A: Have knowledge of a range of relevant theories and research about pedagogy, human development and learning
Position Paper
Link provides full detail of this paper
Assessment on Attachment Theory
MARY AINSWORTH
Mary’s Biography:
Birth: 1st
December 1913
Died: 21st
March 1999
Nationality: Canadian
Fields: Psychology
– Started research as Bowlby’s student in the 1950’s on Attachment Styles in Children (Bretherton, Inge 1992).
Ainsworth studies are focused on babies
and toddlers and how they learn from caregivers how much love, care and comfort
they receive. This forms the attachment
to the caregiver.
Mary and
her assistant designed a structured laboratory situation to examine individual
differences in the responses of 56 middle-class infants aged 11 months, to the
departure of a caregiver.
They termed this the Strange
Situation Procedure.
This was a study that identified
patterns in infant responses, according to the relationship they’ve developed
to their caregivers.
The Strange
Situation Assessment
The Strange Situation is a
20-minute miniature drama with eight episodes.
Mother and infant are introduced
to a laboratory play room where they are later joined by an unfamiliar woman.
While the stranger plays with
the baby, the mother leaves briefly and then returns. A second separation
ensues during which the baby is completely alone. Finally, the stranger and
then the mother return’s (Ainsworth & Bell, 1970).
Mary Ainsworth classified her findings
in the assessment in three ways – Secure, Resistant and Avoidant.
Secure – Group B
Infants with a secure attachment style
are able to use their mother as a secure base from which to explore the
environment, learn and thrive, and derive comfort and reassurance when they are
upset or tired (Levine, Amir; Heller, Rachel S. F, 2011).
Anxious Resistant – Group C
The child fails to develop any feelings of
security. Accordingly they exhibit
difficulty moving away from the attachment figure to explore novel
surroundings. When distressed they are difficult to soothe and are not
comforted by interaction. This behavior results from an inconsistent level of
response to their needs from the primary caregiver (Ainsworth, 1970).
Anxious Avoidant – Group A
Those who have an insecure attachment
style (anxious or avoidant) are too preoccupied with the mother's whereabouts to be easily soothed
or too seemingly indifferent toward her to use her as a secure base for comfort
in times of need (Levine, Amir; Heller, Rachel S. F, 2011).
They do not seek contact with the attachment figure
when distressed. Such children are likely to have a caregiver who is
insensitive and rejecting of their needs (Ainsworth, 1979).
Infants classified as
Anxious-Avoidant (Group A) did not exhibit distress on separation, and ignored
the caregiver on their return.
Infants classified as Secure
(Group B) used the caregiver as a safe base from which to explore and protested
at their departure, but sought the caregiver upon his or her return.
Ainsworth noted, however, a
third category of behaviour in a minority of cases would be classified as Anxious-Ambivalent/Resistant
(Group C). They showed distress on
separation, and were clingy and difficult to comfort on the caregiver’s return.
A further
category was introduced at a later stage called, Insecure disorganised/disorientated
(Berryman, J, Hargreaves, D, Herbert, M, Taylor, A, 1991).
How is Ainsworth’s research relatable
to Early Childhood..
Mary Ainsworth has identified
that the infant’s signals (crying) do not discriminate.
If a caregiver is responsive to
the needs and can engage the infant in social interaction (Schaffer & Emerson, 1964), attachment can form and infants are able to
use the attachment figure as a secure base for exploration of the environment
and as a safe haven to which to return for reassurance (Ainsworth, 1967; Schaffer
& Emerson, 1964).
How effectively the attachment
figure can serve in these roles depends on the quality of social interaction (Bretherton, Inge 1992).
This can
therefore apply to early childhood teachers.
If they are responsive to the child’s needs (signals) and can engage positively
with the child. Then the possibility of
attachment can form between early childhood teacher and child/infant.
4. Examples
of how these theories/models are relevant for teacher’s everyday
Practice
in early childhood environments…
1)
Being responsive
to the infant/child. Paying attention to
their signals – crying. Attending to their needs – feeding, changing,
comforting when tired or distressed.
“At nursery
school age—the age at which most research into dependency has been undertaken, it
was assumed that the dependency shown by the child toward his teachers was
essentially the same that he concurrently manifested toward his parents at home
(Ainsworth, M D S, 1969).
2)
Allowing the child/infant to socially interact and explore
their environment safely – giving positive cues through, smiling, gentle
guidance and using gentle vocal approval.
References
Levine, Amir; Heller, Rachel S. F. (Jan/Feb 2011). Get
attached: Scientific Mind. 21(6), 22-29.
Wright, M J.
(2010). The secure preschooler: Nurturing
creativity with courage, wisdom with responsibility, 51(4), 231-240.
Ainsworth, M D S. (1969). Object relations, dependancy
and attachment: A theoritical view of the mother-infant relationship: Child Development, 40(4), 969.
