AttachmentAttachment

• Strong emotional bond one individual forms for Strong emotional bond one individual forms for anotheranother

• Endures across timeEndures across time• Expressed in behaviors that promote proximity Expressed in behaviors that promote proximity

and contactand contact• PurposePurpose

– SurvivalSurvival– emotional survivalemotional survival– cognitive stimulationcognitive stimulation– social: Synchronized routinessocial: Synchronized routines

Theories of Attachment

• Freud/psychoanalysis: First to emphasize importance of emotional ties to mothers for psychological development.

• Learning theories: emphasize basic drives (e.g., hunger) – become attached to those who meet those needs.

Harlow’s Study of Attachment• Infant rhesus monkeys were

placed with two surrogate mothers, one made of wire and one covered with soft cloth

• Milk-producing nipple was attached to either the wire or the cloth mother

• Regardless of who fed, monkeys preferred terry cloth mom when needing comforting

Contact Time with Wire and Cloth

Surrogate Mothers

24

0

6

12

18

21-251-56-10

11-1016-20

Age (in days)

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Infant monkey fed on wire mother

Infant monkey fed on cloth mother

Hours per day spent with wire mother

Hours per day spent with cloth mother

Mean hours per day

Harlow studies

• Effects of Isolation

• Attachment was based on “contact comfort” rather than feeding

• Critical period

Normal Play Behaviors

Effects ofIsolation

Ethologists

• Study biological basis of behavior (evolutionary context)

• Conrad Lorenz: imprinting

• Klaus and Kennell: bonding - critical period

Bowlby

• Children who form attachment to adult more likely to survive

• Infants become attached to those who respond consistently and appropriately to behaviors meant to elicit help and care

Measuring Attachment

• Mary Ainsworth

• Strange Situation: measures quality of attachment

Categories of Attachment

• Secure attachment– Most likely when parents respond predictably

and appropriately trust– Sensitive and responsive parents at 3 months

secure attachment at 12 months– Study in Netherlands: secure attachment more

likely if mother had 3 months training emphasizing how to respond appropriately and promptly

Categories of Attachment

• Insecure avoidant

• Insecure ambivalent

• Recent 4th category: disorganized

Separation Episode

FRIENDSHIPS AND PEER RELATIONS

• Friendship: A close, mutual, and voluntary relationship between peers

• Reciprocal and persist over time

• Functions include support, companionship, affection, and stimulation

• Functions change over time

• Help children learn relationship skills

FRIENDSHIPS AND PEER RELATIONS:

Social Relations among Infants/Toddlers • Young infants show mutual gaze

• By 6 months, infants interact with each other by babbling, smiling, and touching

• Great individual variability among infants in social responsiveness

• By 12 months, infants imitate each other’s actions and share and play together with toys

FRIENDSHIPS AND PEER RELATIONS:

Social Relations Among Infants/Toddlers

• With emerging language and motor skills, toddlers interact with increasing complexity

• Coordinated imitation becomes much more frequent

• Early interactions help children learn important social skills

• Playmates often chosen by convenience• By age 2 mutually preferred playmates seen

FRIENDSHIPS AND PEER RELATIONS:

The Preschool and Childhood Years • Social contacts increase dramatically as

children enter school

• Larger peer group, less adult supervision

• Main ingredients in forming friendships are opportunity and similarity

• Number of “best friends” increases until about age 11 when children become more selective

FRIENDSHIPS AND PEER RELATIONS:

The Preschool and Childhood Years • Children’s close

friendships typically progress through three stages:

1. Play-based friends (ages 3 to 7 years)

2. Loyal and faithful friends (ages 8 to 11 years)

3. Intimate friends (adolescence and beyond)

FRIENDSHIPS AND PEER RELATIONS:

Gender Segregation among Friends

• Prominent feature of children’s friendships is gender segregation - tendency to associate with same sex peers

• Occurs in every cultural setting• Clear preference for same-sex play partners

evident by 2 to 3 years of age• Gender segregation very prominent after age 3

GENDER PREFERENCES IN PLAY PARTNERS

FRIENDSHIPS AND PEER RELATIONS:

Gender Segregation among Friends

• As consequence of gender segregation, boys and girls grow up in different gender cultures

• Boys tend to play in larger groups and are more active and physically aggressive

• Girls develop closer ties in smaller groups; emphasize social closeness and sensitivity

SOCIAL STATUS AMONG PEERS: Categories of Popular/Unpopular Children

• Peer nomination technique frequently used to measure social status in childhood

• Five categories typically result from peer nominations: popular, rejected, average, controversial, and neglected

SOCIAL STATUS AMONG PEERS: Categories of Popular/Unpopular Children

SOCIAL STATUS AMONG PEERS: Categories of Popular/Unpopular Children

• Category of rejected children includes two very

different subtypes• About 50% are considered rejected-aggressive,

20% rejected-withdrawn• Controversial children receive large number of

both positive and negative nominations• Associations between category and characteristics

only correlational; don’t know cause and effect

SOCIAL STATUS AMONG PEERS: Social Cognition Model of Peer Relations

• Ken Dodge and associates have developed a social

cognition model to explain differences in social behavior

• Consists of perceiving information in social setting, interpreting the situation, and then considering responses and enacting one

• Related to peer popularity• Factors such as infant temperament and

attachment relationships may lead to positive or negative patterns of social cognition

SOCIAL STATUS AMONG PEERS: Consequences of Peer Rejection

• Early negative social experiences may cause continuing problems in later years

• Peer rejection associated with academic difficulties, higher rates of delinquency, arrest, violence, and substance abuse

• Often implicated in school violence• Withdrawn children are at greater risk for

depression, loneliness, negative self-worth• Intervention programs helpful