Attachment
Bryce DiLeo
Krystal Davis
Maria Sanchez
WHAT IS ATTACHMENT?
•
It is a lasting emotional bond that one person has with another.
•
Attachments begin to form in early infancy, it is evident by 8 months, and solidifies by age
1.
•
It influences the persons relationships throughout life.
•
When two people are attached they respond through proximity seeking behaviors.
•
EX: When an infant approaches and follows a caregiver.
WHAT IS ATTACHMENT? CONT.
•
They also use contact-maintaining behaviors.
•
EX: An attached, but curious toddler will explore but will look behind them to look for the
caregiver. A securely attached adult might phone home regularly.
•
Caregivers show attachment as well. They keep a watchful eye over their children and
respond to vocalizations, expressions, and gestures.
Stages of Attachment
Birth 6 weeks is pre-attachment
6 weeks to 8 months is attachment in the making
8 months to 2 years is class 6 secure attachment
2 years to 6 years as launching pad
6 years to 12 is mutual attachment
12 years to 18 is new attachment figures
18 years on is attachment revisited
ATTACHMENT THEORY
•
Attachments with caregivers starts in early childhood, and determines how you will be
with your own children.
•
The central theme of attachment theory is that mothers who are available and responsive
to their infant's needs establish a sense of security in their children. The infant knows that
the caregiver is dependable, which creates a secure base for the child to then explore the
world.
THE COMPONENTS OF ATTACHMENT
•
There are four components of attachment.
•
Safe Haven: When the child feels threatened or afraid, he or she can return to the
caregiver for comfort and soothing.
•
Secure Base: The caregiver provides a secure and dependable base for the child to
explore the world.
•
Proximity Maintenance: The child strives to stay near the caregiver, thus keeping the
child safe.
•
Separation Distress: When separated from the caregiver, the child will become upset
and distressed.
Marry Ainsworth Experiment.
 Mary Ainsworth expanded greatly upon
Bowlby's original work. Her groundbreaking
“strange situations” study revealed the
profound effects of attachment on behavior.
In the study, researchers observed children
between the ages of 12 and 18 months as they
responded to a situation in which they were
briefly left alone and then reunited with their
mothers.
Mary Ainsworth Experiment cont.
 According to Mary, there are three types of
attachment.
 Secure attachment, ambivalent-insecure
attachment, and avoidant-insecure
attachment.
 A fourth style of attachment was added in
later studies called disorganized-insecure
attachment.
The Strange Situation.
 This experiment is used to measure attachment
with infants and caregivers.
 First the caregiver and child are together. Then a
stranger will enter the room. The stranger will
ignore the child and do something else for a
minute. Then the stranger will attempt to play
with the child. The child's response is recorded.
Then the caregiver leaves the room, and they see
what the child's response is. The caregiver will
then re-enter the room which is called “reunion”.
Mary’s Experiment.
 The Strange Situation - Mary Ainsworth -
YouTube


This experiment was developed by Harry
Frederick Harlow
Harlow removed baby rhesus monkeys from
their mothers and arranged for them to be
"raised" by two kinds of surrogate monkey
mother machines, both equipped to dispense
milk. One device was made out of bare mesh
wire. The other was fashioned from wire and
covered with soft terrycloth. He later modified
the experiment by separating the infants into
two groups, giving them no choice between the
two types of mothers.
In Harlow's classic experiment, two groups of baby rhesus
monkeys were removed from their mothers. In the first
group, a terrycloth mother provided no food, while a wire
mother did, in the form of an attached baby bottle
containing milk. In the second group, a terrycloth mother
provided food; the wire mother did not. It was found that
the young monkeys clung to the terrycloth mother
whether or not it provided them with food, and that the
young monkeys chose the wire surrogate only when it
provided food.
 Whenever a frightening stimulus was brought into the
cage, the monkeys ran to the cloth mother for protection
and comfort, no matter which mother provided them with
food. This response decreased as the monkeys grew older.


The importance of these findings is that they contradicted
both the then common pedagogic advice of limiting or
avoiding bodily contact in an attempt to avoid spoiling
children and the insistence of the then dominant
behaviorist school of psychology that emotions were
negligible. Feeding was thought to be the most important
factor in the formation of a mother-child bond. Harlow
concluded, however, that nursing strengthened the
mother-child bond because of the intimate body contact
that it provided. He described his experiments as a study
of love. He also believed that contact comfort could be
provided by either mother or father. Though widely
accepted now, this idea was revolutionary at the time.
Harlow's Studies on Dependency in Monkeys YouTube
Changes in attachment status
Changes in attachment status early researchers expected secure attachment
to “predict all the outcomes responsibility expected from a well-functioning
personality” But this turned out not to be the case. Securely attached infants
are more likely to become secure toddlers, socially competent preschoolers,
academically skilled school children, and capable parents generally correlate
with secure attachment. However the type of attachment may change if
family circumstances change.
Why is attachment so important?
An infant or toddler is considered “securely attached” if, as they mature and
move through their normal developmental stages, they can use their mother
or other consistent caregiver as a secure base from which to explore their
environment. The securely attached baby or toddler trusts that care will be
given to them, their needs will be met consistently, they will be helped to
learn self regulation, and they will be encouraged to learn and explore their
environment. Because they feel safe and secure, they have the confidence
and sense of competence they need to try new things and to learn.
Why is attachment so important Cont.
Insecure attachment can develop if the primary caregiver, usually the
mother, does not consistently respond to the infant in warm, affectionate,
loving, dependable, and sensitive ways. Babies who are frequently left to cry
by themselves, or who are not offered comfort and care, learn not to trust
other people and to be fearful of the world around them. They can go on to
develop a mental representation of the world as hostile or uncaring. They
may believe that they cannot make a difference in their own life, which can
lead to a kind of pessimism and sense of helplessness that significantly
reduces their ability to achieve in life.
Summarize
Attachment is a bond with another
person.
Infants have a sequence from infant to
parents.
Attachment starts at 8 months.
Attachment is important so when infants
grow older they become “secure” and
dependable members of modern society
When a child is attached they respond
through proximity seeking-behaviors or
contact-maintaining behaviors.
There are four components of
attachment.
Mary Ainsworth had her groundbreaking
“strange situations”.
QUESTIONS??