1. PSYC 206
Lifespan Development
Bilge Yagmurlu

2. Chapter Overview The Infant-Caregiver Emotional Relationship
The Nature of Infant Emotions and Emotional Expressions
The Changing Nature of Communications
A Sense of Self
Developing Trust and Autonomy

3. The Infant-Caregiver Emotional Relationship
Attachment:
An emotional bond between children and their caregivers.
A long term and stable affectional bond between the child and a particular individual.
Develops around 7 to 9 months

4. The Infant-Caregiver Emotional Relationship
Attachment:
According to Maccoby, signs of attachment are:
seeking to be near the caretaker
showing distress when separated
being happy when reunited
orienting (listening to or watching) the caretaker even when engaged in something else 4

5. Drive-Reduction Explanation:
Attachment to the mother originates in the satisfied need for nourishment
Children become attached, during the oral stage, to those who satisfy their hunger drive
Humans are motivated by biological drives
Challenging research

6. Ethological Evolutionary Theory
Attachment provides a sense of security and safe base from which to explore the world
Bowlby
detachment: the state of indifference toward others experienced by children separated from their caregivers

7. Ethological
Strongly supported by research
Harlow’s monkeys 7

8. Harlow studies with monkeys
Baby monkeys placed in a cage for 165 days with 2 inanimate substitute mothers: wire mother and terrycloth mother each equipped with bottle of milk (nutrition)
Preference for cloth mother. Baby monkeys displayed more attachment to cloth surrogates than to wire surrogates
Harlow argued that bodily contact rather than drive-reduction is more important in fostering attachment

9. Harlow studies with monkeys
Is bodily contact or sooting sensation sufficient?
Subsequent results:
Attachment by itself did not lead to healthy development: monkeys with surrogate mothers did not know how to behave with other monkeys as they grew older
a two-way interaction with a responsive caregiver is crucial

10. Phases of Attachment Bowlby (1969) described 4 phases:
Preattachment (0 - 6 weeks)
“Attachment-in-the-making” ( months)
“Clear-cut attachment” (6 - 18/24 months)
Secure base
Separation anxiety
Reciprocal relationship (18/24 months-)
Internal working model
A firm attachment helps children retain feelings of security

11. Ethological Theory Internal working model:
A mental model that children construct as a result of their experiences and that they use to guide their interaction with caregivers and others.
“cognitive representations of self, others and relationships”

12. Ethological Theory Bowlby
The attachment relationship serves as an internal working model for guiding children’s interactions with caregivers and others
In unfamiliar situations, the caregiver serves as a secure base from which the infant can explore, occasionally returning for reassurance

13. Patterns of Attachment
Work by Mary Ainsworth
Developed the “Strange Situation”
Test the security of the mother-child relationship
Observe how babies
Use mother as a secure base
Respond to separation from mother
Respond to a stranger

14. Episode no Persons Present Duration Action
1 Mother, baby and observer sec Observer introduces mother and baby to experimental room, then leaves
2 Mother and baby min Mother is nonparticipant while baby explores. If necessary, play is stimulated after 2 min.
3 Stranger, mother, and baby min. Stranger enters. Min. 1: Stranger silent Min. 2: Stranger converses with mother. Min 3: stranger approaches baby After 3 min. mother leaves unobtrusively.
4 Stranger and baby min. or less First separation episode. Stranger’s behavior is geared to that of baby.

15. 6 Baby alone 3 min. or less Second separation episode.
Episode no Persons Present Duration Action
5 Mother and baby min. or more First reunion episode. Mother greets and comforts baby, then tries to settle in him again in play. Mother then leaves, saying good-bye.
6 Baby alone min. or less Second separation episode.
7 Stranger and baby 3 min. or less Continuation of second separation. Stranger enters and gears her behavior to that of baby.
8 Mother and baby 3 min. Second reunion episode. Mother enters, greets baby, then picks him up. Meanwhile, stranger leaves unobtrusively.

16. The Strange Situation

17. The Strange Situation Observe how babies Types of Attachment
Use mother as a secure base
Respond to separation from mother
Respond to a stranger
Types of Attachment
Secure
Avoidant
Resistant
Disorganized

18. Secure Attachment
A healthy balance between wanting close contact with the mother and wanting to explore
Use the caregiver as a secure base to explore freely during the pre-separation episodes
Upset when mother leaves
Calm when mother returns
Unlikely to be comforted by stranger
65-80% of babies

19. Insecure Attachment Avoidant Indifferent, avoid the caregiver
Show little distress during separation
Avoid the caregiver upon return
About 1/4 of babies

20. Insecure Attachment Resistant
Anxious from the start, and not comforted upon return
Give evidence of distress throughout the procedure, but particularly during separation
Reunions produce a mixture of relief at seeing the caregiver and anger directed toward her. Do not readily resume playing.
About 10-12% of infants 20

21. Insecure Attachment Disorganized
Lack a coherent method of coping with this stress.
E.g.: scream while she is gone but moves away silently when she returns 21