Questions and Answers
What percentage of 1-year-olds in the Ainsworth et al. (1978) study showed a secure attachment response pattern?
What is a characteristic of anxious ambivalent babies during the reunion episode?
What is a key feature of secure attachment in babies?
What type of attachment is characterized by a sense of insecurity and high levels of anxiety?
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What is the primary difference between securely attached and anxiously ambivalently attached babies?
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What is a consequence of insecure attachment in babies?
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What is a characteristic of babies with a secure attachment?
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According to Ainsworth, what is the function of the mother in securely attached babies?
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What characteristic most likely leads to secure attachment in infants?
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Which behavior is typical of mothers of ambivalently attached infants?
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How does quality of caregiving impact attachment styles?
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Which attachment style is characterized by avoidance of holding the infant?
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What is a likely behavior of a mother with a securely attached baby?
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What distinguishes disorganized-disoriented attachment from ambivalent attachment?
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How can the inconsistency of a mother affect infant attachment?
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Which feature is important for creating secure or trusting attachments according to Bowlby and Erikson?
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Which of the following is NOT a characteristic of a securely attached infant?
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What is the primary reason why the 'strange situation' test is used in attachment research?
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Which type of attachment is characterized by infants who show distress upon separation from their caregiver but resist comfort upon their return?
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What is the main reason why the researchers in Ainsworth's study paid special attention to the baby's response to their mother when she returned after an absence?
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Which of the following attachment styles is associated with inconsistent and unpredictable caregiving?
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Which of the following is a key characteristic of insecure attachment?
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Which of the following is NOT considered a key factor in the development of secure attachment?
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In Ainsworth's study, what was the primary goal of the 'strange situation' test?
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What characteristic defines the caregiving style associated with securely attached infants?
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What behavior is likely exhibited by mothers of ambivalent babies during interactions?
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Which factor is crucial in determining whether an infant develops secure or insecure attachment?
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What is a common characteristic of infants who develop disorganized-disoriented attachment?
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Which of the following behaviors is typical of mothers who are least effective in promoting secure attachment?
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What would likely occur when a mother of an avoidant baby attempts to engage their child in play?
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What is the most common attachment style identified in Ainsworth's research?
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In the context of infant attachment, ambivalent attachment is primarily characterized by which type of response?
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What role does quality of caregiving play in determining a child's attachment style?
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Which attachment style is characterized by a lack of clear attachment behaviors and appears disoriented during the reunion?
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Which behavior is indicative of insecure attachment in infants?
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Which of the following behaviors is likely observed in mothers of disorganized-disoriented attached infants?
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What is a potential outcome for a child who experiences inconsistent caregiving?
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What fundamental need do all babies seem to share, according to attachment theory?
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What is the primary reason why securely attached babies are able to explore their environment?
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Which of the following is a characteristic of anxious ambivalent babies during the initial episode?
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What is a key feature of insecure attachment in babies?
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What type of attachment is characterized by inconsistent and unpredictable caregiving?
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Which of the following is a consequence of insecure attachment in babies?
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What is the primary difference between securely attached and anxiously ambivalently attached babies?
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A child with a secure attachment may show distress upon separation from their caregiver but quickly calms down when reunited.
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Ambivalent attachment is associated with consistent and predictable caregiving from the parent.
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Disorganized-disoriented attachment is a form of insecure attachment that often arises from neglect or abusive caregiving.
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Secure attachment is the most common attachment style observed in infants.
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A child with an avoidant attachment style is likely to show significant distress upon separation from their caregiver.
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The quality of caregiving has a negligible impact on the development of attachment styles.
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Early relationships significantly impact a child's future self-concept and outlook on life.
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A child who experiences consistent and sensitive care is likely to develop ambivalent attachment.
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Disorganized-disoriented attachment in infants often results from a lack of predictable caregiving.
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Timely and sensitive caregiving fosters a sense of worthiness in infants.
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Insecure attachment leads to a child's optimistic view of future experiences.
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Maternal sensitivity is linked to the quality of infant attachment.
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Infants with ambivalent attachment are likely to see others as dependable and trustworthy.
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Babies with disorganized-disoriented attachment typically experience consistent and nurturing caregiving.
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Affectional warmth and positivity are essential components of promoting secure attachments in infants.
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Inconsistent caregiving can lead to ambivalent attachment in infants.
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Prompt responsiveness to distress is less important than interactive involvement for secure attachment.
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Babies in the secure attachment category are often rejected and shown less warmth by their mothers.
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Disorganized-disoriented attachment was first identified in Ainsworth’s original study.
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Caregiving styles directly impact the likelihood of an infant developing secure or insecure attachment.
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Mothers of securely attached babies often engage in intrusive behavior during face-to-face interactions.
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Insecurely attached babies tend to exhibit clear attachment behaviors during the reunion episode.
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The quality of caregiving during the first year has a negligible impact on the development of attachment styles.
