explanations of attachment

Question 1

what assumptions are made in the learning theory?

Answer 1

that attachments are learnt through environment

Question 2

what is learning theory?

Answer 2

that attachments are through association and reinforcement

Nurture over Nature

Question 3

give an example of learning theory by association

Answer 3

ucs-food = pleasure
ns-primary caregiver= not response
ns+ucs=pleasure
cs= primary caregiver
cr= pleasure

Question 4

give an example of learning theory by reinforcement

Answer 4

food=primary reinforcer
caregiver is secondary reinforcer as provides primary reinforcer

this means the child will proximity seek the secondary reinforcer

other people feeding the child will cause multiple attachments this is called STIMULUS GENERALISATION

Question 5

what is the strength of learning theory

Answer 5

+it makes evolutionary sense to attach ourselves to survive and it is an example of face validity

Question 6

what are the 3 weaknesses of learning theory

Answer 6

• research: Harlow’s study contradicts the idea that food forms attachments as he found that the Rhesus Monkey babies when scared preferred a cloth mother to a feeding mother
• research: Schaffer and Emerson study showed that 39% of infants studied formed attachments with someone who didn’t feed them

-other theories: Bowlby’s monotropic theory could be more comprehensive and explains further how we evolved to form attachments
Nature over Nurture

Question 7

what assumptions are made in Bowlby’s monotropic theory?

Answer 7

that attachment behaviours are evolutionary advantages and are encoded into our genes
Nature over Nurture

Question 8

what is the first principle in bowlby’s monotropic theory

Answer 8

attachment is monotropic:

the idea that there is only 1 person as a primary caregiver

Question 9

what is the second principle in bowlby’s monotropic theory

Answer 9

monotropic attachment is innate and adaptive:
babies are born with instincts and parents have similar (social releasers)
so increases survivalhood

Question 10

what is the third principle in bowlby’s monotropic theory

Answer 10

Infants use social releasers to elicit caregiving:
characteristics– cuteness
behavioural– crying and smiling

this encourages a response from primary caregiver

Question 11

what is the fourth principle in bowlby’s monotropic theory

Answer 11

attachment has a critical/sensitive period:
during first 3 years infants will most easily and quickly form a primary attachment figure

suggesting after this period they can’t or it is harder to attach

Question 12

what is the fifth principle in bowlby’s monotropic theory

Answer 12

forms an internal working model:
a template for future relationships based on first monotropic attachment

a ‘safe base’ to return to mentally and physically

Question 13

2 strengths for bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment

Answer 13

+supporting evidence:
.Harlow’s study and monkey= innate
.Lorenz’s study and geese ‘sensitive period’ 12-17hrs

+Practical applications improvement in childcare services allowing children to bond with keyworkers (1 key worker on at a time) to maintain attachments

Question 14

2 weaknesses for bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment

Answer 14

• lacks validity as research on animals not humans so cannot be generalised to human race as behaviours and characteristics may be different due to evolution
• Kagen argues that continuity of early attachments and later relationships may be due to personality differences or nature of the relationship