attachment Flashcards
what did lorenz’s findings suggest about attachment
attachment occurs between the mother and its offspring and its essential that it happens quickly to increase survival , it is evolutionary and happens with one parent
what did harlow do
monkeys were raised by two kinds of surrogate monkey mother machines.One mother was made of soft cloth who provided no food and the other was made of wire mesh who provided milk
what did harlow find in study 1
monkeys spent more time with the cloth mother only going to the wire one for food.If a frightening object was placed in the cage they took refuge with the cloth mother(safe base)
what did harlow do and find in his 3rd study
monkeys were taken as babies and raised in isolation for varying months before putting them back with other monkeys
monkeys raised in isolation would clutch their bodies band rock compulsively.They were initially scared of the other monkeys then became agressive and couldnt socialise often taking part in self-mutilation.The monkeys themselves went on to be bad neglectful parents .He concluded going through isolation had lead the monkeys to be socially malajusted
what are the components of Bowlbys theory of attachment
-adaptive
-social releasers
-critical period
-monotropy
-internal working model
-safe base
How is attachment adaptive
Attachment is beneficial for survival.This is because if we have good attachment with our parents they can provide resources we otherwise wouldn’t be able to get like food. So we have developed attachment behaviours for survival
what are social releasers and how are they used in attachment
social releasers like crying, cooing unlock the innate tendency of adults to care for them in order to increase proximity
what is the critical period
babies have to form an attachment with their caregiver during a critical period from birth to 2 and a half years old. Bowlby claimed if this attachment didn’t happen within this time period then it never would and the child would be damaged for life
what is monotropy
Bowlby believed infants form one very special attachment with their mother.They will look for attention and care specifically from the mother.The primary attachment figure is the person most sensitive to their needs
what is the internal working model
your early relationships with your caregivers becomes a schema for your future relationships.Your schema formed from early attachments will lead to your expectations of how to be treated in future relationships
what is the continuity hypothesis
there is a link between early attachments and later emotional behaviour for example if you have a sensitive mother this becomes your future schema for future relationships so you then go onto become a caring sensitive mother
what is secure base
you will form a secure base with your caregivers if they are sensitive and respond to your needs so the child can explore and interact with the world as they have their parents for comfort.This means the baby is independent and resilient in new situations.
what are the strengths of bowlbys theory of attachment
-lorenz research supports bowblys monotropy theory as the attachment process of imprinting was demonstrated to be an innate process with a critical period and the geese attached to a single person.
-Harlows 3rd study can be used to support bowlbys internal working model and continuity hypothesis
-very useful for daycares and hospitals as they know to hire staff responsive and sensitive to social releasers and to increase time with parents during hospital stays
-also lead to useful policies like the fact women are now entitled 9 months paid maternity leave to ensure they have time for their baby to form an attachment which leads to future well adjusted children.
what are the weaknesses of bowlbys theory of attachment
-socially sensitive for mothers who have to return to work as the theory suggests their children may never form an attachment and will become delinquents therefore blaming mothers.
-hard to test evolutionary theories are they are post-hoc so this theory may not actually be credible as his claims on attachment cant be directly tested.
-research suggests children raised differently in other cultures do not suffer from the effects of not being with their parents so this hypothesis cant be applied globally(Fox study in a kibbutz found no negative effects of communal living and having more than one caregiver)
-theory is reductionist as it ignores other possible attachents, it is minimised to the mother?
