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ATTACHMENT (Explanations of attachment (Learning theory (Learning /…

- - - - Insecure avoidant (Type A)=15% Infant shows no sign of distress when mother leaves. Infant is okay with the stranger and plays normally when the stranger is present. Infant shows little interest when mother returns.
      - Secure (Type B)= 70%
        Distressed when mother leaves. Avoidant of stranger when alone, but friendly when mother present. Positive and happy when mother returns.
      - Insecure-resistant (Type C)= 15%
        These children were unwilling to explore, had high stranger anxiety and sought and rejected contact at the return contact at the return of their caregiver. Caregivers were ambivalent their charges, demonstrating simultaneous opposite feeling and behaviours.
- - - - Freud and Dann (1951) reported in 6 children in a Nazi concentration camp who were orphaned at a few months of age and had no maternal attachments. The children had little language, were hostile to adults and didn’t know what to do with toys. They gradually became attached to their carers and made developments in their physical and intellectual capabilities. They weren’t all traced as adult but those who were had made good recoveries and successful relationships. This lessens support for Bowlby’s MDH.
      - Curtiss (1977) and Rymer (1993) reported on Genie. She had had no human interaction, she was beaten and strapped to a potty seat until age 13. She couldn’t stand or speak and usually spits. She received years of therapy, her language improved, her IQ went up. She was returned to her mother at age 18 before moving from foster home to foster home where she was abused. She deteriorated physically and mentally and ended up living in a home.
  - - - Rutter (1998)
        Method: studied Romanian orphans who had been placed in orphanages, aged 1-2 weeks old, with minimal adult contact. This was a longitudinal study and natural experiment, using a group of around 100 Romanian orphans and assessed at ages 4, 6 and 11, then reassessed 21 years later. Some were adopted before 6 months old and others between the ages of 6-24 months old. 48 babies were adopted late between 2-4 years old. These were the 3 conditions Rutter used in his study.
        Results: Those who were adopted by British families before 6 months old showed ‘normal’ emotional development compared with UK children adopted at the same age. Many adopted after 6 months old showed disinhibited attachments and had problems with peers.
        Conclusion: This study suggests long-term consequences may be less severe than was once thought if children have the opportunity to form attachments. When children don’t form attachments, the consequences are likely to be severe.
      - Evidence that adverse effects can be overcome with adequate substitute care - Key study: Hodges and Tizard (1989)
        
        Method: Studied children placed into institutional care in the first 4 months of their life. These children were privatized as they had not formed attachments with their mothers. High staff turnover and the policy of the children not having relationships with their carers meant no attachment was formed. By age 4, 24 children were adopted, 15 returned to their natural home (restored), and the rest stayed in institutions. The children were assessed for social and emotional competence at 4, 8 and 16 years old. The assessment comprised interviewing the children and their parents and teachers and a set of questionnaires.
        Results: The children who remained had no strong attachments and had problems relating to their peers. Adopted children had strong attachments but had problems outside their families. They tended to have poor family and peer relationships and behavioural problems.
        Conclusion: Institutional care has long lasting, negative effects.
- - - - Childhood relationships
        
        Youngblade and Belsky (1992) found 3-5 year old children were more curious, competent and empathetic, resilient and self-confident. As such, they made friends more easily.
        Mullis et al (1999) found in late childhood (teens), the attachments we make to our peers are similar to those formed to our parents e.g. we use each other for comfort. Laible (2000) agreed and said that we ‘transfer’ adultlike relationships onto our peers in our teens.
      - Adult relationships
        
        Westermarck (1891) found that children who form close friendships in the first 6 years of their life generally do not form adult sexual relationships.
        Shepher (1971) examined 3000 Israeli marriage records. He found that no children raised together in the Kibbutz got married to each other. This supports Westernmark.