Attatchment Flashcards
Animal studies of attatchment
Ethology
The scientific study of animal behaviour
Animal studies of attatchment
Innate
Characteristics that are inborn, a product of genetic factors. These traits can appear at birth or later in life
Animal studies of attatchment
Imprinting
An innate readiness to develop a strong bond with a mother figure. Takes place during critical or sensitive period
Animal studies of attatchment
Harlow’s study’s aim
He investigated contact comfort and whether attatchment is learned or innate
Animal studies of attatchment
Harlow’s study’s procedure
- Harlow raised 16 baby monkeys with 2 substitute mothers
- Mother one: made of wire with food
- Mother two: made of cloth with comfort
- Monkeys were frightened with loud noises to test for mother preference during stress
Animal studies of attatchment
Harlow’s study’s findings
Monkeys do not attatch to the mother who feeds it but instead to the mother who provides comfort. Contact comfort is associated with lower levels of stress and a willingness to explore
Animal studies of attatchment
Harlow’s study’s conclusion
Attatchment concerns emotional security. Food is not enough to form an attatchment
Animal studies of attatchment
What is a strength of Harlow’s study
Real world application:
Attatchment develops as a result of contact comfort
Material deprivation has long lasting, damaging effects e.g. aggression, less sociable
Also useful for zoo’s who take care of animals in captivity
Animal studies of attatchment
What is one limitation for Harlow’s study
Unethical:
Extreme harm caused to monkeys. They are similar to humans so highly likely their suffering and experiences were human-like.
Attatchment
A close two-way emotional bond between an infant and their caregiver that endures over time.
The strange situation
5 signs of an attatchment being formed
Separation anxiety, stranger anxiety, proximity seeking, secure base, reunion behaviour
Identify two examples of caregiver-infant interactions which are crucial for an attachment to be formed
Reciprocity and interactional synchrony
Ainsworth
The strange situation
A controlled observation of 12-18 month old infants developed to investigate the degrees of seperation anxiety, their attatchment ‘type’ can be assessed. 100 middle class white american children + mothers
Ainsworth
What 5 behaviours examined indicated an attatchment
- Seperation anxiety
- Proximity seeking
- Secure base
- Stranger anxiety
- Reunion behaviour
Bowlby’s monotropic theory
Monotropy
Define and state how it helps them survive
- The idea that the one and only relashionship an infant and their PAF is of special significance in healthy development
- Infants are taken care of by their PAF
Bowlby’s monotropic theory
Social releasers
Define and state how it helps them survive
- Babies are born with a set of ‘cute’, innate behaviours like smiling and cooing. Intended to get attention by adults
- Both mother and baby are predisposed to attatchment in order to ensure survival
Bowlby’s monotropic theory
Critical and sensitive period
Define and state how it helps them survive
- Up to 2 years. A biologically determined period of time for attatchment to occur. After this, development isn’t possible without huge effort
- Emphasises importance of early attachment for survival
Bowlby’s monotropic theory
Internal working model
Define and state how it helps them survive
- Importance of the one special relashionship is that it helps to develop the template for future relashionships
- Shows improtance of early attatchement quality on later relashionships and survival of the species
Bowlby’s monotropic theory
Safe base
Define and state how it helps them survive
- When infants have a place to explore from and then go to when they experience trouble and to get reassurance
- Helps attatchment as the mother/PAF can offer protection from threats
Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis
What is his hypothesis?
Continuous care from a mother is essential for normal psychological development. Prolonged seperation from the mother causes damage to emotional and intellectual development.
Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis
Seperation
Child not in prescence of it’s PAF
Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis
Deprivation
Long term seperation or removal of attachment.
Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis
Critical period
First 2 years of a child’s life. If deprived of care during this time, psychological damage was inevitable and may be irreversible.
