PSY 204 Lecture Notes - Lecture 9: Mary Ainsworth, Psy, Alloparenting
Document Summary
Mary ainsworth, a canadian psychologist, conducted research with caregivers in. She was interested in the quality of attachment bond between mother and child. Babies use their mothers as a security base from which they explore the world. When they leave their mothers they are upset, when they return, they are happy. Babies are usually not upset when the mother leaves them and when the mothers return, babies usually avoid them. They do not attempt to explore their environment. Babies become anxious even before the mother leaves them and become extremely upset when she does leave the room. When their mothers return, they behave ambivalently: they try to make contact with the mother, but they also try to avoid her by crying, kicking and hitting. They are wary of strangers, even in their mother"s presence. Typically, they greet the mother brightly when she returns, but turn away and tend to show a variety of confused, contradictory behavior.
