explanations of attachment

Question 1

who came up with learning theory?

Answer 1

Dollard and Millar 1950 suggested caregiver infant attachment can be explained by learning theory

Question 2

what was Dollard and Millers approach known as and why?

Answer 2

‘cupboard love theory’ as it emphasised the importance of attachment figure as provider of food —> children attach to caregiver as they’re the provider of food

Question 3

what does learning theory not include

Answer 3

doesn’t include innate traits as factors of behaviour —> suggests children born ‘blank slates’ and experience is key to learning —> learning via experience or consequences

Question 4

how can classical conditioning relate to this topic?

Answer 4

learning via association of stimuli
UCS (food) —> UCR (happiness)
NS (mother/caregiver) —> NR
UCS + NA —> UCR
CS (food) —> CR (happiness)

as caregiver provides food they become associated with food —> baby expects food when see caregiver so emits their usual response

Question 5

operant conditioning in attachment what is positive and negative reinforcement and punishment?

Answer 5

• positive = requesting a behaviour e.g. praise, treat
• negative= avoidance or removal of unpleasant stimulus to strengthen the behaviour
• both reinforcements increase likelihood behaviour will be repeated
  punishment= consequences to prevent behaviour from being repeated

Question 6

operant conditioning with baby and caregiver in attachment

Answer 6

baby cries due to hunger = they are fed= crying is reinforced —> primary drive for baby is to remove hunger (innate and biological motivator motivated to eat to reduce hunger) so attachment = secondary drive (by-product to resolve hunger issue) —> negative reinforcement for crying receiver who feeds baby to escape crying

Question 7

learning theory and attachment eval point 1

Answer 7

• Lorenz geese and Harlows monkeys = contradict learning theory of attachment —> shows other factors other than association with food is important in forming attachments

Question 8

learning theory and attachment eval 2

Answer 8

• Schaffer and Emmerson found babies tend to form main attachment to mother regardless in whether she fed them —> highlights importance of emotional engagement etc (not just basic needs) —> and Isabella et al found high levels of interactional synchrony and reciprocity = predict quality of attachment —> suggests food is not main factor for attachment

Question 9

learning theory and attachment eval 3

Answer 9

• elements of conditioning could be involved in some aspects of attachment e.g. baby associating feeling of warmth and comfort with presence of a particular adult = influence babys choice on attachment figure —> helps us understand development of attachments
  BUT Feldman and Eideman found babies take active role in attachment (not passive responding to association, reward etc)

Question 10

learning theory and attachment eval 4

Answer 10

• social learning theory - Hay and Vespolia (1988) suggest parents teach children to love them by modelling attachment behaviors e.g. hugging and therefore reinforce by praising baby when it hugs back (imitating)
  —> this social learning theory perspective = based around 2 way interaction with baby and adult and isn’t as simplistic—> emph influence on social context as well

Question 11

learning theory and attachment eval 5

Answer 11

• evidence of learning theory (Pavlovs dogs) had high control of variables —> high internal validity

Question 12

learning theory and attachment eval 6+ 7

Answer 12

• theory focuses on behaviourist approach (leaning from environment) and ignores cognitive and emotional mechanisms which could influence infant attachment
• ignores Bowlby’s internal working model which helps child form expectations on future relationships and emotional responses —> ignores infant cognitions and emotions influencing attachment —> reductionist

Question 13

who disagreed with Learning theory and who was he influenced by?

Answer 13

Bowlby disagreed with learning theory and was influenced by Lorenz and Harlows animal studies

Question 14

Bowlby background

Answer 14

grew up in Cambridge was a psychologist, psych analyst, psychiatrist
- he went into the world health organisation—> he and his wife fostered kids who suffered post WW11 consequences —> he wrote a book on children mental health post WW11

Question 15

What explanation did Bowlby propose ?

Answer 15

• evolutionary explanation that attachment was an innate system that gives survival advantage —> e.g. attachment keeps young animals safe as ensured they stay close to adult caregiver and for humans we are protected get food etc —> parent must attach to infant to ensure they he cared for and survive

Question 16

Was Bowlby’s theory monotropic?

