Explanations of attachment Flashcards
What does learning theory suggest Attachment is built on?
Food - the baby through classical or operant conditioning forms attachments to those who feed them
How does classical conditioning suggest attachment is formed?
Food= the unconditioned stimulation which elicits the Unconditioned response of satisfaction
The mother is the neutral stimulus however becomes associated with food and as such becomes the conditioned stimulus eliciting a conditioned response of joy from the baby
Thus attachment is formed
How does operant conditioning explain attachment?
The baby feels hungry so cries due to discomfort and so they will be fed by the caregiver: this elicits positive reinforcement for the baby to cry again and negative reinforcement (avoidance behaviour) for feeding the baby
this behaviour is repeated and builds a relationship
How do primary and secondary drives tie in to operant conditioning?
Hunger is the primary drive and so food is the primary reinforcer. The carer who provides the food is the secondary reinforcer and so attachment Is the secondary drive as the infant seeks the person to supply the reward
what are the evaluation points of Learning theory’s explanation for attachment?
- Harlow’s monkey study refutes the idea that attachment is based on food as the Monkeys spent more time with the towel monkey irrespective of food
- Lorenz found that through imprinting there is an innate aspect to attachment which contradicts the idea that attachment is learned
What perspective does Bolwby’s monotropic theory of attachment take?
An evolutionary perspective
What are the aspects of Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment?
Adaptive/ snap releasers / critical period / Monotropy / internal working model
How does Bowlby suggest attachment is adaptive?
It gives humans an advantage making them more likely to survive. If a baby can form an attachment they are more likely to be kept safe by the caregiver
What are social releasers?
Physical (big eyes / cute face) or behavioural (crying cooing) characteristics that unlock an innate tendency in adults to care for them
What is the critical period?
Attachments had to form between 3-6 months or else they could have serious social / emotional / intellectual and / physical issues
He later altered and said it would simply be harder to form attachments outside the period
What is monotropy?
The idea that you form 1 very special attachment, usually with the mother
if the mother is not present the baby can bond with a substitute adult
What are internal working models?
The monotropic attachment forms a template for all future relationships
What are evaluation points for Bowlby’s Monotropic theory of attachment?
- Lorenze in his goose egg study also found that there was a critical period
- Schaffer and Emmerson’s stages of attachment suggests that Monotropy is false and that multiple equal attachments can be made
