ATTACHMENT Flashcards
Learning theory- classical conditioning
Food (UCS) naturally produces a sense of pleasure (UCR) in a baby. The person who feeds the infant, although initially, a neutral stimulus eventually becomes associated with the food. The “feeder” eventually produces the pleasure associated with the food; pleasure now becomes a conditioned response (CR) and the feeder the conditioned stimulus. This association between an individual and a sense of pleasure is the attachment bond.
Learning theory- classical conditioning counter study
Harlow- 8 monkeys were separated from their mothers immediately after birth and placed in cages with two surrogate mothers, one made of wire and one covered in soft terry toweling cloth. Four of the monkeys could get milk from the wire mother and four from the cloth mother. The animals were studied for 165 days. Both groups of monkeys spent more time with the cloth mother (even if she had no milk). The infant would only go to the wire mother when hungry. Suggests comfort > food.
Harlow ethics
The monkeys were caused emotional harm from being in isolation and many sat in a corner in a state of fear. It created a state of anxiety in female monkeys which had implications once they became parent however sometimes justified as providing a valuable insight into the development of attachment and social behavior as at the time it was believed that attachment was related to physical rather than emotional care.
Learning theory- operant conditioning types of enforcement
Positive reinforcement-when the consequences of your actions are pleasant, so you repeat the behavior to again get the positive consequences
Negative reinforcement- when you repeat a behaviour not because you are receiving a reward or something pleasant but are removing something unpleasant.
Learning theory- operant conditioning types of enforcers
Primary reinforcer-this is something which is automatically or directly reinforcing e.g. praise.
Secondary reinforcer-this is something that is indirectly reinforcing so through classical conditioning has become associated with a primary reinforcer e.g. the mother giving a child food.
explanation of how operant conditioning can explain attachment
Operant conditioning is learning through reinforcement of behavior.
Crying is an automatic response to hunger. If an infant is fed each time she cries, she learns that crying results in food, and so repeats this behaviour - this is positive reinforcement. The primary reinforcer in this process is the food. The secondary reinforcer is the caregiver. The infant learns that crying will maintain the caregiver’s attention and food supply, so attachment behaviours such as separation distress are formed.
Ainsworth- type A attachment
Insecure-avoidant attachment- 22% of sample. Distress isn’t affected by caregiver’s presence or absence in the room and Generally, they don’t seek closeness with her. They avoid closeness to or interaction with caregiver. Typically, they ignore her or only casually greet her. Usually they show no stranger anxiety and play is little affected.
Ainsworth- type B attachment
Secure attachment- 66% of sample- They don’t stay very close to caregiver before she leaves but they do try to maintain contact. And are obviously distressed during her absence. When caregiver returns they go to her immediately, seeking contact and are quickly calmed down when comforted. They usually react happily to strangers in the caregiver’s presence, but are distressed by them when she’s absent.
Ainsworth- type C attachment
Insecure-resistant attachment- 12% of sample They are generally either angrier or more passive than types A or B when care giver leaves.Have difficulty using caregiver as a secure base for exploration. When caregiver returns they will simultaneously seek but also resist contact and may show anger and show considerable anxiety if left alone with a stranger.
evolutionary theory- Bowlby
Believes that we are born a blank slate and learn to attach, evolutionary theory believes infants are born with an innate (inherited) tendency to form an attachment as it massively increases their chance of survival. The theory consists of 5 key elements.
Evolutionary theory B.mices
Secure base- Attachment provides a base for infants to explore their surroundings, a securely attached child is more likely to wander than an insecurely attached one
Evolutionary theory b.Mices
Monotropy- Bowlby states that a baby will form one special attachment figure and that that will be the mother or a female substitute.
Evolutionary theory b.mIces
Innate and reciprocal- Innate programming is the biological pre-programming of an infant and a parent to attach to one another-caregiver is internally programmed to respond to infants needs.
Evolutionary theory b.miCes
Critical period- If a child does not attach within 3 years then Bowlby suggested that it would not be possible at all.
Evolutionary theory b.micEs
Emotional relationship- Attachment with CG serves as an internal working model that is the basis of all later rules and expectations in relationships.
Evolutionary theory b.miceS
Safety- Attachment results in a desire to retain proximity and therefore safety between cg and child and therefore will cause distress if separated.
Strange situation
Lab. participants were American infants aged between 12 and 18 months, their caregiver (usually their mother) and a stranger. The procedure lasted for just over 20 minutes and the behaviour of the infants was closely observed to assess the infant’s levels of exploring, playing and distress behaviours at separation and reunion with the caregiver and when left with the stranger.
Strange situation procedure
- Researcher brings infant and caregiver into room then
leaves. - 30 secs. All following stages are 3 mins: - Caregiver sits, infant free to explore the room
- Stranger comes into room, after a while talks to the caregiver and then to the infant. Then Caregiver leaves.
- Stranger keeps trying to talk to and play with the infant.
- Stranger leaves as caregiver returns.
- Infant is alone in room.
- Stranger returns and tries to interact with the infant.
- Caregiver returns and interacts with the infant, stranger leaves.
strange situation findings
Secure attachment is likely to be the most common and preferred type of attachment in North America; Ainsworth and Bell argued that it linked to later healthy emotional and social development. They also said that there was an association between the attachment figures behavior and the infant’s attachment.
strange situation study limitations
It might be that the infant had an insecure attachment to that caregiver, but a secure attachment to the other care giver who was not at the study so It would therefore be inappropriate to define the infant as having insecure attachment. conducted on middle class families from the united states, difficult to generalize other populations as There may be other attachment types encouraged by other cultures- population validity.
strange situation theory limitations
There may be other types of attachments, for example Main and Solomon found evidence for a 4th type – disorganized attachment. Pressure put on parents to be responsive to infants, this may influence decisions about working. Also makes people feel like bad parents and blames caregiver when other factors may be blamed.
