AQA A Level Psychology Attachment
Exam Questions & Answers 100%
Solved
What is an attachment? - ANSWER-An emotional link between the child and there
primary caregiver, which ties them together.
Four ways an attachment can be tested? - ANSWER-1. Seeking Proximity
2. Distress on seperation
3. Joy on reunion
4. General Behaviour
What is a bond? - ANSWER-A bond is a set of feelings that ties one person to another
Benefits of an attachment - ANSWER-Survival
Food
Love
Security
Two caregiver-infant interactions are... - ANSWER-Reciprocity and Interactional
Synchrony
What is reciprocity? - ANSWER-Reciprocity is a description of how two people interact,
the mother infant interaction is reciprocal in that they both respond to each others signal
and each shows a response from the other.
What is interactional synchrony? - ANSWER-Where mother and infant reflect both the
actions and emotions of one and other and do this in a co-ordinated manner.
Outline research that supports reciprocity - ANSWER-Feldman found that both babies
have periodic alert phases to signal that they are ready to interact and mothers respond
to this on average 2/3rds of the time.
, He also found that from 3 months of age this interaction is more frequent and involved
close attention to verbal signals and facial expressions.
Brazleton discovered the 'Dance' in which each partner responds to each others moves.
Both the baby and the PCG can initiate interactions and take turns in doing so.
Outline research that supports interactional synchrony - ANSWER-Meltzoff and Moore
conducted a study in which they observed infants at two weeks old and had adults show
one of three facial expressions or one of three gestures. The children response was
filmed and identified by independent observers. They found an association between the
action of the adult and the action returned by the babies.
Isabella observed 30 mothers and infants and found that high levels of synchrony were
associated with better mother-infant attachment.
Evaluate research into infant-caregiver interactions - ANSWER-:) - Controlled
observations in a controlled experimental setting with standardised procedures and
operationalised behavioural categories with filming from multiple angles. High reliability
as can be repeated to check consistency.
:) - These observations are less prone to demand characteristics as obviously babies
are unaware an experiment is taking place and thus will not change their natural
behaviours.
:( - Observations susceptible to observer bias as they require subjective interpretation
from researches who may perceive behaviour as being something else to what it really
is, this can lower the validity.
:( - Observations only look at the changes in hand movements and gestures. It is very
difficult to be certain that the moves or gestures etc, were actually deliberate or
accidental, this reduces the value of the insight into caregiver-infant interaction.
:( - These studies don't tell us the purpose of synchrony or reciprocity, they simply state
that it happens and don't imply anything about why and what the purpose is. Other
studies have said that it is important in the development of empathy and morals.
:( - Conducting research into mother-infant interactions is controversial as it sates that
certain people may be at a disadvantage for certain reasons. ie. Mothers going back to
work...
Exam Questions & Answers 100%
Solved
What is an attachment? - ANSWER-An emotional link between the child and there
primary caregiver, which ties them together.
Four ways an attachment can be tested? - ANSWER-1. Seeking Proximity
2. Distress on seperation
3. Joy on reunion
4. General Behaviour
What is a bond? - ANSWER-A bond is a set of feelings that ties one person to another
Benefits of an attachment - ANSWER-Survival
Food
Love
Security
Two caregiver-infant interactions are... - ANSWER-Reciprocity and Interactional
Synchrony
What is reciprocity? - ANSWER-Reciprocity is a description of how two people interact,
the mother infant interaction is reciprocal in that they both respond to each others signal
and each shows a response from the other.
What is interactional synchrony? - ANSWER-Where mother and infant reflect both the
actions and emotions of one and other and do this in a co-ordinated manner.
Outline research that supports reciprocity - ANSWER-Feldman found that both babies
have periodic alert phases to signal that they are ready to interact and mothers respond
to this on average 2/3rds of the time.
, He also found that from 3 months of age this interaction is more frequent and involved
close attention to verbal signals and facial expressions.
Brazleton discovered the 'Dance' in which each partner responds to each others moves.
Both the baby and the PCG can initiate interactions and take turns in doing so.
Outline research that supports interactional synchrony - ANSWER-Meltzoff and Moore
conducted a study in which they observed infants at two weeks old and had adults show
one of three facial expressions or one of three gestures. The children response was
filmed and identified by independent observers. They found an association between the
action of the adult and the action returned by the babies.
Isabella observed 30 mothers and infants and found that high levels of synchrony were
associated with better mother-infant attachment.
Evaluate research into infant-caregiver interactions - ANSWER-:) - Controlled
observations in a controlled experimental setting with standardised procedures and
operationalised behavioural categories with filming from multiple angles. High reliability
as can be repeated to check consistency.
:) - These observations are less prone to demand characteristics as obviously babies
are unaware an experiment is taking place and thus will not change their natural
behaviours.
:( - Observations susceptible to observer bias as they require subjective interpretation
from researches who may perceive behaviour as being something else to what it really
is, this can lower the validity.
:( - Observations only look at the changes in hand movements and gestures. It is very
difficult to be certain that the moves or gestures etc, were actually deliberate or
accidental, this reduces the value of the insight into caregiver-infant interaction.
:( - These studies don't tell us the purpose of synchrony or reciprocity, they simply state
that it happens and don't imply anything about why and what the purpose is. Other
studies have said that it is important in the development of empathy and morals.
:( - Conducting research into mother-infant interactions is controversial as it sates that
certain people may be at a disadvantage for certain reasons. ie. Mothers going back to
work...
