Explanantions of attatchment- Attatchment

Question 1

Dollard and Millers (1950): cupboard love theory

Answer 1

• based on principle of learning theory
• infants become attached to caregiver bc they learn that caregiver provides food

Question 2

what is classical conditioning?

Answer 2

• learning due to association

Question 3

classical conditioning: cupboard love

Answer 3

• food: UCS= pleasure and UCR
• mother present every time food is given= mother associated w/ being fed
• mother was neutral stimulus now conditioned stimulus
• w/ the presence of the mother, the infant experiences a conditioned pleasure response

Question 4

what is operant conditioning?

Answer 4

• learning due to patterns of reinforcement

Question 5

Operant conditioning: cupboard love

Answer 5

• pos reinforcement: behaviour more likely bc of pleasurable stimuli
• attachment= parents feed crying baby, baby more likely to cry to get food
• neg reinforcement: behaviour more likely bc of removing unpleasant stimuli
• attachment= parents feeding removes crying bc they’re being fed

Question 6

what is a secondary drive?

Answer 6

• secondary drives are learnt

Question 7

what are primary drives?

Answer 7

• are instinctive
• based on biological needs

Question 8

secondary drives applied to cupboard love:

Answer 8

• we learnt to want attachment
• learn secondary drives will lead to satisfying a primary drive e.g hunger

Question 9

Evaluations of learning theory: strength, has face validity

Answer 9

• theory has face validity
• makes intuitive sense
• babies cry= attention= food

Question 10

Evaluations of learning theory: strength/ limitations, research to support but practical and ethical issues

Answer 10

• behaviourist principles to explain attachment have well controlled research to back it up
• Pavlov and Skinner
• highly controlled research on human babies is impossible bc of ethical and practical reasons

Question 11

Evaluations of learning theories: limitations, environmentally reductionist

Answer 11

• complex interactions between caregiver and infants are bc of:
• simplistic stimulus associations, learnt responses and patterns of reinforcement
• most would say their interactions are more complex than this
• consciously choose to care

Question 12

Evaluations of learning theories: limitations, evidence to reject cupboard love theory

Answer 12

• Harlows monkeys attached to cloth monkey not wire with milk
• wanted contact comfort
• attachments isn’t learnt but instinctual

Question 13

Evaluations of learning theories: limitations, alt theories that don’t depend on learning theory

Answer 13

• Bowlbys monotropic theory
• gives evolutionary explanation
• babies have an instinct to attach and have security

Question 14

what is bowlbys monotropic theory?

Answer 14

• evolutionary explanation
• infants have an innate drive to form attachments especially w mothers
• instinctual and vital for infants survival
• need food and security

Question 15

how are monotropic relationships developed?

Answer 15

• use social releasers to get attention
• mother’s biologically programmed to instinctly find these cute or distressing

Question 16

what is bowlbys theory based off of?

Answer 16

• lorenzs 32 hr critical period in geese
• strong monotropic attachment need to be made in the first 30 mnths or won’t at all
• lack of monotrophy= premanant negative social, intellectual and emotional consequences

Question 17

what does monotropic relationship provide?

Answer 17

• blueprint (schema) for future relationships
• this internal working model= guide to how to conduct future relationships
• e.g if people can be trusted or if the relationship is loving

Question 18

effects of consistency on relationships:

Answer 18

• consistent= stronger attachment
• inconsistent= weaker attachment with long separations

Question 19

what is safe base behaviour?

Answer 19

• infants with food attachment will use their mother as a base to explore
• will show distress if mother disappears and stranger comes

Question 20

Evaluating monotropic relationships: strength/ limitation, inspired by harlow but studies on orphans supports

Answer 20

• supported by lorenzs critical period found in geese also found in humans
• hard to apply animal research to humans
• orphans studies supported that critical period is ‘sensitive’
• suitable care can lead to recovery
• unlike bowlbys claim of permanent change

Question 21

Evaluating monotropic relationships: strength, ideas applied to early childcare

Answer 21

• inspired work of Mary Ainsworth
• developed and applied to early childcare
• immediate physical contact between mums and babies after birth encouraged
• social services actively investigate child neglect cases

Question 22

Evaluating monotropic theory: limitation, alpha bias

Answer 22

• suffers alpha bias
• fathers role is to provide resources and mums monotropic role is crucial
• 1940’s world view
• lacks temporal validity
• changing nature of modern family

Question 23

Evaluating monotropic relationships: limitation, convincing alt theories

Answer 23

• behaviourists= environment not biology creates attachment
• cupboard love theory= attach food with mother
• numerous well controlled experiment support learning theories

Question 24

Evaluating monotropic relationships: limitation, convincing alt theories

Answer 24

• behaviourists= environment not biology creates attachment
• cupboard love theory= attach food with mother
• numerous well controlled experiment support learning theories

Question 25

Evaluations monotropic attachment: limitations, deterministic continuity hypothesis

Answer 25

• continuity hypothesis= infant attachment predicts future adult attachment
• bc of development of internal working model
• deterministic
• people like to think they have control over relationships not that it’s predetermined by infancy