3.1 Explanations of Attachment

Question 1

Who proposed the learning theory and what does it emphasise?

Answer 1

• Dollard and MIller (1950)
• Emphasises the importance of an attachment figure as a provider of food

Question 2

What is the role of classical conditioning in learning theory of attachment?

Answer 2

• Food is an unconditioned stimulus, being fed is an unconditioned response
• A caregiver begins as a neutral stimulus (produces no response)
• However when the caregiver provides food over time they become associated with food and the neutral becomes the conditioned stimulus
• After conditioning, the sight of the caregiver produces a conditioned response of pleasure and caregiver becomes attachment figure

Question 3

What is the role of operant conditioning in learning theory of attachment?

Answer 3

• A baby crying leads to a response from the caregiver e.g feeding
• As long as the caregiver provides the correct response, crying is reinforced
• The baby directs crying for comfort towards the caregiver who responds with comforting behaviour
• The caregiver receives negative reinforcement because the crying stops, strengthening the attachment

Question 4

What did Sears et al (1957) suggest about attachment as a secondary drive?

Answer 4

As caregivers provide food, the primary drive of hunger becomes generalised to them. Therefore, attachment is a secondary drive learned by association between caregiver and satisfaction of a primary drive

Question 5

AO3 for learning theory of attachment

Answer 5

1. Counter-evidence from animal studies: Lorenz’s geese imprinted on the first moving object regardless of whether it was associated with food, also Harlow’s research shows no support for the importance of food (preferred soft surrogate mother compared to wired one which provided milk), food not important in formation of attachments

2. Counter-evidence from studies on humans: Schaffer and Emerson (1964) found babies tended to form their main attachment to their mother regardless of who usually fed them, Isabella et al (1989) found that high levels of interactional synchrony predicted quality of attachment, not related to feeding

3. Some conditioning may be involved: conditioning in some aspects of attachment, baby may associate feeling warm and comfortable with the presence of a particular adult which may influence their main attachment figure, learning theory may still be useful in understanding

Question 6

What is Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment?

Answer 6

A particular attachment to one caregiver that is different from all others and of central importance to a childs development

Question 7

What 2 principles did Bowlby propose?

Answer 7

- Law of accumulated separation: the effects of every separation from the mother ‘add up’
- Law of continuity: the more constant and predictable a child’s care, the better the quality of their attachment

Question 8

What was the critical period of attachment that Bowlby suggested?

Answer 8

• He proposed a critical period between 6 months and 2 years when infant attachment system is active

Question 9

What did Bowlby suggest about social releasers?

Answer 9

Babies are born with a set of innate ‘cute’ behaviours e.g smiling. cooing, gripping that encourage attention from adults and activate attachment

Question 10

What is the internal working model?

Answer 10

A mental representation of the world that builds a template for future relationships

Question 11

What is the influence of the internal working model on later attachments?

Answer 11

• A child who experiences a poor first relationship, will tend to form further poor relationships as they expect treatment/treat others in that way
• The model affects the childs later ability to parent themselves, base their parenting on their own experiences of being parented

Question 12

AO3 for Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment

Answer 12

1. Validity of monotropy challenged: Schaffer and Emerson (1964) found a significant minority formed multiple attachments, although first attachment does appear to have strong influence on later behaviour, may mean it is stronger but not necessarily different in quality from other attachments e.g other attachments to family members provide all the same key qualities, Bowlby incorrect that there is unique quality and importance to primary attachment

2. Support for social releasers: Brazelton et al (1975) observed babies trigger interactions with adults using social releasers and instructed primary attachment to ignore releasers, babies became increasingly distressed and eventually curled up and lay motionless, social releasers important in attachment

3. Support for internal working model: Bailey et al (2007) assessed relationships in 99 mothers and their one year-old babies, measured mothers attachment to their own primary figure and assessed attachment quality of the babies, found that mothers with poor attachment to their own primary attachment figure were more likely to have poorly attached babies

Question 13

What is Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation?

Answer 13

The continuous care from a mother figure is essential for normal psychological development, and prolonged separation from this adult results in damage to emotional and intellectual development

Question 14

Describe the research of maternal deprivation on intellectual development?

Answer 14

Goldfarb (1947): found lower IQ in children who had remained in institutions as opposed to those fostered, thus receiving higher standard of emotional care

Question 15

Describe the research of maternal deprivation on emotional development?

Answer 15

Bowlby: highlighted affectionless psychopathy as the inability to experience guilt or strong emotion towards others, preventing a person from developing fulfilling relationships

Question 16

Describe Bowlby’s (1944) 44 thieves study

Answer 16

• 44 criminal teenagers interviewed for signs of affectionless psychopathy
• Their families were also interviewed in order to establish whether thieves had experienced early separation from their mothers
• The sample was compared to a control group of 44 non-criminal but emotionally disturbed people
• Found 14/44 thieves could be established as affectionless psychopaths
• 12/14 had experienced prolonged separation from their mothers in the first 2 years of life

Question 17

AO3 for Bowlby’s theory of maternal deprivation

Answer 17

1. Flawed evidence: Bowlby himself carried out the interviews and assessments from his study, left him open to bias, Bowlby influenced by findings of Goldfarb’s deprivation study which had confounding variables as the children in his study experienced early trauma and institutional care, Bowlby’s evidence for maternal deprivation had flaws and cannot be considered

2. Deprivation and privation: confusion between different types of early experience, Rutter (1981) dre distinction between 2 types of negative experience, deprivation=loss of primary figure after attachment Develops, privation=failure to form attachment in the first place, long-term damage Bowlby associated with deprivation more likely to be privation, many children in 44 thieves study ,ay have never formed strong attachments, overestimated seriousness of deprivation

3. Critical vs sensitive periods: evidence suggests that good quality aftercare can prevent the damage from missing the critical period, Koluchova (1976) Czech twins experienced severe physical and emotional abuse until 7 years old, despite emotional damage by their teens they had recovered fully, lasting harm is not inevitable even in severe cases, critical period better seen as sensitive period