Developmental Psychology

1. Q3: Examine attachment in childhood and its role in the subsequent formation of relationships Read Pearson p. 194-199 and read the Study Guide Developmental Psychology

2. Suggested Approach • Introduction • Attachment (Bowlby, 1951)- the emotional bond between an individual and caregiver • Evolutionary explanation of attachment- an innate drive that manifests in behaviors that will illicit caring acts from the parent (smiling, crying) • Thesis: First attachments in infancy may have consequences in the formation of later relationships • Body • Attachment theory- Bowlby (1951) • Evidence- Ainsworth (1978) • Continuity in attachment patterns in adulthood- Hazen & Shaver (1987) • Other considerations- culture (mostly western studies) • Conclusion

3. Bowlby: Attachment Theory (1951) • John Bowlby • English psychoanalyst; influenced by WW2 • Attachment theory • Children form emotional attachments to a care-giver between 6 and 30 months • Manifestation of attachment-child seeks proximity to care-giver and use that person as a secure base • Emotional attachments contribute to later emotional and personality development • Events that interfere with attachment have short-term and long-term consequences • Attachment schemas guide early attachment and later relationships- the internal working model- model for expectations of behavior and care-giving from others • If the child receives love and affection, child will develop a schema that the ‘self’ is worthy of love and affection and will provide love to others in the future • If a child does not receive love and affection, child will develop a schema that the ‘self’ is unworthy of love and will repeat patterns of hostility

4. Ainsworth (1978)The Strange Situation • Mary Ainsworth- attempts at empirical support for Bowlby’s ideas • Aim- to observe attachment between caregiver and child • Procedure- 20 minute observation of child response to care-givers and strangers entering and leaving the room • Observation-exploration, child’s reaction to departure of care-giver, child anxiety when alone with the stranger, child’s behavior at re-union

5. Categories of Attachment • Securely Attached (type B-70%) • Securely attached-upset when mother leaves and happy to see her when she returns; mother involved • Insecure-Ambivalent (type C- 10%) • Child is upsetwhen mother leaves and not easily comforted when mother returns; seeks contact and also rejects it • Insecure-Avoidant (type A- 20%) • Child is indifferent when mother leaves the room and avoids contact when she returns; unafraid of strangers; insensitive mothers • Insecure-disorganized (type D- Main & Solomon, 1990) • -mixed reaction when the mother leaves or returns; associated with child abuse or maternal depression

6. Attachment & Relationships • Hazen & Shaver (1987)-adult attachment behavior reflects internal working model • ‘love quiz’ in a newspaper- self-selected, mean age of 36 • 56% secure- trusting, happy relationships • 25% avoidant- fear of intimacy, jealous • 19% ambivalent- obsession, jealous • Strengths- supported attachment styles, inner working model, generated more research, bridge • Limitations • Self-selected may not be representational • More females than males in the study • Self-report may not be reliable • Lack of space triangulation

7. Attachment in adulthood • Fraley & Shaver (2000)- secure infants become the most well-adjusted adults • Relationships have longevity, trust, commitment and interdependence; seek and provide support in times of distress • Segal & Jaffre (2007)- non-verbal skills learned in childhood are essential for adult relationships

8. Other considerations • Culture • Kroonenberg (1988)-secure attachment more common in the West, ambivalent more common in Japan; could be linked to child-rearing • Child temperament- Kagan (1982)- innate differences in temperament. Argued that temperament, not attachment, is measured in the strange situation