attachment 6 - monotropic theory (bowlby)

Question 1

what did bowlby think about learning theory?

Answer 1

he rejected it, he argued that babies do not just accept anyone who gives them food

Question 2

bowlby used the work of lorenz and harlow to come up with what explanation for attachment?

Answer 2

the evolutionary explanation, attachment is an innate system used for survival

Question 3

what did bowlby propose about imprinting and attachment’s origin and purpose?

Answer 3

he proposed that imprinting and attachment evolved to ensure young animals stay close to their caregivers. millions of years ago this might be to ensure protection from wild animals, nowadays it is things like traffic and electricity

Question 4

why is bowlby’s theory monotropic?

Answer 4

it puts emphasis on the primary attachment

Question 5

describe bowlby’s law on continuity

Answer 5

the more time a child spends with their primary attachment figure, the better the quality of attachment is

Question 6

describe bowlby’s law of accumulated separation and what advice a mother should have because of it

Answer 6

the effects of separation add up, therefore it is best that an infant rarely leaves it’s mother

Question 7

what are bowlby’s social releasers?

Answer 7

innate cute behaviours like smiling and gripping to encourage adults’ attention

Question 8

what are the purpose of bowlby’s social releasers?

Answer 8

to activate the adult attachment system

Question 9

what did bowlby say that both mother and baby have?

Answer 9

a predisposition to become attached

Question 10

how long did bowlby say that a baby’s critical period is?

Answer 10

2 years

Question 11

what did bowlby later refer to a critical period as?

Answer 11

sensitive period

Question 12

what happens if a child does not form an attachment in the 2 years of critical period?

Answer 12

they will find it harder much later on

Question 13

what is an internal working model?

Answer 13

a child’s mental representation of their primary care giver in their mind

Question 14

what does the internal working model form?

Answer 14

ideas about future relationships and a basis of how they will parent their own children in the future

Question 15

how do schaffer and emerson disprove bowlby’s monotropic theory?

Answer 15

they believed that although a secure attachment with the primary caregiver is important, babies can also make multiple attachments at the same time. therefore there is mixed evidence

Question 16

how does brazleton et al’s experiment on social releasers prove bowlby’s theory?

Answer 16

there is clear evidence to show cute infant behaviours are intended to initiate social interaction. brazleton et al did an experiment where primary attachment figures were told to ignore the babies’ signals (social releasers). the babies showed distress but when the attachment figures continued to ignore the bab, some responded by curling up and lying motionless. this shows that interacting with the social releasers serves a purpose

Question 17

how does bailey et al support bowlby’s theory (specifically internal working models)? (3 generations)

Answer 17

bailey et al tested to see if internal working models passed from generation to generation. they assessed 99 mothers and their one year olds, and assessed the mother with their own mother (3 generations). the mothers who reported poor attachment with their own mother were more likely to have a poor attachment with their one year old