PSYC 3684 1st EditionExam # 2 Study Guide Lectures: 10 - 16 Lecture 10 Attachment Theory: the development and consequences of the child-care giver relationship- Attachment: enduring emotional bond between child and caretakerJohn Bowlby: 1950s-1980s- Father of attachment theoryo Consequences of actual separation from mom Fear, depression, indifferenceo 44 juvenile thieves: Show disattachment similarly- Same indifference manifesting with them- Early and long separation from their momStrange Situation Task Cont’d:- Measuring children’s ability too Explore (secure base)o Degree of separation anxietyo Be comforted by their motherAinsworth’s Baltimore Study: (Ainsworth, Bell, Stayton 1974)- N = 26 newborn – 1 yr.- In-home observational study (64 in home visits)- Lab  strange situation- Identified 3 categories of attachment and one was added later4 Categories of Attachment:- Secure- Insecureo Avoidanto Ambivalento Disorganized (by Main)- Secure 60%  secure baseo Secure base, separation anxiety and early comfort- Maternal behavioro Responsiveness to infant signals, warm and consistent responsesAvoidant: 15%- Indifferent, may or may not show distress, don’t look at mom for comfort and may actually even seek a stranger for comfort- Cutting off emotions to hide from their selves and their moms- Moms: rejecting and colderAmbivalent: 10%- Child is anxious and distressed and clingy- Not easily comforted  sends mixed signals- Moms: unpredictable and inconsistent with responding to infantMain  Disorganized (15%) Main and Solomon 1986, 1990- Child  absence of organized strategy to cope!- Sometimes will go up to a stranger instead of mom- Parents: abusive, frighteningChallenges to Attachment Theory- Behaviorism- Correlational data- Child contributionsBehaviorism Challenge:- Do I need to respond to my crying baby or do I not?- Attachment theory: response builds security and confidenceBehavioral: responding will reinforce the behavior (operant conditioning) and could lead to spoiling, crying and dependenceBell and Ainsworth (1972)- NO relationship between maternal response and frequency of crying in the first 4 months of life- Babies cried less from 4th month – 1 year when moms responded promptly in first four months- Ignoring led to a vicious cycle- Responding decreases infant readiness to use crying as a signal- Responsiveness doesn’t create dependency but enables autonomy and confidenceCausal Data for Responsiveness – Intervention Studies:- If you teach mom to be a responsive mother will she have a securely attached infant?- Van den Boom 1994o Low SES, mom = primary caretaker N- 100o 2 groups, 3 two hour sessions from age 6-9 monthso Intervention- taught moms how to be responsive motherso Control- attention only (give both groups attention and just one group training)o Strange situation at a year oldo Intervention infants are more securely attached at 12 months than controls wereo Doesn’t take much to make HUGE differencesWhat does the child contribute?- Behavioral genetics approacho Attention classifications equally similar for monozygotic and dizygotic twins (about 70%) suggesting V small role of genetics (O’Connor and Croft 2001) Roisman and Fraley 2006- Molecular genetic approacho Gene-environment interaction involving 5-HTT and responsiveness (Berry et al. 2008)o Maternal responsiveness associated with secure attachmento BUT, a long allele can facilitate resilience when mom’s response is lowo Nature vs. Nurture- Genes don’t matter UNLESS mom is low respondingThe role of Fathers- “Monotropy” (Bowlby): only the principal attachment figure has an impact on social and emotional development  usually mom- Hierarchy of Attachment: both parents can be attachment figures for children (Lami 1979 and Bowlby 1984)- Babies actually can form many attachments- Mother is probably on top (if baby gets hurt, goes over to mom)o Can change though, depends on who is home the most with the infantModified Strange Situation (Geiger 1996):- Primary caretaker is on TOP!Lecture 12:The Role of Fathers continued:- Kochanska and Kim 2013o Strange situation with mom and dad separately and emotional/behavioral problems at ages 6 and 8o Double secure and mixed had fewer problems than double insecure childreno One secure attachment to mother or father may be considered a protective father that facilitates resilienceConsequences of Attachment:- Bowlby hypothesized early attention predicts later social and environment functioningConsequences of Attachment: Childhood- Attachment security related to:o Social competence, independence in preschool (Scroufe et al 2005)o Self-control at age 6 (Jacobson et al 1997) Mischel (1989) delay of gratification task- Marshmallow taskConsequences of Attachment: Adolescence and early adulthood- Fewer emotional and behavioral issues at 13 and 17, particularly under stresso Attachment history x stress interaction- Recovery from adversity (13-17)- Global competence at age 19o Prediction enhanced when combined with peer competence in high school and later parentingConclusions:- Support for Bowlby- Snowball effect – attention may initiate skills to positive developmentConsequences: Adulthood- Attachment important “from the cradle to the grave.” (Bowbly 1979/1994)- In adult hood, rents are joined or replaced as attachment figures by adult romantic partners (Ainsworth)Hazan and Shaver’s theory of adult attachment 1987, 2000- Two central propositionso Adults use their partners as secure bases the way infants do with rents Fraley and Shaver (1998)- Airport separation observationso Second proposition- attachment styles observed among infants and rents continue into adulthood and affect the nature of romantic relationshipsSecure Attachment:- Capable of genuine intimacyo Empathy, passion, affection, sensitivityAvoidant: unable to get close to someone- Aloof, uncaring, distantAmbivalent: needy and engulfing- Jealous, possessive, need reassurance constantlySo, am I doomed?- Bowlbyo The internal working model is a WORKING model, modification is absolutely possibleo Alternative attachment figuresSaunders et all 2011: explores this possibility of reworking it- Method N=113 infant and mom pairs- Moms  AAI (Adult Attachment Interview) internal working model- Alternative support = family, friends, professions- Infants- strange situation  attachment classification is assessedResults:- Earned secure more likely to have an emotionally