AQA A-level Psychology · 4.1.3

Attachment

50 exam-style questions with answers for 4.1.3 Attachment in AQA A-level Psychology (spec 7182). Practise with flashcards, a topic quiz, a random quiz across the course, 5 crosswords, or read every question and answer below. Not official AQA material.

All 50 questions and answers

Question 1 · Spec 4.1.3 · Caregiver-infant interactions
Explain what is meant by reciprocity in caregiver-infant interactions. [2 marks]
Answer:
A two-way, mutual interaction where each person responds to the other's signals (1); e.g. the baby gives alert phases and the caregiver responds, with interactions taking turns like a conversation (1).
Question 2 · Spec 4.1.3 · Caregiver-infant interactions
Explain what is meant by interactional synchrony. [2 marks]
Answer:
When caregiver and infant reflect each other's actions and emotions in a coordinated way (1); they mirror each other's facial expressions and movements at the same time (1).
Question 3 · Spec 4.1.3 · Caregiver-infant interactions
Outline Meltzoff and Moore's (1977) research into interactional synchrony. [3 marks]
Answer:
An adult displayed one of three facial expressions or a hand gesture to infants aged 2 to 3 weeks (1); the infant's response was filmed and rated by independent observers (1); infants were more likely to mirror the adult's expression or gesture than chance would predict (1).
Question 4 · Spec 4.1.3 · Caregiver-infant interactions
Explain one limitation of research into caregiver-infant interactions. [2 marks]
Answer:
It is hard to reliably test infants, as their mouths are always moving and their expressions are subtle (1); so it is difficult to know whether a movement is a deliberate response or random, reducing validity (1).
Question 5 · Spec 4.1.3 · Caregiver-infant interactions
Explain why research into caregiver-infant interactions may be socially sensitive. [2 marks]
Answer:
It suggests children may be disadvantaged by some child-rearing practices, e.g. mothers returning to work soon after birth (1); this could put pressure on or create guilt in parents and affect social policy (1).
Question 6 · Spec 4.1.3 · Schaffer's stages
Outline the procedure of Schaffer and Emerson's (1964) study. [3 marks]
Answer:
60 babies from working-class families in Glasgow were studied from birth to around 18 months (1); they were visited at home every month for the first year and again at 18 months (1); mothers were asked about separation anxiety and stranger anxiety (1).
Question 7 · Spec 4.1.3 · Schaffer's stages
Outline the four stages of attachment identified by Schaffer. [4 marks]
Answer:
Asocial stage (first few weeks): similar responses to objects and people, though some preference for familiar adults (1); indiscriminate attachment (2–7 months): prefer people to objects and accept comfort from any adult (1); specific attachment (from around 7 months): stranger and separation anxiety towards one primary attachment figure (1); multiple attachments: secondary attachments form with other people they regularly spend time with, by around 1 year (1).
Question 8 · Spec 4.1.3 · Schaffer's stages
State two findings from Schaffer and Emerson's study. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: most babies showed a specific attachment by around 7 months (1); the primary attachment figure was the person who responded most sensitively, not necessarily the one who spent most time with the baby (1); within a month of the first specific attachment, 29% had secondary attachments, and most had multiple attachments by 1 year (1).
Question 9 · Spec 4.1.3 · Schaffer's stages
Explain one strength of Schaffer and Emerson's study. [2 marks]
Answer:
It had good external validity, as observations were carried out by parents at home during ordinary activities (1); so behaviour was not affected by the presence of researchers (1).
Question 10 · Spec 4.1.3 · Schaffer's stages
Explain one limitation of Schaffer and Emerson's study. [2 marks]
Answer:
The sample was from one city, one social class and one historical period (1); so it may not generalise to other cultures, e.g. collectivist cultures where multiple attachments form from the start (1).
Question 11 · Spec 4.1.3 · Role of the father
Outline Grossmann et al.'s (2002) research into the role of the father. [3 marks]
Answer:
A longitudinal study followed babies until their teens, looking at parents' behaviour and attachment quality (1); quality of attachment with mothers, but not fathers, was related to attachment in adolescence (1); quality of fathers' play with infants was related to the quality of adolescent attachments, suggesting fathers have a play/stimulation role (1).
