attachment - explanations of attachment Flashcards
who proposed learning theory as an explanation?
Dollard and Miller (1950)
what is the role of classical conditioning in attachment?
baby associates NS of caregiver with UCS of food, which produces UCR of pleasure, so that caregiver produces CR of pleasure
what role does operant conditioning play in attachment?
positive reinforcement - crying leads to response from caregiver
negative reinforcement - caregiver responds to stop the crying
how is operant conditioning in attachment a two-way process?
positive reinforcement - infant
negative reinforcement - caregiver
interplay of mutual reinforcement strengthens attachment
what is the role of drive theory in attachment?
hunger is the primary drive
caregiver provides food, so the primary drive becomes generalised to them
attachment is the secondary drive, learned by association between caregiver and satisfaction of primary drive
strength of learning theory - role of conditioning
unlikely that food plays a central role, but conditioning may still be important
baby may learn to associate feeling of comfort with a particular adult, influencing their choice of PAF
counterpoint - conditioning places baby in passive role, while research into alert phases has found them to be active
limitations of learning theory - counter-evidence
animals
- Lorenz’s geese imprinted on the first moving object, regardless of whether it provided food
- Harlow’s monkeys preferred cloth-covered mother, regardless of whether or not it dispersed milk
humans
- Schaffer and Emerson found that babies form main attachment to mothers regardless of whether she was the one to feed them
- Isabella et al - importance of high levels of interactional synchrony
what is the basis of Bowlby’s explanation?
rejected learning theory explanation and instead proposed an evolutionary explanation
what is monotropy?
Bowlby placed emphasis on the child’s attachment to their one primary attachment figure, which is different and more important than other attachments
what is the law of continuity?
the more constant and predictable a child’s care, the better the quality of attachment
what is the law of accumulated separation?
effects of separation add up, so the best scenario is to have no separation from primary attachment figure
what are social releasers?
innate ‘cute’ behaviours that activate adult social interaction
how did Bowlby acknowledge to reciprocal process of attachment?
interplay between baby and adult attachment systems built the relationship between infant and caregiver
what critical period did Bowlby identify?
child is maximally sensitive around 6 months, which can extend up to 2 years
if an attachment isn’t formed at this time, the child will struggle to form one later
what is the internal working model?
mental representation built off their relationship with PAF, which serves as a model for what relationships are like
loving relationship - form expectation that all relationships are loving and reliable
what impact does the internal working model have?
shapes expectations for later relationships
affects later ability to be a parent, as they base their parenting behaviour on their own experiences
strength of Bowlby’s theory - support for social releasers
Brazelton et al (1975) observed babies trigger interaction through social releasers. Adults were then asked to ignore social releasers, causing the babies to become distressed
strength of Bowlby’s theory - support for internal working model
Bailey et al (2007) found mothers with poor attachment to their PAF were more likely to have poorly attached babies
counterpoint - other more important influences. e.g genetic differences in anxiety and sociability affect social behaviour
limitation of Bowlby’s theory - validity of monotropy challenged
Schaffer and Emerson found some children formed multiple attachments at the same time as their PAF
first attachment may have influence on later ones just because it is stronger, not because it’s different
