Developmental Psychology Ch. 11: Attachment

Attachment

An emotional bond with a person that is enduring across space and time

Harlow's experiment

Monkeys reared in isolation exhibited severe social disturbances

Attachment theory

Children are biologically predisposed to develop attachment with caregivers as a means of increasing their own chances of survival

Secure base

When an attachment figure's presence provides an infant or toddler with a sense of security that makes it possible for the infant to explore the environment.

(Attachment theory)

Internal working model of attachment

the child's mental representation of the self, of attachment figure(s), and of relationships in general that is constructed as a result of experiences with caregivers. The working model guides children's interactions with caregivers and other people in infancy and older ages.

Strange Situation

A procedure developed by Mary Ainsworth to assess infants' attachment to their primary caregiver

Attachment categories

(1) Secure attachment
(2) Insecure/resistant or ambivalent
(3) Insecure/avoidant
(4) Disorganized/disoriented

Secure attachment

(1) Attachment category
(2) Highly-quality relationship w/ attachment figure
(3) Infant shows distress when caregiver leaves but is quickly quelled by caregiver's return
(4) About 65% of children

Insecure/resistant or ambivalent

(1) Attachment category
(2) "Clingy" infants
(3) Infant shows extreme distress when caregiver leaves and resists comforting when caregiver returns
(4) About 10% of children

Insecure/avoidant

(1) Attachment category
(2) Infant is apathetic when caregiver returns or avoids caregiver
(3) About 15% of children

Disorganized/disoriented

(1) Attachment category
(2) Infant exhibits no consistent way to cope with stress of Strange Situation.
(3) Behavior is often confused or contradictory.
(4) May appear dazed or disoriented.

Do results from the Strange Situation easily generalize to real life?

Yes

Strange Situation, cross-cultural consistency

Consistent; the four attachment categories are seen in numerous cultures.

Japanese - all insecure are insecure/avoidant.

Factors associated with the security of children's attachment

(1) Parental sensitivity
(2) Children's temperament

Parental sensitivity

(1) The consistency and responsiveness of caregiving
(2) The most crucial parental factor contributing to the development of a secure attachment

Attachment category, heritability

Low heritability; most variation caused by environmental factors

Signs of infant attachment

(1) Separation anxiety
(2) Stranger anxiety
(3) Greetings
(4) Secure base behavior
(5) Social referencing

When will a child recognize him/herself in a mirror?

18-20 months

When does an infant exhibit separation anxiety?

8 months of age

3-4-year-olds, self-description

(1) Based on concrete, physical attributes and abilities
(2) Unrealistically positive

Social comparison

comparing aspects of one's own psychological, behavioral, or physical functioning to that of others in order to evaluate oneself

Middle to late elementary school, self-description

Exhibits social comparison

What development heavily influences adolescents' conceptions of themselves?

abstract thinking

Conceptions of self in adolescence, characteristics

(1) Personal fable
(2) Imaginary audience
(3) Concerned with disparities in personalities

Identity versus identity confusion

(1) Occurs during adolescence
(2) Adolescent either develops an identity or experiences an incomplete and sometimes incoherent self

Identity foreclosure

Premature commitment to an identity without adequate consideration of other options

Negative identity

Identity that stands in opposition to what is valued by people around the adolescent.

Psychosocial moratorium

A time-out during which the adolescent is not expected to take on adult roles and can pursue activities that lead to self-discovery

Identity-status categories

(1) Identity-diffusion
(2) Foreclosure
(3) Moratorium
(4) Identity-achievement