Bowlby's Theory Of Attachment

Question 1

What are the 5 components of the theory?

Answer 1

-Adaptive
-Social releasers
-Critical period
-Monotropy
-Internal working model

Question 2

What does adaptive mean?

Answer 2

Attachment is useful for survival and is an adaptive advantage, useful for food, comfort ect…

Question 3

What does social releasers mean?

Answer 3

-Babies unlock innate tendency of adults to care for them and increase proximity.
-Have physical-typical baby features.
-Have behavioural-crying.

Question 4

What does critical period mean?

Answer 4

-Have to form an attachment in critical period.
-From birth to 2.5 years old.
-If doesn’t happen child is ‘damaged’ socially, emotionally, intellectually and physically.

Question 5

What is monotropy?

Answer 5

-Infants form one special attachment to mother.

Question 6

What is the internal working model?

Answer 6

-Formed from monotropic attachment.
-Special schema for relationships.

Question 7

What is the continuity hypothesis?

Answer 7

There is a link between early attachments and later emotional behaviour.

Question 8

What is a secure base?

Answer 8

Using a parent as a source of comfort when in a new situation

Question 9

How does Lorenz support the theory?

Answer 9

-Found geese imprint on one person (researcher or mother).
-Found critical period of 32 hours.
-Supports monotropy as form only 1 bond.
-Support critical period as need to form bond in 32 hours.

Question 10

How does Harlow support the theory?

Answer 10

-found monkeys went to the cloth mother for comfort and only to the mesh mother for food.
-shows adaptive and secure base.

Question 11

How does Hazan and Shaver(1987) support the theory?

Answer 11

-saw romantic love and childhood relationships were similar using a questionnaire.
-shows interval working model.

Question 12

How does Fox (1977) conflict the theory?

Answer 12

Shows children raised in a kibbutz formed more than one attachment so conflicts monotony.

Question 13

How does Shaffer and Emerson (1964) conflict the theory?

Answer 13

-found babies formed attachment with mother and father so conflicts monotropy.

Question 14

How is Bowlby’s theory useful?

Answer 14

In a daycare setting key workers are used as a substitute attachment.

Question 15

What is a problem with animal research?

Answer 15

Not able to be applied to hijab behaviour as different biology.

Question 16

Why is Bowlby’s theory socially sensitive?

Answer 16

-blames mothers for any problems a child may have later.
-other family members are also seen as not important.

Question 17

Why is Bowlby’s theory socially sensitive?

Answer 17

-blames mothers for any problems a child may have later.
-other family members are also seen as not important.

Question 18

Why is the theory not empirical?

Answer 18

-cannot be tested as is an evolutionary theory so measures post-hoc

Question 19

Why so the theory reductionist?

Answer 19

-doesn’t include other families (same sex, single fathers) as only looks at standard family (need a mother).

Question 20

How is the theory holistic?

Answer 20

Looks at nature (social releases) and nurture (interval working model/schemas) so not complete explanation.