Plan de Intervención

Ap art f r om t he comp l e x i t y of t h e dy a d i c i n t eract i on o f mot h e r an d i n f an t wh i c h wou l d not be pred i c t e d f rom Bowlby ' s e t h o l og i c a l app roach , when a t t empt s are made t o measure at t achme n t b e tween mothe r an d i n f an t furt her

p rob lems are e n count e r e d . I t i s re asonab le t o assume t h at i f cert a i n s p e c i e s -s pe c i f i c beh av iours b r i n g about o r act as p r e cursors of t he de ve l opment of at t achme nt b e twee n mot h e r an d i n f ant , t he n obse rvat i on o f mot h e rs a n d i n fan t s when i n i nt e r act i o n s h ou l d resu l t in the f i n ding t h at th ose beh avi ours w ou l d o ccur more f requent l y between the in f ant an d att achme n t f i gure t h an b etween i n f ant a n d non - at t achment

f i gure . Such an obs e rvat i on wou l d l e n d c r e de n ce t o t he o r i g i n a l formu l at i on . Howe ve r , a se arch o f the l it e r at ure oft e n f a i l s to p roduce s uch support .

4 . 1 D I FFERENT I AL SM I L I NG :

Res e arch on t h e smi l i ng of t he i n f an t h as a ssumed t h at arou n d 6 mon t h s o f age sm i l i n g o c curs d i f feren t i a l l y t o the at t achment f i gure ( Amb ros e , 196 1 ; Bowlb y , 1969 ;

Free dman , 1 9 6 4 ; Sp i tz a n d Wo l f , 1946 ) . Th i s as sump t i on has b ee n b ased on t h e obse rvat ion t h a t t he b ab y sob e rs i n the p re s e n ce o f a s t r an g e r at t h i s age . Wh i le t h i s

may we l l i n d i c at e t h at fear o f t h e un f am i l iar p e r s o n i s deve l op i n g a t t h i s s t age , i t does n o t n e ce s sari l y p r o v i de ground s for def i n i n g smi l i ng as an i n de x o f at t a chme n t .

Re cent rese arch wou l d s upp ort t h i s con t en t i o n . St ay t on et a l . ( 19 73 ) when s t u d y i n g i n f a n t s at home , ob s erved no d i f f e r e n ces between f reque n c y o f smi l in g t owards t h e mo the r o r an u n f am i l i ar f igure . Cort e r ( 19 7 3 ) f oun d t h at in f an t s when a l one w i t h t h e i r mot he r o r a s t range r t e n de d t o l o ok

at t h e mot h e r more o ft e n , but whe n bot h the mot h e r an d s t r an ge r we re p resent , smi l i ng was n o t di f feren t i a l t o e i t he r . Bret h e r t on an d A i n swor t h ( 19 74 ) , w i t h i n f an t s i n a s t r ange s i t u at i on , aga i n ob s e r ved that t he y t e n de d t o smi le a t a n un f am i l i ar pe rson more o f t e n . E ck e rman an d Wh at l e y ( 19 75 ) i nves t i gat e d the rea ct i o n s o f i n f an t s t o adu l t s vary i ng i n nove l t y ( s t r an ge n es s ) . They p l ace d e ach i n f an t i n a st r an ge e n v i ronme n t w i t h h i s mot h e r and an adu l t f o r f ive mi n ut e s , t h e n a n ew a du lt e n t e re d an d rema i n e d f o r a f u r t h e r f ive m in u t e s . A l t hough the i n f a n t s sm i l e d at b o t h adu l t s t hey we re d i re c t e d more o f t e n t o t he more nove l o f t h e two . Sp i t z and Wo l f f ( 1946 ) on t h e other h an d note d a very l ow i n c i de n ce o f smi l i n g by i n f a n t s t o a s t r an ge r ; h owe ve r , i t app e ars t h at t he s t r an g e r may h ave b ee n on l y a f ew i nche s f rom t he b ab y ' s face , a n d t h i s may h ave cause d an aver s i ve react i on .

Ob s e r vat i o n s o f i n f an t s w i t h a du l t s doe s s ugge s t t h at t h e c l os e r t h e at t achme n t f i gure come s t h e g re at e r t h e e x c i t emen t d i s p l ay e d b y t he i n f an t , whe re as t he c lo se r a s t r an g e r comes t h e more sob e r t h e i n f ant appe ars .

Cohen ( 19 74 ) sugge s t s t h at t h i s may b e a way o f demon s t r at i n g d i f fe re n t i a l i t y . Wo l f f ( 19 6 3 ) supp o r t s t he Sp i t z an d

Wol f f ( 19 4 6 ) f i n d in g o f d i f f e r en t i a l smi l i ng b y i n f an t s when w i th very young i n f an t s h e f ou n d t h at s m i l in g was e l i c i t e d

more re l i ab l y b y t h e mot h e r t h an b y t he f at h e r or t he male expe r i me n t e r . Non et h e l e ss the b a l ance of e v i dence for sm i l i n g b e i n g d i f f erent i a l t o t he care t aker i s not

imp res s ive .

