Chapter 5, Part 2: Attachment, continued

1
Chapter 5, Part 2 Attachment, continued
2
Attachment and later development

• Belief that early relationships set the stage for
  later ones.
  
• We will discuss several topics
• Long-term correlates
• Views on attachment quality and later outcomes
• Changeability of attachment

3
Long-term correlates

• Problem solving
• Secure at 12-18 mos, better at 2 years
• More creative in play at 2 years
• More attractive as playmates at 2 years
• Peer relationships
• Secure at 15 mos., social leaders in daycare
• Insecure at 15 mos., socially withdrawn
• DISORGANIZED in infancy at risk of later hostile
  aggression
  
• Follow-ups at 11 - 15 indicate more friendships
  for those who were securely attached in infancy
  

4
Other long-term correlates

• Most attachment qualities persist
• 84 have same attachment in childhood
• In adulthood, many people have the same
  attachment quality to romantic partners.
  
• However, this can change!

5
Views on later outcomes

• Erikson
• Trust vs. mistrust
• Child has a secure base and can explore envt.
• Child can trust others

6
Views on later outcomes

• Ethological Viewpoint
• Attachments for working models of self and
  others
  
• Children who are securely attached as infants
  perceive peers more positively at ages 3.5 to 6.

7
Internal working models
MODEL OF SELF
Positive Negative
Positive
MODEL OF OTHERS
Negative
8
Internal working models

• May also affect memory and proccessing
  affective-cognitive information
  
• Securely attached children are biased to remember
  positive experiences
  
• And they expect positive experiences in
  life
  
• Insecurely attached, negative experiences
• And they expect negative experiences in life

9
Parents internal working models

• May affect attachment of their own infants
• Parents have ideas about attachment before babies
  are born.
  
• Those ideas predict quality of attachment in 75
  of cases.
  

10
However

• Attachment patterns are changeable.
• Positively and negatively.
• Adults attachment is more dependent on their
  appraisal and the coherence of their story.
  
• And, attachment quality is correlated with other
  factors

11
The Unattached Infant

• Effects of social isolation
• Monkeys
• Harlow
• Three months of isolation
• Six months
• 12 months
• Therapy?

12
The Unattached Infant

• Effects of social isolation
• Humans
• Orphanages
• Normal for first three to six months
• Then, seldom cry or babble.
• Adoptees early (in first year) vs. late (at 3
  years)
  
• Late score poorly on IQ tests, socially
  immature, remarkably dependent on adults, poor
  language skills, prone to aggression and
  hyperactivity

13
Adopted children and attachment

• Adopted children can attach to caregivers.
• Best time to be adopted appears to be before age
  4.
  
• However, kids can attach even after that.

14
Recovering from Early deprivation

• Children can recover with loving attention
• Outcome is better if
• They havent been abused
• They have highly educated and affluent adoptive
  parents.
  
• 85 of kids who undergo therapy are likely to
  recover

15
Explanations of Effects of Early deprivation

• Maternal deprivation hypothesis
• Bowlby, Spitz
• Cant develop later attachments because of lack
  of primary attachment figure in sensitive period
  
• Social stimulation hypothesis
• Children need caregivers who provide sustained,
  responsive caregiving. Also, people who are
  consistent.
  
• Learned helplessness
• Could not control social environment so gave up.

16
Day Care

• Types of daycare
• Parents
• Other relatives
• Babysitter
• Family daycare
• Daycare center

17
What influences quality of daycare?

• Physical setting
• Child/caregiver ratio
• Caregiver qualifications
• Toys/activities
• Family links
• Licensing

18
Kids in high-quality daycare

• Are usually securely attached to mothers
• Have better cognitive, social, and emotional
  outcomes
  

19
Loss of an Attachment Figure

• 3 phases (Bowlby)
• Protest
• Despair
• Detachment

20
How can you help to ease the pain of separation?

• 1. Provide explanation
• 2. Provide reminder of home
• 3. Sensitive substitute

21
How can you help with stranger anxiety?

• 1. Keep familiar people available.
• 2. Familiars should respond positively to the
  stranger.
  
• 3. Make setting more familiar.
• 4. Be sensitive and unobtrusive.
• 5. Look less strange to child.