ATTACHMENTS
, CAREGIVER-INFANT
INTERACTIONS
Attachment – the emotional/enduring tie between two people (infant and caregiver)
shown through behaviour
Reciprocity
o Two-way mutual communication between infant and carers
o Can both elicit a response from each other (not necessarily identical)
Condon and Sander:
o Analysed frame-by-frame video recordings of 16 infants (12hrs – 2weeks)
o Infants coordinated their actions with adult’s speech
Interactional Synchrony
o Interaction is rhythmic and can include mirroring behaviour and emotion
o Synchronised pattern and timing
Meltzoff and Moore:
o Videotaped 12–21-day old babies watch an experimenter perform facial
expressions
o Blind observers coded the baby’s facial expressions and found they matched the
experimenter significantly
Deyong et al:
o Infants made little interactional synchrony to objects simulating mouth-tongue
movements
o Infants display specific social responses to human interactions
Contradicting evaluation:
Le vine:
o Kenyan mothers had little interaction with their infants but were able to form
secure attachments
, STAGES OF ATTACHMENT
Schaffer and Emerson
Aim: To assess whether there’s a pattern/distinct stages of attachment
Procedure:
o 60 new-born babies and mothers from a working-class area of Glasgow
o Longitudinal study; each month for 12months and at 18months
o Conducted observations and interviews – triangulation
Separation anxiety – assessed through being left alone
Stranger anxiety – approaching infant and measuring distress
Findings:
o 65% of first attachments to the mother
o 3% of first attachments to the father
o 39% of first attachments were to someone else
o 87% had at least 2 attachments at 18months
o 31% had >5 at 18months
Pre-Attachment (Asocial Stage)
0-6 weeks:
o Babies produce similar responses to anyone (multiple attachments)
o Rapidly learn to discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar smells and
voices
Indiscriminate Attachment
6-7 months:
o Babies more social – do not show stranger anxiety, can be comforted by
anyone
o Not different towards any one person
Discriminate/Specific Attachment
7-9 months:
o Primary attachment to caregiver – shows separation/stranger anxiety
o Looks for particular people for security, comfort, and protection
Multiple Attachments
10+ months:
o Multiple attachments; secondary and tertiary
Conclusion:
o Attachments are made more easily with those displaying sensitive responsiveness
o Multiple attachments are the norm and of similar quality
Evaluation:
o High mundane realism/ecological validity – natural conditions
o Low population validity/historical validity – participant criteria
, CAREGIVER-INFANT
INTERACTIONS
Attachment – the emotional/enduring tie between two people (infant and caregiver)
shown through behaviour
Reciprocity
o Two-way mutual communication between infant and carers
o Can both elicit a response from each other (not necessarily identical)
Condon and Sander:
o Analysed frame-by-frame video recordings of 16 infants (12hrs – 2weeks)
o Infants coordinated their actions with adult’s speech
Interactional Synchrony
o Interaction is rhythmic and can include mirroring behaviour and emotion
o Synchronised pattern and timing
Meltzoff and Moore:
o Videotaped 12–21-day old babies watch an experimenter perform facial
expressions
o Blind observers coded the baby’s facial expressions and found they matched the
experimenter significantly
Deyong et al:
o Infants made little interactional synchrony to objects simulating mouth-tongue
movements
o Infants display specific social responses to human interactions
Contradicting evaluation:
Le vine:
o Kenyan mothers had little interaction with their infants but were able to form
secure attachments
, STAGES OF ATTACHMENT
Schaffer and Emerson
Aim: To assess whether there’s a pattern/distinct stages of attachment
Procedure:
o 60 new-born babies and mothers from a working-class area of Glasgow
o Longitudinal study; each month for 12months and at 18months
o Conducted observations and interviews – triangulation
Separation anxiety – assessed through being left alone
Stranger anxiety – approaching infant and measuring distress
Findings:
o 65% of first attachments to the mother
o 3% of first attachments to the father
o 39% of first attachments were to someone else
o 87% had at least 2 attachments at 18months
o 31% had >5 at 18months
Pre-Attachment (Asocial Stage)
0-6 weeks:
o Babies produce similar responses to anyone (multiple attachments)
o Rapidly learn to discriminate between familiar and unfamiliar smells and
voices
Indiscriminate Attachment
6-7 months:
o Babies more social – do not show stranger anxiety, can be comforted by
anyone
o Not different towards any one person
Discriminate/Specific Attachment
7-9 months:
o Primary attachment to caregiver – shows separation/stranger anxiety
o Looks for particular people for security, comfort, and protection
Multiple Attachments
10+ months:
o Multiple attachments; secondary and tertiary
Conclusion:
o Attachments are made more easily with those displaying sensitive responsiveness
o Multiple attachments are the norm and of similar quality
Evaluation:
o High mundane realism/ecological validity – natural conditions
o Low population validity/historical validity – participant criteria