Answer 16

YES he emphasised that the child forms an attachment to one key caregiver —> this attachment is different and more important than the other
- Bowlby referred to this person as the mother (but not necessarily the mother of biological care)

Question 17

what were Bowlby’s 2 principles?

Answer 17

Law of continuity- more constant and predictable a child’s care is the better the quality of attachment
Law of accumulated separation - effects of every separation from the mother/PAF add up (worse the consequences) —>’ the safest dose is therefore a zero dose’- Bowlby 1975

Question 18

Bowlby - what are social releasers

Answer 18

babies born with innate cute behaviours r.g. smiling, cooing, gripping etc —> these encourage attention from adults and trigger adult to interact with baby= attachment is formed

Question 19

is attachment a reciprocal process according to Bowlby?

Answer 19

yes both mother and baby ‘hard-wired’ to become attached —> more responsive adults are for social releasers the stronger the caregiver-infant attachment

Question 20

what is the critical period (Bowlby)

Answer 20

• attachment begins early in infants life during critical period of around 6 months
• attachment bond must form within 2 and a half years or it never will and the consequences are permanent

Question 21

what did Bowmby revise the critical period to?

Answer 21

it become a sensitive period suggesting we have an optimal time frame but attachment bond can still occur after

Question 22

what is the Internal working model

Answer 22

• child forms a model for what relationships in their future look like using attachment and relationships to primary attachment figure e.g. a child who’s received a loving relationship with reliable caregiver will bring these qualities to future relationships
• first attachment shapes child’s future expectations and relationships (romantic and parenting etc)

Question 23

what animal study is research support for IWM

Answer 23

Harlows monkeys

Question 24

Bowlby eval point 1

Answer 24

research support from Lorenz who found goslings have an innate process and drive to form and attachment = formed as an evolutionary adaptation process to aid survival

Question 25

Bowlby eval point 2

Answer 25

- Schaffer and Emmerson found babies form multiple attachment rather than one (each serves a different purpose) e.g. mother is nurturer and father is playmate —> goes against Bowlby saying first attachment is more important

Question 26

Bowlby eval point 3

Answer 26

- research support Ainsworth 1967 found in Ganda tribe in Uganda although baby raised by multiple ppl they still had one strong primary attachment figure —> findings on monotropy= universal applications

Question 27

Bowlby eval point 4

Answer 27

Bailey et al supports IWM she looked at 99 mothers and the attachment they had with their mother then looked at attachment they had with their child —> those with poor attachment with mother had poor attachments with babies BUT correlation is not causation e.g. Kornienho 2016 suggest genetic differences in anxiety and sociability affect social behaviour in babies and adult = could impact parenting ability

Question 28

Bowlby eval point 5

Answer 28

- Brazelton et al 1975 supports social releasers he told primary attachment figures to ignore their babies social releasers—> babies became distressed then gave up and layed emotionless —> highlights that babies use social releasers to elicit attention and attachment to caregiver

Question 29

Bowlby eval point 6

Answer 29

- Twin studies (Czech twins) supports sensitive not critical period —> 2 twins locked up in cupboard from 18 months to 7 years BUT still managed to form good attachments with children and future relationships BUT they were locked in cupboard together so could have formed an attachment to each other

Question 30

Bowlby eval point 7

Answer 30

- Lamb et al 1982 suggested we need different multiple attachments to serve different purposes not a hierarchy —> sensible as if only have 1 attachment figure and they died= less survival chance

Question 31

Bowlby eval point 8

Answer 31

- Bourman 1994 suggests that laws of continuity and accumulated separation is socially sensitive as suggests if mother works they may negatively affect child’s development —> economic implications as mother feels guilt or pressured not to work

Question 32

Bowlby eval point 9, 10, 11

Answer 32

- practical applications e.g. key workers in daycare for babies, same nurses look after a baby - critical period = deterministic and ignores individual differences - Rutter et al Romanian orphans study shows support for sensitive over critical period