ATTACHMENT - AQA PSYCHOLOGY EXAM QUESTIONS
AND ANSWERS WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS VERIFIED
RATED A++
Briefly evaluate research into caregiver-infant interaction (4 marks)
- Babies cannot communicate, so only inferences have been drawn
- The studies are well-controlled
- Practical issues such as babies are often asleep or being fed, it may be hard to get hold of a large
sample
- Research may be socially sensitive
What is Reciprocity? (1 mark)
It's a two-way process that involves turn-taking to sustain interaction
Strengths of Romanian Orphan research (2 marks)
- Good because it involves comparison with control groups
- Useful because it shows the long-term effects of institutionalisation, not just short-term
What have psychologists discovered about the internal working model? (3 marks)
- Attachment to the primary caregiver provides the child with the internal working model for future
relationships, thus continuity in type of relationship across generations
, - The model gives a mental view of the relationship with primary figure
- Research into Origin or Consequence of the Internal Working Model e.g. McCarthy (1999)
Discuss the Strange Situation as a way of assessing types of attachment (!2 marks)
A01:
- Observation in a controlled environment
- Involves a series of 3min episodes
The child's response to different stages is recorded (proximity seeking, accepting comfort, response to
being reunited)
- Analysis of observations leads to measuring the type of attachment between the caregiver and infant
(secure, insecure-avoidant, insecure-resistant)
A03:
- Replicability is high, due to high level of control, the standardised procedure, and the fact that it's been
carried out in many different cultures
- Cultural bias, as it may not be appropriate for all cultures to due differences in upbringing from
Individualist and Collectivist cultures e.g. higher % of insecure-avoidant in Germany
- Validity of whether proximity is in fact a measure of anxiety and not security
- Focuses on the mother as the primary attachment figure
- Ethically wrong because children from collectivist cultures may become extremely stressed when being
parted
With reference to attachment, discuss the possible consequences of Privation and Deprivation (16
marks)
AND ANSWERS WITH COMPLETE SOLUTIONS VERIFIED
RATED A++
Briefly evaluate research into caregiver-infant interaction (4 marks)
- Babies cannot communicate, so only inferences have been drawn
- The studies are well-controlled
- Practical issues such as babies are often asleep or being fed, it may be hard to get hold of a large
sample
- Research may be socially sensitive
What is Reciprocity? (1 mark)
It's a two-way process that involves turn-taking to sustain interaction
Strengths of Romanian Orphan research (2 marks)
- Good because it involves comparison with control groups
- Useful because it shows the long-term effects of institutionalisation, not just short-term
What have psychologists discovered about the internal working model? (3 marks)
- Attachment to the primary caregiver provides the child with the internal working model for future
relationships, thus continuity in type of relationship across generations
, - The model gives a mental view of the relationship with primary figure
- Research into Origin or Consequence of the Internal Working Model e.g. McCarthy (1999)
Discuss the Strange Situation as a way of assessing types of attachment (!2 marks)
A01:
- Observation in a controlled environment
- Involves a series of 3min episodes
The child's response to different stages is recorded (proximity seeking, accepting comfort, response to
being reunited)
- Analysis of observations leads to measuring the type of attachment between the caregiver and infant
(secure, insecure-avoidant, insecure-resistant)
A03:
- Replicability is high, due to high level of control, the standardised procedure, and the fact that it's been
carried out in many different cultures
- Cultural bias, as it may not be appropriate for all cultures to due differences in upbringing from
Individualist and Collectivist cultures e.g. higher % of insecure-avoidant in Germany
- Validity of whether proximity is in fact a measure of anxiety and not security
- Focuses on the mother as the primary attachment figure
- Ethically wrong because children from collectivist cultures may become extremely stressed when being
parted
With reference to attachment, discuss the possible consequences of Privation and Deprivation (16
marks)
