Infant bonding is a critical phase in the process of development. The importance of infant bonding has a major impact on a child’s emotional and social development. In fact, the ability to sustain healthy relationships throughout the duration of an individual’s lifespan is dependent on the beginning interactions during infancy. Through the reciprocal interactions with a caregiver, the child develops the ability to form attachments (Kay Hall & Geher, 2003, p. 146-147). The development of attachment is important because it “[fosters a] child’s ability to secure a close and trusting, reciprocal relationship with one caregiver” (Karr-Morse & Wiley, 1997, p. 185). Through the course of establishing a relationship with a single caregiver, a child develops a sense of empathy or emotional attachment, emotional control and the capacity for greater levels of cognitive processing (Karr-Morse & Wiley, 1997, p. 185).
The process of attachment between an infant and caregiver begins immediately after the child is born. The very settle approach of the attachment process is observable through an infant’s basic physical requests. “The infant feels a need (hunger, comfort, etc.) and enters a high arousal (crying). The caregiver meets the infant’s needs (with food, cuddling, etc.)” (Lake, 2005, p. 42). Through the process of repeatedly answering an infant’s requests, a caregiver is also fostering a child’s trust and attachment abilities. According to Peter Lake (2005),“The necessary ingredients for development of basic trust and attachment during the first year are eye contact, food, motion, touch, verbal contact, emotional contact, and physical contact” (p. 42). Overall, the healthy development of infancy attachment is reliant on consistent and affectionate care.
How a caregiver responds to an infant’s demands will form a child’s ability to attach by shaping their emotional balance. A caregiver’s warm responses during an infant’s complaints of distress will encourage emotional balance through a neurological reaction. According to Karr-Morse and Wiley (1997), “The baby left to cry for long intervals or the baby whose cry is greeted with a slap is undergoing a very different experience emotionally and neurologically than a child whose cries result in immediate soothing” (p. 200).
The process and critical elements involved in the development of attachment is illustrated in a study conducted by American psychologist Harry Fredrick Harlow. At the University of Wisconsin located in Madison, Harlow conducted a study examining the “importance of [parental] love and childhood development” (Cherry, n.d., Para 4). In his experiment, Harlow created two surrogate mothers made of wire-mesh. One of the assembled surrogates was made of wire-mesh and a wooden block positioned to resemble a head. The second surrogate was assembled with wire-mesh and soft terry cloth. The cloth surrogate was then attached with a head that revealed comparable characteristics of a monkey. The wire-mesh surrogate without the terry cloth had a bottle attached to provide food to the monkeys, but the terry cloth surrogate did not provide food (Cherry, n.d., Para 7). Harlow placed infant monkeys in separate cages where they were introduced to both surrogates. In response to the surrogates, the infant monkeys quickly developed a strong attachment to the figures constructed with terry cloth and only turned to the wire-mesh surrogate for food. When faced with moments of distress, the infant monkeys quickly ran to the cloth surrogate in search for security and reassurance. The strength of the bond between the monkey and the surrogate was so intense that it even persisted after an eighteen-month separation (The Adoption History Project, n.d., Para 6).
In addition to attachment, Harlow’s experiment also, inadvertently, provided insight into the effects of neglect and emotional development. Reciprocal interaction is critical for emotional development to occur, and the infant monkeys were not provided with the option of joint interaction because they were only able to interact with the inanimate surrogate. As a result of their delayed emotional development, the monkeys experienced a very difficult time interacting with other monkeys. When the monkeys were allowed the opportunity to socialize, they exhibited misdirected aggression and antisocial behavior (The Adoption History Project, n.d., Para 6).
While today Harlow’s study raises ethical issues, his experiment should be judged in the context of its time. The findings of Harlow’s experiment had a critical role in our understanding of the connection between infancy attachment and social and cognitive development. In the study, the infant monkeys developed an attachment to the cloth surrogate because it offered a sense of security. Despite the sustenance provided by the wire-mesh surrogate, the monkeys choose to attach to the surrogate that resembled the physical characteristics of their mother. The soft terry cloth wrapped around the wire-mesh provided the monkeys with the physical security and warmth that their natural caregiver would provide. The lack of reciprocal interaction reveled the importance of healthy interaction and how it can influence social development.
Establishing a healthy attachment during infancy will directly impact a child for the rest of their life. An infant’s connection with a single caregiver has a direct impact on a child’s intellectual and emotional development. While many children are raised in a safe and healthy environment, some are, unfortunately, subjected to physical and emotional abuse and neglect. Every year, there are over three million reports of child abuse in the United States alone (Prevention and Treatment of Child Abuse, n.d., Para. 1). As past research has demonstrated, the effects of neglect and abuse in early development will impact a child throughout their entire life. Early intervention aimed at effective parenting is a critical factor in slowing the progression of child abuse. Educating the public on the signs of child abuse and how to respond in situations of suspected abuse is also very important as well. The immediate effects of child abuse can be extremely damaging in itself, but the long term effects of the abuse, as research has shown, can be just as devastating.
Reference
Cherry, K. (n.d.). The Science of Love: Harry Harlow & the Nature of Affection. In About.com. Retrieved November 13, 2014, from http://psychology.about.com/od/historyofpsychology/p/harlow_love.htm
Kay Hall, S. E., & Geher, G. (2003). Behavioral and Personality Characteristics of Children with Reactive Attachment Disorder. The Journal of Psychology, 146-147.
Karr-Morse, R., & Wiley, M. S. (1997). Ghosts from the Nursery (pp. 185-200). New York, NY: Atlantic Monthly Press.
Lake, P. M. (2005, October). Recognizing Reactive Attachment Disorder. Children’s Mental Health, p. 42.
The Adoption History Project. (n.d.). Retrieved November 13, 2014, from http://darkwing.uoregon.edu/~adoption/studies/HarlowMLE.htm