1. Social development
An Overview

2. What is Social development
We are social beings
We are exposed to a social world from the day we are born
This social world shapes the way we grow.

3. Social Development: A definition
Social development refers to the development of interaction with the human world around us, including relationships with others and also the social skills we need to fit into our culture or society.

4. How do we study Social development!
Observations
Animal participants (Harlow 1959)
Interviews
Naturalistic studies
Qualitative data
Human participants.

5. Early Relationships Schaffer (1996)
‘Defined attachment as a long enduring emotional meaningful tie to a particular individual’
The bond is characterised by a desire for closeness to individuals such as the primary caregiver
This attachment source will often offer comfort, security and other primary needs.

6. Attachment: A definition
“A close and consistent emotional bond with mother”
(Bowlby 1940s)
“An affectional tie that one person or animal forms between himself and another specific one – a tie that binds them together in space and endures over time”
(Ainsworth & Bell, 1970)

7. Schaffer & Emerson (1964) 60 Glasgow infants
Carried out observations and interviews with parents at regular intervals during the first 18 months after birth
They found that a particular pattern of attachment occurred in a significant amount of participants.

8. Stages of Attachment (Schaffer & Emerson 1964)
Stage/ Age
Type of Attachment
Asocial
(0-6 weeks)
Babies respond in a similar way to people and objects, although they prefer to look at human-like stimuli.
Diffuse
(6 weeks to 6 months)
Babies show no particular preference for a specific individual and will be comforted by anyone.
Single strong attachment
(7 to 12 months)
Babies show a strong preference for a single individual and will show fear of strangers.
Multiple attachments
(12 months onwards)
Babies will show attachment towards several figures. By 18 months some infants have as many as five attachment figures.

9. The Functions of Attachment
Initially it was thought infants attach to the person who provide food
Rhesus monkeys prefer to spend time with cloth mother instead of the wire monkey that feeds them.
However babies do not always attach to the person who feeds them but to those who comfort (Harlow 1959)

10. The Functions of Attachment cont.
Evolutionary psychologists have suggests that attachment is crucial for survival
Attachment is useful to avoid predators attachment gives protection from a group and is vital for survival
Bowlby (1969) proposed attachment provides and internal working model of relationships
Attachment therefore provides a mental view of what relationships are and gives expectations in later life.

11. Observable attachment behaviours
Watching
Greeting
Crying
Using as a safe base i.e. Playing close to caregiver
Following
Stranger fear.

12. Ainsworth (1978) The Strange Situtaion
This study has been replicated many times and is now a standard measure for measuring type and quality of attachment
The Aim was to study the reactions of children to Brief separations from the mother
A controlled observation infants were exposed to a sequence of 3 minute episodes starting the with mother and child and then strangers were introduced
The behaviours were recorded.

13. The Strange situation Cont.
Ainsworth classified infants as:
Securely attached
Anxious avoidant
Anxious resistant
65% fell into the secure catagory
15-20% were in the other 2 catagories
What conclusions can be made?
What ethical issues are there?

14. Key questions to think about
Is the strange situation a good indicator of the child’s overall behaviour?
Is attachment behaviour consistent through time?
What if the child is disabled?

15. Van Ijzendoorn The strange situation
Replicated the strange situation study that Ainsworth did in 1978
However he looked cross culturally
He found cross cultural differences in attachments
Japanese infants show high amount of resistant attachment
German infants show more avoidant attachments (Grossmann et al. 1985)

17. John Bowlby’s Ethological Theory
“Ethological Theory of attachment recognises the infant’s emotional tie to the caregiver as an evolved response that promotes survival”
The Instinctive nature of attachment
The importance of parental responsiveness to innate behaviours
A critical or sensitive period early in a child’s life when attachments must development.

18. Bowlby’s 44 juvenile thieves study
His theory supported by his 1944 study of ‘delinquent boys’
44 boys who have suffered from maternal deprivation in early childhood
Bowlby (1951) labelled boys “Affectionless psychopathy”
Bowlby concluded that delinquency is related to maternal deprivation

19. Criticisms of Bowlby Early research did not account for other factors
Is there a critical period?
Death of parent does not lead to affectionless psychopathy
Depravation effects in monkey’s have been shown to be reversible.

20. Are there any other problems with Bowlby’s study?