Developmental Psych Chapter 6 Attachment Attachment o Strong emotional bond that binds a person to his her most intimate o Proximity o Selective Physical closeness infant very selective about attachment to their caregiver at 6 7 companions months usually the mother followed by father in later weeks at 18 months infant s selective attachment is to about 5 different people Klaust and Kennell Theories o Caregiver to infant attachment more responsibility vulnerable o Caregivers emotionally bond very quickly to infant o Give caregivers early skin skin contact to form this quick attachment o Sensitive Period 1st 6 12 hours after birth critical for emotional bonding Klaust and Kennell Studies o 28 mothers 14 normal contact 14 extended contact with infant o Normal contact o Extended contact mother given additional hour with baby after birth 5 additional hours in the hospital overall resulted to be more soothing for infants periodic mother infant bonding after birth o Weeks later extended contact mothers stayed closer to infants more comfortable in the role of mom o Years later EC mothers still more confident then NC mothers o Extended contact infants also performing better Goldberg o Extended findings after 1 year resulted in less differences between extended and normal contact mothers o Normal less contact mothers will develop the same bond over time even after 2 years as extended mothers do o No long term benefits for extended contact moms vs normal contact moms o There is no 6 12 hour critical period after birth Infant Characteristics that Promote Attachment o Kewpie doll appearance o Physical Attractiveness o Innate Behaviors reflexes crying indicating infant distress synchronized interactions early in life infants engage us following us with their eyes turn toward us at the sound of our voice promotes attachment Problems Affecting the Characteristics Infants Should Have underdeveloped lack features of Kewpie doll in an incubator o Prematurity can not engage in synchronized interactions o Difficult Temperament Stages of Infant Attachment to Caregivers 1 Asocial Stage 2 0 6 weeks Indiscriminate Attachment indiscriminate caregivers and all people important attachment a month later will branch out 4 Multiple Attachment 3 Specific Attachment 7 months infant prefers primary caregiver most 8 months on average infant attached to 5 people 6 weeks 6 7months Infants prefer people Theories of Attachment Freud o Psychoanalytic Theory o Freud Feeding o Infants are focused on oral satisfaction o Mother s capacity for feeding satisfies oral cravings explains attachment to mom Erikson o Also Psychoanalyst feeding is important o Mother s overall behavior quick responsiveness is also important o Mom satisfies emotional needs as well as feeding ex when infant is afraid o Based on Trust vs Mistrust infant must have both oral and emotional needs satisfied by mother Learning and Behaviorists o Mother conditioned stimulus o She is present for all positive experiences happy is associated with mother o Mother is there for comfort reassurance diaper changes etc o Attachment to mother greater sense of needs being met Harry Harlow comfort mother o Contact Comfort o Is attachment to mother based more on feeding capability or ability to o Monkey Experiment monkey preferred clothed mother vs feeding wire Cognitive Developmental Theory o Discriminate Familiar o Person Permanence exist aware of who they are discriminate familiar people from unfamiliar people not seeing the person but knowing they still o Both steps necessary to develop before infant attachment can take place Ethological Theory o Attachment Biologically Based o First instinct protect young from predators o If young can not be protected make sure the dangerous situation does not last long Bowlby o Infants are active in the development of attachment o Infants have a number of biologically programmed behaviors which bring adults close and provide protection o Adults are programmed to respond to these infant behaviors Bowlby Internal Working Model o Over the infants first 5 years they develop a mental representation of themselves caregivers and relationships o How an infant views relationships in the world around him her o Takes A LOT of work to change these ingrained view of relationships o Positive Mom Positive Baby Mental Representation secure relationships o Positive Mom Negative Baby Mental Representation preoccupied with o Negative Mom Positive Baby Mental Representation Dismissive with developed relationships constant search for approval relationships doesn t need them relationships o Negative Mom Negative Baby Mental Representations Fearful of Fearful Responses o Stranger Anxiety o Separation Anxiety peaks 8 10 months declines at 2 years never really goes away seen at 2 4 years peaks 14 20 months Infant becomes distressed as mom leaves gets ready to leave Cultures where infants are rarely separated from mom display anxiety 2 months earlier baby does not want mom to leave Seen at 7 months Individual Responses in Attachment Ainsworth o Kids react in different ways when it comes to fearful responses o Theorizes that the mother s behavior determines how the child responds to strange situation Strange Situation Experiment o Mother and Child experience 8 different episodes of strange situations strangers separation reunion o Designed to elevate baby s stress o Infants categorized into 4 different categories based on results 1 Secure o 67 of all 1 year infants o Explore when mother is present upset when she leaves excited when she comes back outgoing with the stranger when mom is present 2 Ambivalent 3 Avoidant o 16 of all 1 year infants o Babies are anxious mother isn t calming with a stranger in the room alternate between wanting and pushing mom away at her return o 16 of all 1 year infants o Highly independent do not check with mom o Look at stranger and mom then move on and continue to play o May may not notice mom leave not frightened to be alone with stranger o Doesn t matter when mom comes back 4 Disorganized o 1 of all 1 year infants o Doesn t know how to respond to the environment o May not move may be looking down may look up from time to time o Look confused apprehensive o Usually children who are exposed to trauma emotional instability o Theorizes that the baby s temperament determines how he she responds to Kagan strange situation 3 Categories of Temperament o Easy o Difficult hard to predict o Slow to Warm Up kids adaptable kids respond