4.1.3 - Explanations Of Attachment

Question 1

What are the 2 explanations of attachment

Answer 1

• Bowlby monotropic theory
• the learning theory of attachment

Question 2

What is the assumption of the learning theory of attachment

Answer 2

• All behaviour is learnt rather than innate and children are born as “blank slates” with no prior attachments

-Both operant and classical conditioning are significant when forming an attachment between the mother and infant

Question 3

How is classical conditioning used to form attachments

Answer 3

apply classical conditioning to the concept of the mother providing food to the baby
1) food (UCS) —> baby happy (UCR)
2) mother ( NS) + food(UCS) —> happy baby (UCR)
3) mother (CS) —> happy baby ( CR)

Question 4

How is operant conditioning used to explain attachment

Answer 4

The act of learning through positive reinforcement and negative reinforcement ( baby cries —> mother comforts )
+VE:
- the infant gains pleasure from being in the presence of the mother as they are being fed , the smiles and attention that the mother receives brings her leisure too.
- two way reward is occurring when the mother sand baby are together hence this behaviour is strengthened forming an attachment

-VE:
- when the baby wants to remove the unpleasant stimulus of feeing alone or hungry it cries to gain the mothers attention.
- when the bay cries, the mother is experiencing an unpleasant stimulus and to remove it comforts the baby
- therefore by the baby crying and mother knowing how to respond an attachment is created.

Question 5

Learning theory A03: Schaffer and Emerson

Answer 5

Limitation
- found that less than 50% of infants had a primary attachment to the person that usually fed them
- deceases the external validity of the theory as it lacks real life application

Question 6

Learning theory A03: animal studies

Answer 6

Limitation
- Lorenz found goslings imprinted to him without the use of food, suggesting attachment is innate and not learned
- Harlow suggested that monkeys became attached to the soft mother despite not being fed by it
- decreases the validity and reliability of the theory

Question 7

Learning theory A03: ignores other factors

Answer 7

Limitation
- research suggests that the quality of attachment is associates with other factors such as reciprocity and Interactional synchrony
- in addition research also suggests that sensitive responding to the infant has been the way to create the best quality of attachment
- if ‘cupboard love’ was the explanation of how attachments were formed these other factors would be unnecessary, which they are not

Question 8

What is the assumption of Bowlbys monotropic theory

Answer 8

• believed attachments to be important for a child’s survival and therefore are innate
• emphasis on a child’s first attachment to one caregiver
• the first attachment is better and more important than any other future attachments
• the more time spent with primary caregiver, the
  better.
  He proposed two principles to support his ideas:
  1) law of community
  2) law of accumulated separation

Question 9

What is bowlbys law of community

Answer 9

The more constant and predictable a child’s care is, the better their quality of attachment will be
- sensitive responding is vital

Question 10

What is Bowlbys law of accumulated separation

Answer 10

• the effects of every separation add up and have negative effects on th infant
• hence claimed that no separation is the safest way to bring up a child

Question 11

How are social releases significant

Answer 11

Social releases are the innate ‘cute’ behaviours that babies are equipped with
- they activate the adults attachment system and therefore lead them to pay attention to the baby
- attachment is a reciprocal process and therefore by activating the adults attachment system babies are able to maintain proximity with them

Question 12

How is the critical system significant

Answer 12

Bowlby proposed the critical period which states that an infants attachment system is most active from 0-2.5yrs so an attachment must be formed in this time
- if an attachment is not formed in this time, there are negative side effects:
> intellectual damage
> emotional damage

Question 13

What did Bowlby state about an internal working model

Answer 13

• the framework of the first attachment forms model for what future relationships will be like
• it has a powerful effect of the child’s future relationships with children of their own

Question 14

Bowlby A03: IWM evidence support

Answer 14

Bailey et al supports iwm
- investigates 99 mothers, and investigates their relationships with their mothers and their children
- he found that if mothers had poor attachments with their mothers, their attachments with their children were also poor
- supports that first attachment provides the framework for future attachments

Question 15

Bowlby A03: Schaffer and Emerson

Answer 15

Limitation
- opposes the the idea that multiple attachments are formed at a young age and are all of similar nature
- first attachment wasn’t always to the primary caregiver
- all attachments can shape the behaviour of the infants in their later life

Question 16

Bowlby A03: socially sensitive

Answer 16

Limitation
- has implications on the lifestyle of mothers as he stated that working mothers may negatively effect their children
- passes the blame of bad attachments to the mother and gives reason to restrict what mothers can do
- directs opposed to his initial plan to raise awareness of the importance and status of the mothers role