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Disorganized-disoriented attachment is a form of secure attachment that often arises from neglect or abusive caregiving.
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Ambivalently attached babies tend to have mothers who are consistently responsive to their needs.
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Securely attached babies are often uncomfortable with physical contact and tend to avoid holding.
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All babies who show a secure attachment response pattern will explore the room and the toys when their mother is present.
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A mother's consistent and predictable caregiving style is associated with ambivalent attachment in babies.
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Disorganized-disoriented attachment is a form of secure attachment that arises from neglect or abusive caregiving.
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The quality of caregiving has a negligible impact on the development of attachment styles in babies.
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Babies with an avoidant attachment style will show significant distress upon separation from their caregiver.
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All babies have a fundamental need for social interaction and exploration.
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Insecure attachment is characterized by a sense of security and low levels of anxiety.
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Securely attached babies will resist comfort from their caregiver upon reunion.
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A baby showing high levels of distress upon separation and demonstrating mixed reactions (both seeking and resisting comfort) upon reunion is likely exhibiting a $secure$ attachment.
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Inconsistent and unpredictable caregiving is a key factor in the development of $secure$ attachment.
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A baby with $disorganized-disoriented$ attachment may exhibit confused behaviors, such as freezing or appearing dazed, during reunion with their caregiver.
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A baby displaying a pattern of $avoidant$ attachment is likely to show significant distress upon separation from their caregiver.
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The quality of caregiving plays a $minor$ role in the development of attachment styles.
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Babies with $insecure$ attachment styles often have difficulty forming trusting relationships later in life.
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Study Notes
Ainsworth's Study on Caregiving and Attachment
- Ainsworth's study (1978) observed 26 babies and mothers from birth to 1 year, with middle-class mothers as primary caregivers who didn't work outside the home.
- The study found that securely attached infants had mothers who responded promptly and consistently to crying, handled the infant with sensitivity, and showed many features proposed by Bowlby and Erikson to be important for infant care to create security or trust.
Features of Securely Attached Infants
- Mothers of securely attached infants showed sensitivity to their infants' signals, responded to their cues, and were consistent in their responsiveness to crying.
- These mothers held their babies tenderly and often, and their face-to-face interactions were responsive to the baby's signals.
Insecurely Attached Infants
- Babies who became insecurely attached had mothers who seemed insensitive to their infants in one way or another.
- Mothers of ambivalent babies were affectionate but often awkward in holding, inconsistent in responsiveness to crying, and failed to respond to their babies' signals in face-to-face interactions.
Avoidant Babies
- Mothers of avoidant babies seemed to actively avoid holding their babies.
- Despite showing distress when separated from their mothers, avoidant babies would greet their mothers happily on their return, reaching up to be held, and would often mold their bodies to the mother as they sought comfort.
Anxious Ambivalent Babies
- Anxious ambivalent babies (about 10% of samples) often seemed stressed even in the initial episode, showed high levels of anxiety, and were distressed when separated from their mothers.
- They would act angry, alternately approaching and resisting the mother, or respond listlessly to comfort, and seem preoccupied with their mothers.
Attachment Quality and the Strange Situation Test
- Mary Ainsworth and her colleagues invented the strange situation test to measure attachment.
- The test consists of 8 three-minute episodes, each introducing changes in the social situation, some of which are likely to be stressful to an infant.
- The baby's reactions to the events, particularly their tendency to explore and responses to the mother and stranger, are carefully recorded.
- The researchers identified three patterns of infant response, now considered indicative of three different kinds of infant attachment to an adult caregiver.
Ainsworth's Study on Caregiving and Attachment
- Ainsworth's study (1978) observed 26 babies and mothers from birth to 1 year, with middle-class mothers as primary caregivers who didn't work outside the home.
- The study found that securely attached infants had mothers who responded promptly and consistently to crying, handled the infant with sensitivity, and showed many features proposed by Bowlby and Erikson to be important for infant care to create security or trust.
Features of Securely Attached Infants
- Mothers of securely attached infants showed sensitivity to their infants' signals, responded to their cues, and were consistent in their responsiveness to crying.
- These mothers held their babies tenderly and often, and their face-to-face interactions were responsive to the baby's signals.
Insecurely Attached Infants
- Babies who became insecurely attached had mothers who seemed insensitive to their infants in one way or another.
- Mothers of ambivalent babies were affectionate but often awkward in holding, inconsistent in responsiveness to crying, and failed to respond to their babies' signals in face-to-face interactions.
Avoidant Babies
- Mothers of avoidant babies seemed to actively avoid holding their babies.
- Despite showing distress when separated from their mothers, avoidant babies would greet their mothers happily on their return, reaching up to be held, and would often mold their bodies to the mother as they sought comfort.
Anxious Ambivalent Babies
- Anxious ambivalent babies (about 10% of samples) often seemed stressed even in the initial episode, showed high levels of anxiety, and were distressed when separated from their mothers.
