more familiar and less familiar caregiverDay care separationChildren cried 6 times when mother leftChildren follow mother 4 timesChildren more positive with more familiar caregiverConclusions: greater perceived need for primary attachment figure in unfamiliar (high threat) situation/secondary attachment figure (more familiar teacher) can suffice in a familiar situation/ familiarity leads to a secondary attachment (someone else can be a security to the baby in a low-threat situation) Real-world application of attachment theory and research: child hospitalizationHospitalization is a high-threat situationTherefore, it follows rom attachment theory and research that there would be a greater need for proximity to an attachment figureBut children’s hospitals used to have defined visiting hours; did not allow attachment figures (parents) to stay with them all the time (rooming-in)This experiment done to help change that practiceDevelopmental change in reactions to *hospitalization (the baby acts as if there’s always a threateven when there is none/ parents have limited access to babies)Preattachment phase( birth to 6wks)Undiscriminating social responsiveness*Hospitalization: no later efect on social relationsAttachment in the making(6wks to 6-8mos)Building up a sense of trust*Global syndrome (looks blank, socially unresponsive)Clearcut attachment (6-8mos-18-24)Separation distressStranger anxiety*Overdependenty (crying when left alone, continuous clinging to mother)Efects of attachment on stress reduction/ experimental intervention: maternal rooming-inBabies 1 to 3Random assignment1st group: restricted visits (separation) 2nd group: rooming-in with mother (attachment figure continuously present)Results:Restricted visits group: regreassion(eating, sleeping, toilet training, reactions to brief separations from mother, emotional dependency0/ going backwards in earlier stagesEx: if a baby was potty trained before going into the hospital they may be back on diapers when they went backRooming-in group: no regression, developmental progress in eating, reactions to brief separations, emotional dependencyConclusion:Demonstrates function of attachment relationship in creating security under conditions of danger and stressPractical implications: should maximize presence of attachment figures in hospital, not restrict visitingApplication of attachment theory and research in adulthood: marital relationships and the issue of developmental continuity (long-term efects)Marital adjustment test: standard scores where 0