Slide 1AttachmentTheories of AttachmentAttachment: Secure Base BehaviorStrange Situation (Ainsworth)Qualities of AttachmentHow do we study Attachment? Ainsworth’s Strange SituationCaregiving Styles and AttachmentLong-Term Effects of AttachmentReciprocal SocializationContexts of CaregivingContexts of Caregiving: ParentsContexts of CaregivingContexts of CaregivingAttachmentAttachment•A close emotional bond between two people•Early theory•Infants were attached to their mothers because the mothers fed themTheories of Attachment•Bowlby -- internal working model of attachment•An internal model of the caregiver, their relationship, and the self as deserving of nurturant care •“can I depend on this person?”Attachment: Secure Base BehaviorInfant’s use of attachment figure as a base of safety and exploring the world•Balancing two motivational systems•Exploratory system understand the world•Attachment system be safe and protected from world•Goal is to coordinate the two systemsStrange Situation (Ainsworth)•Mary Ainsworth (1979) created the Strange Situation•the degree to which the caregiver’s presence provides the infant with security and confidence•Procedures: •Series of Stressors•Observe child’s use of attachment system•Separation/reunion•Stranger anxiety stress•Key Question: Does child cope with stress by using mother for security?Qualities of Attachment•Securely attached babies•Use the caregiver as a secure base from which to explore the environment•Insecure avoidant babies•Avoiding the caregiver•Insecure resistant babies•Cling to the caregiver, then resist the caregiver by fighting against the closeness•Insecure disorganized babies•Being disorganized and disorientedHow do we study Attachment?Ainsworth’s Strange SituationCaregiving Styles and Attachment•Maternal sensitivity linked to secure attachment•Caregivers of insecurely attached infants tend to be:•Rejecting•Inconsistent •AbusiveLong-Term Effects of Attachment•Amount of independence•Child’s expectations about social relationships•Level of curiosity and self-confidence•Preparation for adult intimacyReciprocal Socialization•Socialization that is bidirectional•children socialize parents just as parents socialize children •Scaffolding •timing interactions so that the infant experiences turn-taking with the parents •scaffolding involves parental behavior that supports children’s efforts•caregivers provide a positive, reciprocal framework for interactionContexts of CaregivingFigure 4.9 - Primary Care Arrangements in the United States for Children Under 5 Years of Age with Employed MothersContexts of Caregiving: Parents•Mothers spend considerably more time in caregiving with infants and children than do fathers•Mothers are more likely to have managerial role•Fathers interactions are more play-centered•Fathers have the ability to act sensitively and responsively with their infants•Father’s presence in a child’s life is beneficial•Leads to more success in schoolContexts of Caregiving•Research on Day Care•The National Institute of Child Health and Development •1300 children from birth through age 15•these children came from 10 different sites across the United States.•Conclusion was that infants are not harmed by, and are sometimes helped by, good day-care programs.Contexts of Caregiving•The four essential characteristics of high-quality day care•1. Adequate attention to each infant•2. Encouragement of sensorimotor exploration and language development•3. Attention to health and safety•4. Well-trained and professional