Chapter 4:
Infancy: Socioemotional Development
Attachment: The Basic Life Bond
 History



Behaviorists (Watson, Skinner) minimized
human attachment need
Believed “maternal reinforcing stimulus”
created infant’s need to be close to
caregiver
John Watson, strict behaviorist
 Appeared
hostile to the idea of attachment
 Crusaded against the dangers of “too much”
mother love
Attachment: History
•
Harry Harlow (1958)
▫ Experiment with monkeys


•
Separated babies from
mothers at birth
Found that contact comfort
was important to bonding
John Bowlby (late 1960’s))
▫ Conducted clinical work
with children who were
hospitalized and separated
from their mothers
▫ Promoted idea that a
primary attachment figure is
crucial to healthy
development
Harlow: Baby monkeys clung
to the cloth-covered mother
Exploring the Attachment
Response
 Bowlby’s



evolutionary-based theory
Human beings have a critical period during the first
year when the attachment response is
programmed to emerge.
Proximity-seeking behavior—a survival response
activated by threats occurring at any age
Two categories for threats to survival
 May
be activated by our internal state
 May be evoked by dangers in the external world
Attachment Phases
 Pre-attachment
Phase—birth to 3
months



Reflex dominated
time
2 months, social smile
(example of
automatic reflex, not
in response to
attachment figure)
Social smile evokes
care and love
Attachment Phases, continued
 Attachment
in the
making—4 to 7 months
Slight preference for
caregivers, but still
responds to everyone
 Clear-cut
(focused)
attachment—7 to 8
months
Stranger-anxiety and
separation anxiety
appear
Social referencing
Attachment Phases
•
Working Model
phase—
▫
▫
▫
About age 3, child
develops cognitive
inner representation of
attachment figure.
When child is under
stress, the need to
make contact is very
important.
Responsive caregiver
will fortify attachment
bond.
The Strange Situation: Mary
Ainsworth


Measures individual
variations in
attachment response
during “clear-cut”
stage
Planned separations
and reunions of child
and primary caregiver
Ainsworth’s Attachment Styles
 Securely
Attached
 Child uses primary
caregiver as a secure
base from which to
explore
 Child reacts with joy
upon caregiver’s return
Ainsworth’s Attachment Styles
 Insecurely
Attached
Avoidant
 Appears
detached; indifferent upon mother’s return
Anxious-Ambivalent

Clingy, fearful, fear of exploration
 Severe
distress when mother leaves; contradictory emotions
upon return; often inconsolable
Disorganized
 Bizarre
behaviors; may freeze, look frightened,
may flee
 Often result of abuse
The Attachment Dance
 Synchrony


Caregiver and infant respond emotionally to
each other in a sensitive, attuned way
Ainsworth & Bowlby—parent’s sensitivity to
baby’s signals are foundation for secure
attachment
Attachment and Child’s
Temperament
 Temperament—
characteristic
behavioral style of
approaching the world



Easy
Slow to Warm-up
Difficult
 Baby’s
temperament
and quality of
caregiving will
influence attachment
style.
Infant Attachment—Does It Predict Later
Development?
•
Bowlby
▫ Inner working model of attachment determines
how we relate to others and feel about ourselves.
▫ Research supports this model.
•
Caution!
▫ Attachment styles can change over time!


Life stress may change attachment from secure to
insecure.
Responsive caregiving can change attachment from
insecure to secure!
Settings for Development
Poverty in the United States
 Poverty


An income level that allows a household to pay
for shelter, food, and clothing, with a small
amount left over.
In 2009, more than 1 in 4 children under age 6
was living under the poverty line (see chart).
 Low


(Federal government definition)
Income
Those earning within 200% of the poverty line.
In 2009, 1 in 2 (44%) children
Poverty and Development: Research
Findings
 During
childhood, poverty may compromise
health (e.g., low birth weight, stressed mother).
 Poverty may have long-term educational
impact.


Poverty during first 4 years of life makes it statistically
less likely for a child to graduate from high school.
May enter school “left behind”
Less access to quality preschools, enriching toys, trips to
museums
 Less concrete breathing space to learn (e.g., substandard
housing; dangerous neighborhood)

Erik Erikson’s
Age of Autonomy versus Shame and Doubt
Psychosocial Development
1-2 years
 to
be autonomous selves
 Understanding of “self” and
self-conscious emotions
appear
 May feel proud or ashamed
 Need to explore
 negative outcome: Shame
and Doubt
Socialization
 The
process by which children are taught
to obey the norms of society and to
behave in socially appropriate ways
 Self-regulation is difficult at age 2.

Improves dramatically from age 2 to 4
Goodness-of-Fit: an ideal
parenting strategy
 Arrange
your child’s environment to suit his/her
temperamental style.
 Minimize vulnerabilities.
 Accentuate strengths.