bowlby

Question 1

what is bowlbys acronymn

Answer 1

ASCMI

Question 2

what is the a in ASCMI and what does it mean

Answer 2

adaptive
attachments are adaptive this gives our species an adaptive advantage
if an infant has attachment to caregiver they are kept safe given food etc

Question 3

what is the s in ASCMI and what does it mean

Answer 3

social releasers
babies have social releasers which unlock the inate tendency of adults to care for them and increase proximity
these are physical baby face and behavioural crying cooing

Question 4

what is the c in ASCMI and what does it mean

Answer 4

critical period
babies have to form the attachment with their caregiver during a critical period with is birth and 2.5 years
bowlby said if this doesnt happen they will be damaged for life

Question 5

what is the m in ASCMI and what does it mean

Answer 5

monotropy
babies form one very special attachment with their mother
if a mother isnt available the infant could bond with a mother substitute

Question 6

what is the i in ASCMI and what does it mean

Answer 6

internal working model
this is a special mental schema for relationships
if your mother is sensitive you expect your partner to be too

Question 7

what is continuity hypothesis in bowlbys theory

Answer 7

there is a link between early attachment and later emotional behaviour

Question 8

supporting evidence for bowlby

Answer 8

• harlow found monkeys preferred comfort over food -> supports attachments have adaptive advantage OTOH animals
• lorenz found geese imprinted during critical period -> supports theres a critical period OTOH geese
• reed and leiderman supports monotropy as they found imprinting

Question 9

conflicting evidence for bowlby

Answer 9

fox found those raised communally had strong attachment to both parents conflicts monotropic

Question 10

testability of bowlby

Answer 10

post hoc can’t empirically test evolutionary theory because it happened in past

Question 11

usefulness of bowlby

Answer 11

useful daycares have key worker each child is given specific person to form substitute bond

Question 12

reductionist of bowlby

Answer 12

reductionist as it ignores families that are not normal e.g same sex couples single dads

Question 13

how can bowlby be socially sensitive

Answer 13

makes mother feel as though they need to stay with child
blames mother for anything going wrong
dismisses role of father