Explanations of attachment

Question 1

What is the learning theory?

Answer 1

Suggests that all behaviour is learned rather than innate biological behaviour, children born as blank slates

Question 2

Who proposed the learning theory of attachment?

Answer 2

Dollard and Miller (1950)

Question 3

What is the secondary drive hypothesis?

Answer 3

The process of learning an attachment through operant and classical conditioning

Question 4

How can attachment occur through classical conditioning?

Answer 4

Food (UCS) produces pleasure (UCR)
Infant associates food (UCS) and mother (NS) together
Mother becomes CS and happiness is CR

Question 5

How can attachment occur through operant conditioning?

Answer 5

Presence of the caregiver is reinforcing for the infant and they are rewarded by being fed
Infant’s behaviour is reinforcing for caregiver through smiles etc
Therefore, it is reciprocal

Question 6

Other research (contrast)?

Answer 6

Schaffer and Emerson found that less than half of infants had primary attachment to feeder
Harlow- contact comfort more important than food
Lorenz- suggests attachment is innate and not learned

Question 7

Useful?

Answer 7

Explains that infants learn through association and reinforcement

Question 8

What is Bowlby’s monotropic theory?

Answer 8

Suggests attachment is important for a child’s survival
Attachment behaviours in babies and caregivers have evolved through natural selection
This means that infants have innate behaviours that ensure they form an attachment

Question 9

What is the critical period?

Answer 9

Should develop attachment between 0-2.5 years
If not happened during this time period, it may not happen at all

Question 10

What is monotropy?

Answer 10

Child has innate need to attach to one main attachment figure
Other attachments may develop in a hierarchy below this

Question 11

What is the internal working model?

Answer 11

Cognitive framework comprising mental representations for understanding the world, self and others

Question 12

Support?

Answer 12

Lorenz- imprinting in critical period and only attach to one caregiver- monotropy

Question 13

IWM support?

Answer 13

Ainsworth- secure child will develop positive IWM of itself because of care received from primary caregiver
Insecure avoidant child will have negative IWM in which it sees itself as unworthy because primary attachment figure has reacted negatively to it in sensitive period

Question 14

Implications?

Answer 14

Harmful implications- suggests mothers should work less as it is there responsibility to look after the child