Child-Care Arrangements for Infants with Working Mothers
14.1
7.8
16.4
32.7
Other home
18.1
38.4
Child-Care facility
31.2
41.3
Under 1 year
Own home
1 - 2 years
Other
Summary of Temperament Research
Infants were rated on 9 personality dimensions:
• Activity level
• Rhythmicity
• Approach/withdrawal
• Adaptability
• Emotional reactivity
• Responsiveness to stimuli
• Mood (positive or negative)
• Distractibility
• Attention span
Then classified into three categories of temperament:
• Easy (40%)
• Difficult (10%)
• Slow to Warm Up (15%)
35% were unclassifiable
Comparison of Infant Temperament in Four Cultural Groups
Cultural Group
Dimension
Activity level
Rhythmicity
Approach-withdrawal
Adaptability
Emotional reactivity
Responsiveness to stimulation
Quality of mood
Distractibility
Attention span
American
H
H
H
H
L
L
H
H
H
Autralian
H
H
H
H
L
L
H
H
H
Greek
L
L
L
L
H
H
L
L
L
Note: H = high level of the temperamental quality; L = low level of the temperamental quality.
Source: Prior et al. (1987)
Chinese
L
L
L
L
H
H
L
L
H
BOWLBY'S PHASES OF ATTACHMENT FORMATION
PHASE I: INDISCRIMINANTE SOCIABILITY
Infant shows no preference among care-givers
Birth - 2 months
PHASE II: ATTACHMENTS IN THE MAKING
Infant shows increasing preference for most
familiar and responsive individuals
2 - 7 months
PHASE III: SPECIFIC, CLEAR-CUT ATTACHMENTS
Infant displays separation anxiety and stranger anxiety
7 - 24 months
PHASE IV :GOAL-COORDINATED PARTNERSHIPS
Infant can increasingly tolerate short parental absences
24 months
(Bowlby, 1969)
ATTACHMENT
CLASSIFICATIONS
• Secure attachment
• Avoidant attachment
• Ambivalent attachment
• Disorganized/disoriented
attachment
Theories of Attachment
Psychoanalytic: “I love you because you feed me.” (Freudian)
Learning Theory: “I love you because you’re reinforcing.” (Skinner)
Cognitive: “I love you because I know you.” (Piaget)
Ethological: “I love you because I was born to love.” (Bowlby)
Contact Comfort: “I love you because you are cuddly.” (Harlow)
Forming Attachments: The "Cloth Mother" and "Wire Mother" Experiment
cloth fed
wire fed
HOURS SPENT WITH MOTHER
18
15
cloth mother
12
9
6
wire mother
3
0
5
25
45
65
85
MEAN AGE (DAYS)
105
125
145
165
The Episode of the Strange Situation
Number of
Episode
Persons Present
Duration
Brief Description of Action
1
Mother, baby, and observer
30 seconds
Observer introduces mother and baby to
experimental room, then leaves.
2
Mother and baby
3 minutes
Mother is non-participant while baby explores; if
necessary, play is stimulated after 2 minutes.
3
Stranger, mother, and baby
3 minutes
Stranger enters. Minute 1: stranger silent. Minute
2: stranger converses with mother. Minute 3:
stranger approaches baby. After 3 minutes
mother leaves unobtrusively.
4
Stranger and baby
3 minutes or lessa
First separation episode. Stranger's behavior is
geared to that of baby.
5
Mother and baby
3 minutes or moreb
First reunion episode. Mother greets and
comforts baby then tries to settle him again in
play. Mother then leaves, saying bye-bye.
6
Baby alone
3 minutes or lessa
Second separation episode.
7
Stranger and baby
3 minutes or lessa
Continuation of second separation. Stranger
enters and gears her behavior to that of baby.
8
Mother and baby
3 minutes
Second reunion episode. Mother enters, greets
baby, then picks him up. Meanwhile stranger
leaves unobtrusively.
aEpisode
is curtailed if the baby is unduly distressed.
is prolonged if more time is required for the baby to become involved in play.
Source: Campos et al., 1983.
bEpisode
Patterns of Adult and Infant Attachment
Adult or Infant
Attachment Pattern
Description of Pattern
Infant
Secure
Displays positive affect sharing when
nondistressed
Adult
Autonomous (secure)
Describes childhood, both positive and negative
aspects; relationships are valued and important.
Infant
Avoidant (insecure)
Avoid caregiver; suppresses attachment
behaviors and focuses on external environment
Adult
Dismissing (Insecure)
Fails to recall details of childhood relationships;
relationships are not valued or important
Infant
Resistant (insecure)
Behaves ambivalently about contact, both
signaling for it and rejecting it
Adult
Preoccupied (insecure)
Describes childhood relationship experiences
incoherently and exhibits angry preoccupation
Infant
Disorganized-disoriented
Exhibits one or more strange or bizarre conflict
behaviors, directed toward caregiver toward
caregiver.
Adult
Unresolved
Lacks resolution of mourning after a significant
loss or severely traumatic experience.
Source: Adapted from van Ijzendoorn & Bakermans-Karenburg (1997).
Summary of Psychosocial Development in the First Two Years
• Attachment to the caretaker is formed.
• Infants are in Freud’s “oral” psychosexual stage.
• Infants go through Erikson’s Trust vs. Mistrust
crisis.
• From total dependency, growing personal
autonomy emerges in the second year.