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Introduction to Attachment (EVALUATION (Observations do well in capturing…
Introduction to Attachment
Reciprocity
A two-way process in which mother and baby respond to each other's movements and actions. They both elicit a response from one another
Interactional Synchrony
Mother and infant during interaction reflect both the actions and emotions of the other and do this in a coordinated and synchronised way
EVALUATION
Observations do well in capturing the fine details of the interactions because both mother and baby are filmed from multiple angles. This ensures that every fine detail can be recorded and used in analysis. Babies are also unaware of the presence of cameras so their behaviour does not change, increasing the validity
When observing infants it is very hard to know what is happening from the infants perspective. This is because small hand movements and a change in facial expression tell us very little. it is hard to tell if the copying is conscious and deliberate
Observations of interactional synchrony and reciprocity simply tell us about behaviours that occur at the same time, but they do not tell us the purpose
Parent-Infant Attchment
Traditionally the first attachment has been with the mother (primary caregiver) and this attachment is normally formed within 7 months
Role of the Father
Grossman carried out a longitudinal study looking at both parent's behaviour and its relationship to the quality of children's attachments into their teens. They found that the quality of the mothers attachment was more important than the fathers, suggesting it to be less important.
However, the quality of a father's play with infants was related to the quality of adolescent attachments. This suggests that the father's role is more to do with play and less to do with nurture.
Fathers as Primary Caregivers
There is evidence to suggest that when men take up the role of primary caregiver they adopt the behaviours and mannerisms associated with a mother. the kay attachment relationship is the level of responsiveness, not the gender
EVALUATION
Studies that research father's role in attachment find inconsistent results. Some psychologists are interested in understanding the role of the father as a secondary attachment figure (they see fathers behaving differently to mothers and have a distinct role) whereas others are interested in the father as the primary figure (figure they have found that fathers take on a more 'maternal' role). This makes it hard to answer the role of the father
Children that grow up without a dad and just a same-sex parent do not develop any differently from those in two-parent heterosexual families. This would suggest that the role of the father as a secondary attachment figure is not important
Fathers may not become the primary attachment figure as a result of traditional gender roles, in which women are expected to be more caring than men. It could also be that female hormones create higher levels of nurturing and therefore make women biologically predisposed to be the primary attachment figure