Cognitive Development and Attachment

Cognitive Development and Attachment

• Object permanence, the understanding that objects continue to exist even when out of sight, is a cognitive milestone linked to the development of a secure attachment.
• This milestone is typically reached around 8 months of age, as noted by Bowlby based on Piaget's work (1955).

Phases of Attachment Development

• Pre-attachment Phase (0-2 months): Infants exhibit sociability and innate behaviors to elicit caregiver proximity, without clear differentiation between familiar and unfamiliar persons.
• Attachment in the Making (2-7 months): Recognition of caregivers begins, marked by preferences for familiar figures over strangers.
• Transition to Clear-cut Attachment: As infants grow, their attachment behaviors become more pronounced.
• Clear-cut Attachment (7 months - 2 years): Distinct attachment behaviors, such as separation distress and stranger anxiety, emerge.
• Formation of a Goal-Corrected Partnership (2 years onwards): Children's increased independence and understanding of caregiver’s needs signify the evolution of the attachment relationship.

Quality and Security of Attachment

• Cross-Cultural Observations: Ainsworth's observations in Uganda (1963) and Baltimore, USA (1967) revealed variations in infants' attachment behaviors, challenging the notion of a universal attachment pattern.

Assessment of Attachment Security

• Strange Situation Procedure (Ainsworth et al., 1978): A standardized observational method to assess the quality and security of attachment relationships between infants and caregivers.
• Attachment Classifications: Results categorize infants into secure, insecure-avoidant, insecure-resistant, and disorganized attachment styles, based on their responses to separations and reunions.

Assessing Attachment Security in Infants

• Critical period: 1-2 years of age is pivotal for observing infants' attachment behaviors, especially in response to separations from and reunions with their mothers.
• Methodology: Includes a laboratory setting, brief separations, and the presence of a stranger to observe infant reactions.
• Reunion Behaviors and Attachment Security: The reunion phase between mother and child is crucial for determining the security of the attachment relationship.

Meta-Analysis Findings

• Sample Composition: Non-clinical, middle-class sample.
• Attachment Style Distribution:
  • 62% Secure (Type B)
  • 15% Insecure Avoidant (Type A)
  • 9% Insecure Resistant (Type C)
  • 15% Insecure Disorganized

Factors Associated with Insecure Attachment

• Disorganized Attachment and Maltreatment: 48% of disorganized infants experienced maltreatment.
• Parental Substance Abuse: 43% of insecure attachment cases involved caregiver substance abuse.
• Caregiver Depression: 19% of insecure attachment cases involved caregiver depression.
• Socio-Economic Status: 25% of insecure attachment cases involved low socio-economic status.

Predictors and Complexity of Attachment Security

• Mother Sensitivity (1971, 1974): Responsive and attuned caregiving predicts secure attachment.
• Mind-Mindedness (2013): Recognizing the infant's needs from their perspective predicts attachment security more accurately.

Differentiating Insecure Attachment Styles

• Research has differentiated maternal behaviors associated with various insecure attachment styles (avoidant, resistant, disorganized).

Complexity of Disorganized Attachment

• Unclear Developmental Pathways: The development of disorganized insecure attachment remains less understood, with unclear pathways leading to this attachment style.