John Bowlby proposed that attachment behaviour is:
A: Learned through classical conditioning — infants associate caregivers with food
B: A biologically based behavioural system shaped by evolution to maintain proximity to caregivers for protection
C: A product of the Oedipal stage of psychosexual development
D: Entirely shaped by the quality of feeding in the first year of life
Correct: A biologically based behavioural system shaped by evolution to maintain proximity to caregivers for protection
Bowlby's ethological attachment theory holds that humans have an innate attachment behavioural system — evolved because proximity to a protective caregiver increased infant survival. He drew on Harlow's famous contact-comfort experiments with rhesus monkeys (demonstrating that infants preferred a cloth "mother" to a wire one providing food) and Lorenz's work on imprinting to argue that attachment is primary — not secondary to feeding as Freudian and learning theories had proposed.
Match each attachment style (from Ainsworth's Strange Situation) to its defining behaviour.
The internal working model (Bowlby) is a mental representation of the self and others that is formed in infancy and remains completely fixed throughout life.
Answer: False
Bowlby's internal working model is a cognitive-emotional schema formed from early attachment experiences, representing the self as worthy or unworthy of love and others as available or unavailable. While stable, these models are not fixed — significant new relationships, therapy, and corrective emotional experiences can update them. Research on "earned security" shows that adults with difficult early histories can develop a secure attachment state of mind through later positive relationships.
What was the methodology of Ainsworth's Strange Situation?
A: A longitudinal home observation study tracking infants from birth to age 3
B: A standardised 21-minute laboratory procedure involving separations and reunions between infant, caregiver, and stranger
C: A parental interview coding caregiver sensitivity on a rating scale
D: A naturalistic observation of mother-infant interactions during feeding
Correct: A standardised 21-minute laboratory procedure involving separations and reunions between infant, caregiver, and stranger
The Strange Situation is a standardised laboratory procedure consisting of eight episodes, each lasting approximately 3 minutes, involving a sequence of separations and reunions between a 12–18-month-old infant, the primary caregiver, and a stranger. It is designed to activate the attachment system through mild stress. The infant's reunion behaviour — not separation distress — is the primary basis for classifying attachment security.
Cross-cultural research on attachment has found that:
A: Secure attachment is not found in collectivist cultures
B: The distribution of attachment styles varies across cultures, but secure attachment is the most common category in all studied cultures
C: The Strange Situation is invalid outside of North America
D: Disorganised attachment is the most common style globally
Correct: The distribution of attachment styles varies across cultures, but secure attachment is the most common category in all studied cultures
Van IJzendoorn & Kroonenberg (1988) conducted a meta-analysis of 32 Strange Situation studies across 8 countries and found that secure attachment was the most common style in every culture studied, though the proportions of insecure styles varied. For example, Germany showed more avoidant attachment (reflecting cultural norms of independence) and Japan showed more ambivalent attachment (reflecting infrequent separations). This suggests attachment is a universal phenomenon with culturally variable expressions.
Adult attachment patterns, as assessed by the Adult Attachment Interview, can predict an infant's attachment classification even before the infant is born.
Answer: True
The Adult Attachment Interview (AAI; George, Kaplan & Main, 1985) classifies adults' attachment states of mind based on how coherently they narrate their childhood experiences. Remarkably, a mother's AAI classification during pregnancy predicts her infant's Strange Situation classification at 12 months with approximately 75% accuracy. Autonomous (secure) mothers tend to have secure infants; dismissing mothers tend to have avoidant infants; preoccupied mothers tend to have ambivalent infants.
Sensitive responsiveness — a key concept in attachment theory — refers to:
A: Responding to the infant's every signal within 2 seconds
B: Accurately perceiving infant signals, interpreting them correctly, and responding promptly and appropriately
C: Providing constant physical contact throughout the day
D: Never leaving the infant with another caregiver
Correct: Accurately perceiving infant signals, interpreting them correctly, and responding promptly and appropriately
Ainsworth defined sensitive responsiveness as the central caregiver behaviour predicting secure attachment: the caregiver must (1) perceive the infant's signals, (2) interpret them accurately, and (3) respond appropriately and promptly. Critically, "promptly" does not mean immediately — brief delays are fine. Nor does it mean constantly — sensitive responsiveness is about quality, not quantity. Insensitive caregiving (ignoring, misreading, or rejecting signals) predicts insecure attachment.