Question 12 · Spec 4.1.3 · Role of the father
Explain how Field's (1978) research suggests fathers can be primary caregivers. [2 marks]
Answer:
Field filmed 4-month-old babies with primary caregiver mothers, secondary caregiver fathers and primary caregiver fathers (1); primary caregiver fathers spent more time smiling, imitating and holding babies than secondary caregiver fathers, like mothers, so responsiveness, not gender, matters (1).
Question 13 · Spec 4.1.3 · Role of the father
Explain one limitation of research into the role of the father. [2 marks]
Answer:
Findings are inconsistent: some suggest fathers have a distinct play role, others that they can be primary caregivers (1); and children in single-mother or same-sex mother families do not develop differently, suggesting fathers may not have a unique role (1).
Question 14 · Spec 4.1.3 · Lorenz
Outline Lorenz's (1935) imprinting study. [3 marks]
Answer:
He divided a clutch of goose eggs: half hatched with the mother, half in an incubator where Lorenz was the first moving object seen (1); the incubator group followed Lorenz and the control group followed the mother (1); imprinting only happened within a critical period of a few hours after hatching (1).
Question 15 · Spec 4.1.3 · Lorenz
What is sexual imprinting? [2 marks]
Answer:
Lorenz found birds that imprinted on a human later showed courtship behaviour towards humans (1); so the object of imprinting affects later mate preferences (1).
Question 16 · Spec 4.1.3 · Lorenz
Explain one limitation of Lorenz's research. [2 marks]
Answer:
Guiton (1966) found chickens imprinted on rubber gloves tried to mate with them, but later learned to prefer other chickens (1); so the effects of imprinting are not as permanent as Lorenz believed (1).
Question 17 · Spec 4.1.3 · Harlow
Outline Harlow's (1958) research with rhesus monkeys. [4 marks]
Answer:
16 baby rhesus monkeys were reared with two wire model 'mothers' (1); one dispensed milk and the other was covered in soft cloth (1); the monkeys preferred the cloth mother and went to her when frightened, regardless of which gave milk (1); this showed contact comfort is more important than food in attachment (1).
Question 18 · Spec 4.1.3 · Harlow
Outline the long-term effects of maternal deprivation found by Harlow. [2 marks]
Answer:
Monkeys reared with wire mothers were more aggressive, less sociable and bred less often than typical monkeys (1); as mothers some neglected or attacked their young, especially if deprived beyond a critical period of about 90 days (1).
Question 19 · Spec 4.1.3 · Harlow
Explain one ethical issue with Harlow's research. [2 marks]
Answer:
The monkeys suffered severe and long-lasting harm from being separated from their mothers (1); rhesus monkeys are similar to humans, so their suffering is likely to have been human-like, raising questions about whether the knowledge gained justified it (1).
Question 20 · Spec 4.1.3 · Learning theory
Outline learning theory as an explanation of attachment. [4 marks]
Answer:
Classical conditioning: food (UCS) produces pleasure (UCR) (1); the caregiver (NS) is repeatedly paired with food and becomes a conditioned stimulus producing pleasure, so the baby attaches (1); operant conditioning: crying is negatively reinforced when the caregiver feeds the baby, removing discomfort (1); food is a primary reinforcer and the caregiver becomes a secondary reinforcer, a 'cupboard love' explanation (1).
Question 21 · Spec 4.1.3 · Learning theory
Explain one limitation of learning theory as an explanation of attachment. [2 marks]
Answer:
Harlow's monkeys attached to the soft cloth mother, not the one that provided food (1); and Schaffer and Emerson found babies attached to the person most responsive, not the one who fed them, so food is not the key factor (1).
Question 22 · Spec 4.1.3 · Bowlby's monotropic theory
Explain what is meant by monotropy. [2 marks]
Answer:
Bowlby proposed that a baby forms one special attachment that is more important than all others (1); usually with the mother (or primary caregiver), and the more time spent with her the better (1).
Question 23 · Spec 4.1.3 · Bowlby's monotropic theory
Outline Bowlby's law of continuity and law of accumulated separation. [2 marks]
Answer:
Law of continuity: the more constant and predictable a child's care, the better the quality of attachment (1); law of accumulated separation: the effects of every separation from the mother add up, so the safest dose is zero (1).
Question 24 · Spec 4.1.3 · Bowlby's monotropic theory
What are social releasers? [2 marks]
Answer:
Innate 'cute' behaviours such as smiling, cooing and gripping (1); that activate the adult attachment system and make the adult feel love for the baby (1).
