1. Chapter 5: Theories of Psychological Development
Part THree: Theories of Emotional Development

2. Emotional Development: Romanian Orphans
How important is the psychological bond ..or ATTACHMENT..between infants and their caregivers in emotional development ?

3. Definition of Attachment
An enduring emotional tie to a special person, characterized by a tendency to seek and maintain closeness, especially during times of stress.

4. Roots of Attachment Theory
John Bowlby applied ethology (the study of behaviour) to infants
Infant’s innate behaviors are evolved responses which promote survival
John Bowlby, British psychiatrist ( )

5. Importance of Attachment
Implications for infant's sense of security
Affects internal working model
Freud, Erikson, Behaviorists described its impact on development

6. Bowlby’s 4 Key Characteristics of Attachment
Proximity Maintenance-
desire to be near the caregiver.
Safe Haven-
the ability to be able to return to the caregiver when scared.
Secure Base-
from which infant can explore surrounding environment.
Separation distress-
anxiety when caregiver leaves

7. Bowlby’s Four Stages of Attachment
Pre attachment phase
Birth - 6 weeks
Baby’s innate signals attract caregiver
Caregivers remain close by when the baby responds positively

8. Attachment in the Making
6 wks to 6-8 months
Develops a sense of trust that caregiver will respond when signaled
Infants respond more positively to familiar caregiver
Babies don't protest when separated from parent

9. Clear-cut Attachment 6-8 months to 18-24 months
Babies display separation anxiety
Babies protest when parent leaves

10. Formation of Reciprocal Relationship
18 mo - 2yrs
Toddlers increase their understanding of symbols and language improves
Toddlers understand that parents will return

11. Factors which Affect Attachment
Opportunity for attachment
Quality of caregiving
respond promptly and consistently
interactional synchrony – the sensitively tuned “emotional dance”
Infant characteristics
infant's temperament, special needs, prematurity, or illnesses

12. More Factors which Affect Attachment
Family circumstances
Stress can undermine attachment
Parents’ internal working models
Parents’ own attachment experiences
Parents’ ability to accept their past

13. Measuring the Quality of Attachment
Mary Ainsworth researched attachment
Designed the “strange situation”
A lab experiment with 8 different episodes of separation and reunion
Attached infant will:
Use mother as a secure base
Be soothed by the mother during the reunion
Mary Ainsworth, American Psycholgist ( )

14. Secure attachment http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QTsewNrHUHU
Uses caregiver as a secure base
May show distress at separation, but the baby can be soothed at reunion
60-65% of Australian children

15. Insecure-Avoidant Attachment
Unresponsive to parent when she is present
Not distressed by parting
Avoids or slow to greet parent on return
20% of Australian children

16. Insecure-Resistant Attachment
Infants remain close to parents and not eager to explore
Distressed by separation
During reunion, infants are both clingy and resistant
12% of Australian children

17. Disorganized/Disoriented Attachment
No coherent strategy for handling separations or reunions
Baby looks dazed and confused
5-10% of Australian children

18. How do the Different Perspectives view Attachment

19. Harlow’s Attachment Experiment

20. Harlow’s Experiments in Monkeys
Nonhuman primates can offer tremendous insights into human development.
Of all animals, apes and monkey are the most closely related to humans behaviorally, anatomically, and physiologically.
Rhesus monkeys share over 90% of their genes with those of humans.
Harry Harlow, American Psychologist ( )

21. Harlow discovered that baby monkeys deprived
of their mothers (left) would transfer their affections
to a cloth surrogate. When they needed to eat, they would scamper
over to a milk-bearing wire mother, but then quickly return to cuddle
with the softer surrogate.

22. Harry Harlow
RESULTS OF THE EXPERIMENT All the rhesus monkeys raised in isolation were
Fearful
Easily frightened
Did not mate
Those artificially inseminated became abusive mothers

23. Harry Harlow
Harlow used this bear for the fear test. When Harlow put this in the cage with the isolated monkeys, they were afraid.

24. Harry Harlow
The typical response in the fear test was to cling to the cloth mother. (not the wire mother with the food)

25. Implications For The Human Socialization Process
Parental contact is absolutely critical to infants’ psychosocial well-being. Critical = absolutely necessary….won’t happen without it.
Following WW II, psychologists coined the term “analyitic depression” to describe the clinical response of human infants to prolonged maternal separation.