Comprehensive Notes on Attachment for AQA A-Level Psychology

Key Point: Filmed observations show that babies actively participate in attachment formation through social behaviours, proving it's not just about feeding but emotional connection.

Key Point: These stages were identified through studying 1960s Glasgow families, so results might not apply universally across different cultures and time periods.

Key Point: Whilst animal studies provide valuable insights, human attachment is far more complex, so we must be cautious about directly applying these findings to people.

Key Point: Evidence from Schaffer and Emerson shows babies often attach to non-feeding caregivers, supporting Bowlby over learning theory explanations.

Key Point: The Strange Situation might be culturally biased since it was developed using American samples and assumes separation scenarios are universally meaningful.

Key Point: Modern research suggests the quality of substitute care matters more than separation itself - high-quality alternative caregiving can prevent many negative outcomes.

Key Point: Romanian orphanages had extremely poor conditions including malnutrition and lack of stimulation, so results might not generalise to all institutional care settings.

Key Point: Recovery is possible even after severe early deprivation, as shown by the Czech twins who overcame horrific early experiences to lead normal adult lives with proper intervention.