Question 25 · Spec 4.1.3 · Bowlby's monotropic theory
Explain what Bowlby meant by the critical period. [2 marks]
Answer:
A period of around 2 years (later seen as a sensitive period) in which the infant's attachment system is active (1); if an attachment is not formed by then, the child will find it much harder to form one later (1).
Question 26 · Spec 4.1.3 · Internal working model
Explain what is meant by the internal working model. [3 marks]
Answer:
A mental representation of the child's relationship with their primary caregiver (1); it acts as a template for what future relationships will be like (1); e.g. a loving relationship leads the child to expect loving relationships, while poor treatment leads to expecting the same (1).
Question 27 · Spec 4.1.3 · Bowlby's monotropic theory
Explain one limitation of Bowlby's monotropic theory. [2 marks]
Answer:
Schaffer and Emerson found most babies formed multiple attachments, and some formed their first attachment with a father or grandparent (1); this challenges the idea that there is one unique attachment to the mother (1).
Question 28 · Spec 4.1.3 · Strange Situation
Outline the procedure of Ainsworth's Strange Situation. [4 marks]
Answer:
A controlled observation of infants aged 9 to 18 months in a laboratory playroom (1); seven episodes, each lasting three minutes (1); involving the caregiver leaving and returning and a stranger entering, to test separation and stranger anxiety (1); behaviours observed included proximity seeking, exploration and secure-base behaviour, and reunion behaviour (1).
Question 29 · Spec 4.1.3 · Types of attachment
Describe the behaviour of a securely attached infant in the Strange Situation. [3 marks]
Answer:
Explores happily but regularly goes back to the caregiver (secure base) (1); shows moderate separation and stranger anxiety (1); seeks comfort and is easily comforted on reunion (1).
Question 30 · Spec 4.1.3 · Types of attachment
Describe the behaviour of an insecure-avoidant infant in the Strange Situation. [3 marks]
Answer:
Explores freely but does not seek proximity or show secure-base behaviour (1); shows little or no reaction when the caregiver leaves and little stranger anxiety (1); makes little effort to make contact on reunion (1).
Question 31 · Spec 4.1.3 · Types of attachment
Describe the behaviour of an insecure-resistant infant in the Strange Situation. [3 marks]
Answer:
Seeks greater proximity than others and explores less (1); shows huge stranger and separation anxiety (1); resists comfort when reunited with the caregiver (1).
Question 32 · Spec 4.1.3 · Types of attachment
State the approximate proportions of each attachment type found by Ainsworth. [3 marks]
Answer:
Secure: about 60–75% (1); insecure-avoidant: about 20–25% (1); insecure-resistant: about 3% (1).
Question 33 · Spec 4.1.3 · Strange Situation evaluation
Explain one strength of the Strange Situation. [2 marks]
Answer:
It has good inter-rater reliability, e.g. Bick et al. (2012) found 94% agreement between raters (1); because it takes place under controlled conditions and behavioural categories are easy to observe (1).
Question 34 · Spec 4.1.3 · Strange Situation evaluation
Explain one limitation of the Strange Situation. [2 marks]
Answer:
It may be culture-bound, as it was developed in America (1); e.g. Japanese infants rarely separate from their mothers, so their distress may reflect the unusual separation rather than insecurity (1).
Question 35 · Spec 4.1.3 · Cultural variations
Outline van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg's (1988) study of cultural variations. [3 marks]
Answer:
A meta-analysis of 32 studies using the Strange Situation in eight countries, with 1990 children in total (1); secure attachment was the most common type in all countries (1); variation within countries was 1.5 times greater than between countries (1).
Question 36 · Spec 4.1.3 · Cultural variations
State two findings about attachment types in different cultures from van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg. [2 marks]
Answer:
Any two from: insecure-resistant attachment was more common in collectivist cultures such as Israel and Japan (1); insecure-avoidant attachment was more common in individualist cultures such as Germany (1); secure attachment was lowest in China and highest in Britain (1).
Question 37 · Spec 4.1.3 · Cultural variations
Explain one limitation of research into cultural variations in attachment. [2 marks]
Answer:
Samples were not always representative of each country, e.g. comparing countries rather than cultures (1); van Ijzendoorn and Sagi (2001) found differences between urban and rural Japan, so country is not the same as culture (1).
Question 38 · Spec 4.1.3 · Maternal deprivation
Outline Bowlby's theory of maternal deprivation. [3 marks]
Answer:
Continual presence of nurture from a mother or mother-substitute is essential for normal emotional and intellectual development (1); prolonged separation during the critical period, the first 2½ years, causes harm (1); effects include delayed intellectual development and affectionless psychopathy (1).
