Explanations of Attachment Flashcards
explanations of attachment: learning theory
Dollard and Miller: Classical conditioning- a caregiver starts as a neutral stimulus. however when the caregiver provides food over time they become associated with food. the neutral stimulus has become a conditioned stimulus. once conditioning has taken place the sight of the caregiver produces a conditioned response of pleasure. this conditioned pleasure response is love and an attachment is formed.
learning theory
operant conditioning: if a behaviour is likely to produce a pleasant response it is likely to be repeated (reinforced) if it produces unpleasant consequences it is less likely to be repeated. this is why babies cry for comfort- crying leads to a response from the caregiver, like feeding. as long as the caregiver provides the right response, crying is reinforced (positive reinforcement). this reinforcement is a two way process. at the same time as the baby is reinforced for crying, the caregiver recieves negative reinforcement because crying stops- ecaping something unpleasant is reinforcing . this strengthens attachment.
attachment as a secondary drive
the learning theory draws on the concept of drive reduction. hunger can be thought of as a primary drive- its an innate, biological motivator. we are motivated to eat in order to reduce the hunger drive. Sears et al. suggested that as caregivers provide food the primary drive of hunger becomes generalised to them. attachment is a second drive learned by an associatiom between the caregiver and the satisfaction of a primary drive
Bowlbys montropic theory of attachment: Monotropy
bowlby placed great emphasis on a childs attachment to one particular caregiver. he believed this attachment to be different and more important than others.. bowlby believed that the more time a baby spent with this mother-figure the better and he put foward 2 principles
the two principles of bowlby
the law of continuity- stated that the more constant and predictable a childs care, the better the quality of their attachment.
the law of accumalated separation- stated that the effects of every separation from the mother add up ‘and the safest dose is therefore a zero dose’
social releasers
babies are born with a set of innate cute behaviours like smiliing, cooing and gripping that encourage attention from adults (social releasers)- to make adult attached to the baby. both the mother and baby are hard wired to becoming attached.
critical period
the interplay between baby and adult attachment systems gradually builds the relationship between baby and the caregiver, beginning in the early weeks of life. bowlby suggested that there was a critical period around 6 months where the infant attachment system is active. bowlby in fact viewed this as a sensitive period. this extends to the age of 2. if an attachment is not formed in this time, a child will find it much harder to form one later
internal working model
a child forms a mental representation of their relationship with their primary caregiver (internal working model). a child who was raised with a loving reliable primary caregiver then they will go on to make loving reliable relationships with other people. however a child who recieved poor treatment with likely form poor relationships with others. the internal working model affects how these children are going to be parents themselves.
