Explanations of attachement

Question 1

How does learning theory work

Answer 1

infants learn to attach to whoever feeds them via
classical - associations stimulus and response
operant conditioning - rewards reinforements and punishements

Question 2

What does learning theory emphasise?

Answer 2

the importance of food in the formation of attachement, and is known as the ‘cupboard love’ ❤️ theory as it suggests infants learn to attach to whoever feeds them

Question 3

explain process of classical conditioning

Answer 3

feeder > no response
(NS) (UCS)

milk 🍼 + feeder > pleasure
(UCS) (NS) (UCR)

feeder > associate > pleasure

attachement to the feeder infant seeks closeness to the feeder

Question 4

explain operant conditioning linked to attachement

Answer 4

used to explain why babies cry for comfort an inportant behaviour in builidng attachement

caregiver feeds the infant crying stops 😢❌ negative stimulus removed
feeding behaviour is reinforced

mutual reinforcement strengthens an attachement

Question 5

How can learning theory be criticised?

Answer 5

P - environmental reductionism
E - reduces complex human behaviour into basic units : stimulus, response and associations
E- neglects holistic apprch takes acount persons culture and social background would influence their attachement

collectivist cultures work more together so form multiple attachements

L - reduces internal validity as doesn’t allow us to understand behaviour in context

Question 6

1) How can learning theory be contradicted?

Answer 6

P - conducted by Harlow
E - monkeys 🐵 spent more time w surrogate mother who provided comfort than food
E - same must be true for humans learning theorists suggest humans and non humans are equivelant
L - limiting learning theory

D - research on animals can’t generalise findings to humans

Question 7

2) How can learning theory be contradicted?

Answer 7

P - Schaffer & Emerson
E - babies form attachements w mother regardless of who fed them more due to responding to signals
E - Field best quality attachements are w caregivers that r responsive and sensitive to infants needs
L - feeding not important factor as learning theory suggests

Question 8

What is the adaptive stage in Bowlby’s monotropic theory?

Answer 8

attachement is innate system
inherited to improve survival thereofre adaptive
infants are ‘programmed’ to attach to parents who are also ‘programmed’ to attach

Question 9

What is the social releasers stage?

Answer 9

infants born with social releasers eg smiling, crying and looking ‘cute’

triggers response in caregiver ensures interaction takes place to form an attachement

Question 10

What is critical period stage?

Answer 10

critical period for attachement in infant takes place is a biological period

if attachement does not take place in first 2.5 yrs of life then may not take place at all

Question 11

What is monotropy stage?

Answer 11

‘monotropic’ as great emphasis to one caregiver

this is themost important attachement in child’s development Bowlby called this person mother doesn’t need to be biological

law of continuity = quality of childs attachement better if reciever consistent and predictable care

Question 12

What is the internal working model?

Answer 12

‘mental represenration’ child forms of their rs w their primary caregiver

serves as a model for what a rs is like
child uses their attachement rs w caregiver to build an expectation of what future rs will be like

POWERFUL impact on childs future rs
(peers, romantic, own children) mirror childhood attachements

passed on one gen to another

Question 13

What is the RTS for Bowlby’s monotropic theory?

Answer 13

P - Lorenz
E - studied imprinting on goslings found critical period 12-17 in which imprinting had to take place otherwise it wud not later
E - supports Bowlby’s concept of critical period that infants must attach in first 2.5 years of life or it will be difficult to form attachements later
L - strenthegns Bowlby’s research

D- limited as conducted on geese therefore humans are more emotionally complex

Question 14

Give a second RTS for Bowlby’s monotropic theory

Answer 14

P - conducted by Hazan and Shaver created ‘love quiz’ ❤️
E - securely attached children had happy long lasting rs in later life whereas insecurely attached children found it hard to form rs many were divorced
L - supports IWM as a feature of B’s monotropic theory as first rs acts as a template for future rs

D - limited as ppts can lie on questionnaire to present themselves in best possible light reducing internal validity

Question 15

What is research to contradict Bowlby’s monotropic theory?

Answer 15

P - Schaffer & Emerson
E - found evidence to support view that children have multiple attachements
E - multiple attachements help children develop socially,emotionally and cognitively
L - contradicts the monotropic theory by Bowlby and idea infants have one attachement limiting monotropic theory

D - before making multiple attachemeny they found that 65% of first attachements was w their mother

Question 16

What is the alternative explanantion of Bowlby’s monotropic theory?

Answer 16

P - learning theory
E - proposes that we learn to attach to a feeder via stimulus, response and associations rather than attachement being innate as it gives us survival advantage due to triggering a caring instict in adults
L - not the only explanantion of how and why infants attach