Attachment

1. Attachment theory is a psychological model that attempts to describe the dynamics of long-term interpersonal relationships between humans.
2. Imprinting is any kind of learning occurring at a particular age or a particular life stage that is rapid and apparently independent of the consequences of behavior.
3. A critical period is a maturational stage in the lifespan of an organism during which the nervous system is especially sensitive to certain environmental stimuli.
4. Some researchers differentiate between a critical and a sensitive period, defining the latter type of period as one which is more extended and after which learning is still possible.
5. Contact comfort is the comfort that is derived from physical closeness with a caregiver.
6. Attachment styles are different patterns of attachment that children have toward their parents which shape - but do not determine - their expectations in later relationships.
7. Secure attachment is when children feel they can rely on their caregivers to attend to their needs of proximity, emotional support and protection. Separation anxiety is what infants feel when they are separated from their caregivers.
8. Anxious-ambivalent attachment is when the infant feels separation anxiety when separated from his caregiver and does not feel reassured when the caregiver returns to the infant.
9. Anxious-avoidant attachment is when the infant avoids their parents.
10. Disorganized attachment is when there is a lack of attachment behavior.
11. Stranger anxiety is a form of distress that children experience when exposed to people unfamiliar to them.