Developmental Psychology: Attachment
Caregiver-infant interactions in humans:
Precocial animals are born at a fairly advanced stage of
development, for example, horses are able to walk and run
around soon after their birth. However, humans are altricial,
born at a relatively early stage of development and so need to
form attachment bonds with adults who will protect and
nurture them.
An attachment is defined as an ‘an enduring, two-way,
emotional tie to a specific older person’, normally between a
parent and a child, which develops in set stages within a fairly
set timescale. An attachment can be seen to have developed
when an infant shows stranger anxiety (distress in the
presence of unknown individuals) and separation protest
(distress at the absence of a specific person).
As the attachment bond is not present at birth, lets discuss
how an attachment bond is formed:
Attachment bonds are characterised by an infant’s desire to
keep close proximity to a particular individual and by the
expression of distress if the infant is separated from that
person. This particular individual gives an infant a sense of
security and is usually the child’s mother, though attachments
can be provided by anyone who provides such comfort and
security.
Interactions between a carer and infant serve to develop and
maintain an attachment bond between them. Even though an
infant can’t talk at this stage of development, communication
between carer and infant is rich and complex and occurs in
several ways:
Bodily contact – physical interactions between carer and
infant help to form the attachment bond, especially in the
period immediately after birth.
Caregiver-infant interactions in humans:
Precocial animals are born at a fairly advanced stage of
development, for example, horses are able to walk and run
around soon after their birth. However, humans are altricial,
born at a relatively early stage of development and so need to
form attachment bonds with adults who will protect and
nurture them.
An attachment is defined as an ‘an enduring, two-way,
emotional tie to a specific older person’, normally between a
parent and a child, which develops in set stages within a fairly
set timescale. An attachment can be seen to have developed
when an infant shows stranger anxiety (distress in the
presence of unknown individuals) and separation protest
(distress at the absence of a specific person).
As the attachment bond is not present at birth, lets discuss
how an attachment bond is formed:
Attachment bonds are characterised by an infant’s desire to
keep close proximity to a particular individual and by the
expression of distress if the infant is separated from that
person. This particular individual gives an infant a sense of
security and is usually the child’s mother, though attachments
can be provided by anyone who provides such comfort and
security.
Interactions between a carer and infant serve to develop and
maintain an attachment bond between them. Even though an
infant can’t talk at this stage of development, communication
between carer and infant is rich and complex and occurs in
several ways:
Bodily contact – physical interactions between carer and
infant help to form the attachment bond, especially in the
period immediately after birth.