4 . 2 D IFFERENT I AL LOOK I NG :

S t u d i e s i n wh i c h l ook in g at mot he r a n d a st range r

h as been me asured h ave n o t e s t ab l i sh e d c le ar l y t h at l ook i n g i s d i f fe re n t i a l t o t h e mot her . Cort e r ( 19 73 ) , whe n i n fan t s were ob served w i t h t h e mot h e r o r s t r anger al one o r mot h e r a n d s t r an g e r t oge t h e r , repo r t e d t h at t he i n f an t s l ooked at the s t ranger mo re o f te n . Th i s resu l t was n o t s t at i st i c a l l y s ign i f i c an t , but the f in d i n g t h at l ook i ng was n ot

d i f f erent i a l t o t h e mot her i s the import ant c on c lus i on . Bret h e r t on and A i n sworth ( 19 74 ) rep o r t e d t h at when i n f an t s we re w it h t h e i r mot he r a n d a s t r anger i n an u n f am i l i ar s it uat ion an d t he mot h e r an d s t ranger we re b o t h t al k i n g t oge t he r , t h at t h e i n f an t s l ooked more f requen t l y a t t he s t r an ge r . C oh e n an d C ampos ( 19 74 ) con c l uded f rom t he i r rese arch t h at i n f a n t s when c l ose t o e i t h er mot h e r or f at he r d i re c t s ign i f i c ant l y great e r e y e cont act t ow a r ds t he

st r a n g e r who i s p rese n t . Again w i t h mot h er an d f at he r t oget h e r Lamb ( 19 76b ) n o t e d t h at upon t h e e n t r an c e o f a

st ranger i n f an t s d i re ct e d t he i r b eh av iour a l mos t exc l u s i ve l y t o mother , t h u s e nab l i n g h e r t o b e de f in e d as t h e att achme n t f i gu re , howe ve r , whe n mot her and f at h e r on l y were p r e s e n t the i n f a n t l ooke d at t he f a t h e r more t h an t h e mot h e r .

Lamb ( 19 7 7 ) a l s o fou n d t h at i n f a n t s d i r ec t e d more l ook i n g t owards t he s t ranger t h an t h e mot he r .

4 . 3 D I FFERENT I AL VOCAL I ZAT I ONS :

I n t h e case o f d i f f e r e n t i a l vo ca l i z a t i o n s co n c l us i ve e v i de n c e has a g a i n n o t been fort hcom i n g . S t ay t o n e t a l .

( 1 9 7 3 ) s t u d i ed i n f an t s a t home and no t e d t h a t whe n t h e mo t her returned f rom b e i n g o u t o f t he room t h at t he i n f a n t voc a l i zed t o h e r s i gn i f i can t l y mo re o f te n t han when a

s t ranger o r a s i b l i n g ret urned f rom be i n g out o f t h e room . Bre t he r t o n a n d A i n swo r t h ( 19 74 ) o n t h e o t h e r hand , w i t h i n f an t s i n a st ran ge s i t uat i o n , found t h at when b o t h mo ther an d s t ranger w e r e present t he i n f a n t voc a l i ze d t o

the mo t her and s t r ange r equal l y .

4 . 4 CRY I NG I N RESPONSE TO SEPARAT I ON :

Cry i n g i n response t o separ at ion has a l so been

imp l i c a t ed as a measure of a t t achme n t between mo t he r and i n f an t . ( A i n swor t h , 1 96 3 , 1 964 ; S c ha f fe r and Emmerson , 1964b ) . Th i s phenomen o n has been s t u d i e d mo re recent l y and the resu l t s co n s i de r e d t o support t h e c o n t e n t i o n ( e . g . , A i n swo r t h a n d Wi t t i g , 1 96 9 ; Cox an d C ampbe l l , 1 9 6 8 ;

Rhe i ngo l d , 1 9 6 9 ) . But a s Lamb ( 19 76 a ) i n a r e v i ew o f s t u d i e s h a s po i nt e d out , t hese i nves t i ga t i o n s have comp ared c r y i n g dur i n g separa t ion f rom t he mot he r w i t h c ry i n g whe n t h e mot h e r i s p r e s en t , r a t her t han compar i ng c r y i n g whe n separa t e d f rom t he mot he r a s opposed t o b e i n g separated f rom an h ab i t u a t e d n o n - f am i l i ar f i gure . Thus t h i s de s i gn has not e s t ab l i shed c ry i n g as a d i f feren t i a l phenomen o n a n d i t a l so c o n f u s e s t he a s s e s smen t o f t h e response t o

mo t h e r ' s abs e n c e w i t h b e i ng i n a s t r a n ge room a lo n e o r w i t h a s t r a n ger . F l ee n e r a n d C a i r n s ( 19 7 0 ) s tu d i e s i n f an t s '

responses t o sep a r at i on f rom t h e mo t h e r i n a s i t uat ion i n vo l v ing succes s i ve depart ures an d r e t u r n s o f t h e mo t he r