- They would act angry, alternately approaching and resisting the mother, or respond listlessly to comfort, and seem preoccupied with their mothers.
Attachment Quality and the Strange Situation Test
- Mary Ainsworth and her colleagues invented the strange situation test to measure attachment.
- The test consists of 8 three-minute episodes, each introducing changes in the social situation, some of which are likely to be stressful to an infant.
- The baby's reactions to the events, particularly their tendency to explore and responses to the mother and stranger, are carefully recorded.
- The researchers identified three patterns of infant response, now considered indicative of three different kinds of infant attachment to an adult caregiver.
Infant Behaviors and Caregiving
- Infant behaviors (crying, smiling, vocalizing, etc.) stimulate the release of oxytocin in caregivers, increasing the rewarding aspects of caregiving behaviors
- These behaviors also trigger increases in dopamine, a neurotransmitter associated with reward
Hormones and Neural Pathways
- Oxytocin and dopamine work together to increase the rewarding aspects of caregiving behaviors
- The links between these hormones and the neural pathways they affect are complex, but it appears they work in concert to increase parental motivation
Maternal Sensitivity and Cortisol Reactivity
- Laurent et al. (2016) found that maternal sensitivity is associated with toddlers' cortisol reactivity when they are frightened
- More sensitive mothers have children whose cortisol responses normalize more rapidly
Epigenetics and Caregiving
- The environment, including caregiving, affects brain structure and function development before and after birth
- Cicchetti et al. (2016) found that infants of mothers with major depressive disorder show different DNA methylation patterns compared to infants of mothers without this diagnosis
Theories of Attachment and Social-Emotional Development
- John Bowlby (1969/1982, 1973, 1980) and Erik Erikson (1950/1963) proposed that relationships with caregivers during the first year of life provide a working model of oneself and others
- These emerging models influence how secure and optimistic a child will feel about venturing forth to explore the world
Erickson's Theory of Trust and Self-concept
- Erikson believed that early caregiving enables a child to form their first feelings about others
- Timely, sensitive, and consistently available care leads to basic trust and a sense of worthiness
- Feeling trust and feeling worthy emerge together, influencing how a child sees themselves and others
Ainsworth's Research on Attachment
- Mary D.S. Ainsworth's research linked mother care to infant security, establishing the importance of sensitive, responsive care during infancy for attachment quality
- Maternal sensitivity is linked to infant security across cultures and socioeconomic backgrounds
Key Ingredients of Sensitive Care
- Prompt responsiveness to distress
- Interactional synchrony
- Affectional warmth and positivity (without hostility, boredom, or frustration)
- Moderately stimulating but nonintrusive interactive involvement with the infant
Ainsworth's Study on Caregiving and Attachment
- Ainsworth's study (1978) observed 26 babies and mothers from birth to 1 year, with middle-class mothers as primary caregivers who didn't work outside the home.
- The study found that securely attached infants had mothers who responded promptly and consistently to crying, handled the infant with sensitivity, and showed many features proposed by Bowlby and Erikson to be important for infant care to create security or trust.
Features of Securely Attached Infants
- Mothers of securely attached infants showed sensitivity to their infants' signals, responded to their cues, and were consistent in their responsiveness to crying.
- These mothers held their babies tenderly and often, and their face-to-face interactions were responsive to the baby's signals.
Insecurely Attached Infants
- Babies who became insecurely attached had mothers who seemed insensitive to their infants in one way or another.
- Mothers of ambivalent babies were affectionate but often awkward in holding, inconsistent in responsiveness to crying, and failed to respond to their babies' signals in face-to-face interactions.
Avoidant Babies
- Mothers of avoidant babies seemed to actively avoid holding their babies.
- Despite showing distress when separated from their mothers, avoidant babies would greet their mothers happily on their return, reaching up to be held, and would often mold their bodies to the mother as they sought comfort.
Anxious Ambivalent Babies
- Anxious ambivalent babies (about 10% of samples) often seemed stressed even in the initial episode, showed high levels of anxiety, and were distressed when separated from their mothers.
- They would act angry, alternately approaching and resisting the mother, or respond listlessly to comfort, and seem preoccupied with their mothers.
Attachment Quality and the Strange Situation Test
- Mary Ainsworth and her colleagues invented the strange situation test to measure attachment.
- The test consists of 8 three-minute episodes, each introducing changes in the social situation, some of which are likely to be stressful to an infant.
- The baby's reactions to the events, particularly their tendency to explore and responses to the mother and stranger, are carefully recorded.
- The researchers identified three patterns of infant response, now considered indicative of three different kinds of infant attachment to an adult caregiver.
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Description
This quiz explores the importance of caregiving during a baby's first year, based on Ainsworth's study. It examines the role of mothers as primary caregivers and the impact on attachment theory.