Question 39 · Spec 4.1.3 · Maternal deprivation
Explain the difference between separation and deprivation. [2 marks]
Answer:
Separation means the child is not in the presence of the primary attachment figure, which is not necessarily harmful if substitute care is good (1); deprivation means losing emotional care as a result of separation, which can cause harm (1).
Question 40 · Spec 4.1.3 · Maternal deprivation
Outline Bowlby's 44 thieves study. [4 marks]
Answer:
44 teenagers accused of stealing were interviewed for signs of affectionless psychopathy (1); their families were interviewed to find out whether they had been separated from their mothers early in life (1); 14 were affectionless psychopaths and 12 of these had experienced prolonged separation (1); only 2 of a control group of 44 non-criminal teenagers had experienced prolonged separation, suggesting deprivation caused affectionless psychopathy (1).
Question 41 · Spec 4.1.3 · Maternal deprivation
Explain one limitation of the 44 thieves study. [2 marks]
Answer:
Bowlby carried out both the interviews and the assessments of affectionless psychopathy himself (1); he knew which teenagers had been separated, so investigator bias may have affected the results (1).
Question 42 · Spec 4.1.3 · Romanian orphan studies
Outline Rutter et al.'s English and Romanian Adoptee (ERA) study. [3 marks]
Answer:
A longitudinal study of 165 Romanian orphans adopted into British families, compared with 52 British adopted children (1); physical, cognitive and emotional development was assessed at 4, 6, 11, 15 and 22–25 years (1); those adopted after 6 months showed disinhibited attachment, and at age 11 mean IQ was 102 for those adopted before 6 months but 77 for those adopted after 2 years (1).
Question 43 · Spec 4.1.3 · Romanian orphan studies
Outline two effects of institutionalisation. [2 marks]
Answer:
Disinhibited attachment: equally friendly and affectionate to familiar people and strangers (1); intellectual disability/low IQ, especially if adopted after a sensitive period (1).
Question 44 · Spec 4.1.3 · Romanian orphan studies
Explain one strength of the Romanian orphan studies. [2 marks]
Answer:
Earlier studies had confounding variables, e.g. children had experienced loss or trauma before being institutionalised (1); the Romanian orphans had generally not, so findings are more likely due to institutionalisation itself, increasing internal validity (1).
Question 45 · Spec 4.1.3 · Romanian orphan studies
Explain one limitation of the Romanian orphan studies. [2 marks]
Answer:
The conditions in Romanian orphanages were extremely poor, with very little stimulation (1); so the findings may not generalise to institutions with better care (1).
Question 46 · Spec 4.1.3 · Influence of early attachment
Outline Hazan and Shaver's (1987) love quiz study. [3 marks]
Answer:
They analysed 620 replies to a 'love quiz' in an American newspaper (1); the quiz assessed current/recent relationships, general love experiences and attachment type (1); 56% were securely attached and were most likely to have good, long-lasting romantic relationships, while avoidant respondents tended to reveal jealousy and fear of intimacy (1).
Question 47 · Spec 4.1.3 · Influence of early attachment
Explain how early attachment may influence childhood relationships. [2 marks]
Answer:
Securely attached children tend to form the best quality friendships and are less involved in bullying (1); Myron-Wilson and Smith (1998) found insecure-avoidant children were more likely to be victims and insecure-resistant children more likely to be bullies (1).
Question 48 · Spec 4.1.3 · Influence of early attachment
Explain how the internal working model can affect adult relationships. [2 marks]
Answer:
The IWM affects the quality of later romantic relationships and the person's own parenting (1); e.g. Bailey et al. (2007) found most mothers had the same attachment type to their babies as they had to their own mothers (1).
Question 49 · Spec 4.1.3 · Influence of early attachment
Explain one limitation of research into the influence of early attachment on later relationships. [2 marks]
Answer:
Most studies rely on self-report or retrospective recall of early attachments (1); these are open to social desirability bias and inaccurate memory, so the validity of findings is reduced (1).
Question 50 · Spec 4.1.3 · Influence of early attachment
Explain why the link between early attachment and later relationships may be confounded. [2 marks]
Answer:
Other factors, such as parenting style or genetically inherited temperament, may affect both attachment and later relationships (1); so it cannot be concluded that early attachment causes the quality of later relationships (1).

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