attachment & daycare modules 9-1 & 14-1. what is attachment? attachment – an emotional...
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When, how & why does Attachment develop?
By 6 months, infants show obvious signs of attachment to their mothers (primary caregivers)
Freud suggested that this is the foundation for all later relationships.
Psychoanalysts & behaviorists thought that feeding was the basis for attachment.
What is the basis for Attachment?
1950s-Harry Harlowe showed that contact comfort rather than feeding was the basis for attachment in monkeys
Baby monkeys preferred terrycloth to wire “surrogate mothers”
Social Development
Harlow’s Surrogate Mother Experiments Monkeys preferred
contact with the comfortable cloth mother, even while feeding from the nourishing wire mother
Assessing attachment:Ainsworth: The Strange Situation
1 Parent/baby in playroom 2 Parent seated, baby plays 3 Stranger enters 4 Parent leaves, stranger responds to baby 5 Parent returns, stranger leaves 6 Parent leaves 7 Stranger enters & offers comfort 8 Parent returns
Attachment PatternsSecure – (65%) parent is a secure base; may cry at
separation; seek contact on return
Insecure Avoidant – (20%) unresponsive to parent; not distressed when leaves; treat stranger like parent; slow to greet on reunion
Insecure Resistant – (10-15%) seek closeness, cling, fail to explore; cry at separation angry, resistive behavior on return; not easily comforted
Disorganized/disoriented – (5-10%) confused, contradictory behavior; odd postures; flat emotion; fearful
Attachment & Later Development
Attachment provides inner feelings of affection & security.
Securely attached preschoolers were high in self-esteem, socially competent, cooperative and popular.
Avoidantly attached agemates were isolated and disconnected.
Resistantly attached agemates were disruptive and difficult.
Attachment Styles
Mary Ainsworth (1979) identified three attachment styles between infants and caregiver:
Secure attachment style (70%) - caregiver is responsive to infant’s needs; infant trusts caregiver
Avoidant attachment style (20%) - caregiver is distant or rejecting; infant suppresses desire to be close to caregiver
Ambivalent attachment style (10%) - caregiver is inconsistently available and overbearing with affection; infant clings anxiously to caregiver and then fights against closeness by pushing away
Links Between Attachment in Childhood and Close Relationships in Adulthood
Cindy Hazan and Phillip Shaver (1987) examined continuity between childhood attachment and romantic relationships
Securely attached infants are more likely to have a secure attachment to adult romantic partner
Individuals with avoidant attachment style in childhood find it difficult to develop intimate relationship in adulthood
Individuals can revise attachment styles in adulthood
Long-term Effects
Stroufe & others, 2005
Longitudinal study (later childhood/teens) Positive emotional health Higher self-esteem Self-confidence Social competence with peers, teachers,
counselors, romantic partners
Attachment & Later Development
Securely attached had better social skills and relationships with peers.
Secure attachment leads to improved cognition, better social and emotional competence in later years.
Disorganized attachment is consistently related to high hostility and aggression in school
Study of children age 11 at summer camp
Attachment & Later Development
Continuity of caregiving The picture can change over the years. The best predictor of adult function is
not secure attachment in infancy, but whether the child experienced a family divorce.
Attachment in Adolescence• Study using the AAI – Adult Attachment Interview
Teenagers securely attached to parents have better: Social competence Self esteem Emotional adjustment Physical health Behavior (fewer problem behaviors)
Types of Attachment in Adolescence
Secure autonomous Dismissing avoidant
• Rejected by caregiver; deny importance of attachment; related to violent behavior
Preoccupied ambivalent• Attachment seeking; parent inconsistently
available; high conflict Unresolved disorganized
• Had traumatic experience; disoriented, fearful
Adult Attachment Styles
Secure – good relationships
Insecure avoidant – difficulty establishing relationships; quickly end relationships; prone to one-night stands, depression
Ambivalent – less trusting, more jealous, tend to anger and emotional intensity
Factors in Security of Attachment
I. Opportunity – orphans, working parents
2. Baby’s Characteristics - temperament
3. Family Context
4. Quality of Caregiving - Erikson
Factors – 1. Opportunity
Institutionalized babies often have emotional difficulties because they are prevented from establishing a bond.
Adoptions show the first bond can be established as late as 4-6 years.
These children may have an excessive desire for adult attention and few friendships.
Factors – 2. Baby Characteristics
Prematurity, birth complications, newborn illness.
Temperamentally difficult babies?
Factors – 3. Family Circumstances
Divorce
Financial strain
Career demands/role conflicts
Parents’ childhood experiences
Factors – 4. Quality of Caregiving
Sensitive caregiving and interactional synchrony related to secure attachment across cultures
Overly stimulating, intrusive care associated with avoidant attachment.
Inconsistent care associated with resistant attachment.
Child abuse and neglect associated with disorganized attachment.
Children in Childcare In U.S. Currently 2+ million children in childcare; 5+ million in
kindergarten
Parental Preferences• Relative care• Non-relative (unlicensed) care• Child-care Center
Employer Church Commercial
Percentages of children shift from relative to commercial as the children get older.
Quality of Childcare Factors
Provider training Adult to child ratio (<10; <20) Planned curriculum Rich Language Environment (conversation) Sensitive caregivers (when to intervene) Appropriate materials and activities Safety & Cleanliness
Unrealistic Comparisons
Can anybody afford daycare this good?
Example: Harvard Demonstration Project
Staff pediatrician Non-teaching director 3:1 infant/teacher ratio Teachers and aides trained to smile
Cognitive Development
Rule of Thumb
Daycare attendance slows the cognitive development of middle-class children somewhat.
Daycare speeds up the cognitive development of disadvantaged children.
Childcare and Attachment
Childcare children at 15 months with unresponsive mothers showed insecure attachment; not at 36 months
Vanelli (2004) Children in daycare <30 hours/week compared to
children in daycare >40 hours. More daycare• More illness• More behavior problems• Less sensitive interaction with mother
Attachment & Daycare
Infants placed in full-time child care before 12 months of age are more likely to display insecure attachment (Belsky, 1992).
Explanations:
Could be mom’s work stresses,Could be healthy autonomy.Could be quality of daycare.Could be an interaction effect.
Attachment & Childcare
NICHD Study (longitudinal, 1300 children)
Regardless of quality of care, children 4.5 – 5 years old, children averaging 30 hours or more per week of daycare were rated by mothers, caregivers, and kindergarten teachers as having more behavior problems, especially defiance, disobedience, and aggression.
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