Individual differences in attachment and day care

Individual differences in personality or attachment styles can significantly influence how children respond to day care experiences.

Attachment theory and secure base

Attachment theory, proposed by John Bowlby, suggests that attachment should provide a secure base. In contrast, insecure attachments can limit a child's willingness to explore, hindering cognitive development.

Impact on day care experiences

Shy children may perceive the day care environment as threatening, making the experience less positive for them. Research supports the link between attachment security and exploration.

Supporting research:

• Hazen and Durrett (1982) - Securely attached children were more independent explorers of their environment and showed greater innovation in problem-solving tasks.
• Pennebaker et al. (1981) - Shy children found day care situations threatening and experienced fewer benefits.

Temperament and its role in child development

Characteristics of temperament

Chess and Thomas (1956) identified nine characteristics of temperament in children, including activity level, adaptability, and mood.

Based on these, children are classified into three main types:

• Easy
• Slow to warm up
• Difficult

Interaction with attachment

When a child's temperament harmonises with their attachment to caregivers, the child should flourish. Understanding temperament enables caregivers to create an environment for optimal growth and development.

Maternal deprivation and its effects

Maternal deprivation occurs when a child is deprived of their mother during the first five years of life. This can seriously affect the child's social development.

Bowlby's maternal deprivation hypothesis

Bowlby investigated whether frequent early separations were associated with a risk of behavioural disorders, particularly exploring if maternal deprivation led to a disorder termed 'affectionless psychopathy'.

Bowlby's 44 thieves study (1944)

The findings supported the maternal deprivation hypothesis, suggesting a link between early separations and later social and emotional maladjustment. Bowlby concluded that maternal deprivation, being deprived of one's mother during the first five years of life, could seriously affect the child's social development, producing juvenile delinquency.

Impact of parental separation and family disruption

Cockett and Tripp (1994) study

Children in intact families with marital discord were better off than those from reordered families. Parental separation and divorce cause more developmental problems than discord alone, and greater disruption leads to worse adjustment.

Recovery from early institutional deprivation

Rutter et al. (1998) study on Romanian adoptees

Rutter examined whether good care could make up for poor early institutional experiences, comparing Romanian adoptees with British adoptees to observe the effects of deprivation. On arrival in the United Kingdom, the Romanian children were developmentally delayed. The study suggested that continuing poor developmental experiences are associated with poor recovery, but that recovery is possible with improved care during childhood.