Explanations Of Attachment

Question 1

What are the two explanations of attachment? Who came up with them?

Answer 1

• The Learning theory ~ Dollard and Miller

- Monotropic theory ~ Bowlby

Question 2

What is another name for the learning theory?

Is it nature or nurture?

Answer 2

• Cupboard love theory

- Nurture

Question 3

How does classical conditioning lead to attachment?

Answer 3

• Food (UCS), Pleasure from being fed (UCR), Feeder (NS)
• Before: UCS = UCR (food=pleasure) , NS = no response
• During: NS + UCS = UCR (food+caregiver=pleasure)
• After: CS = CR (Caregiver = pleasure/attachment)

Question 4

How does operant conditioning lead to attachment?

Answer 4

• Food (primary reinforcer), Caregiver (secondary reinforcer)
• Child will try and stay close to caregiver, attachment behaviour is known as proximity-seeking
• also, when caregiver feeds child, crying stops, therefore acting as a negative reinforcer
• other people feeding will lead to multiple attachments - this is referred to as stimulus generalisation

Question 5

Summarise evaluations for the learning theory

Answer 5

• Research that refutes theory - Harlow contradicts idea of food being key
• Schaffer and Emerson’s also refutes bc they found that 39% infants main attachment was with someone other than the one who fed and bathed them
• alternative theory - Bowlby
• conditioning (Watson and Raynor) research validates it

Question 6

Is Bowlby’s theory nature or nurture?

Why does he suggest attachments are formed?

Answer 6

• Nature
• We are biologically pre-programmed to attach because it aids our survival therefore acting as an evolutionary advantage

Question 7

What acronym can be used to remember Bowlby’s 5 stages?

Answer 7

• ASCMI
• A SnapChat Makes Images
• Adaptive, Social releases, Critical period, Monotropy, Internal working model

Question 8

What is stage one of Bowlby’s Monotropic theory?

Answer 8

• Attachment is Monotropic

- infants have one primary attachment that is more important than all other secondary attachments

Question 9

What is stage two of Bowlby’s Monotropic theory?

Answer 9

• Monotropic attachment is innate and adaptive
• we have an innate drive to form an attachment
• attachment is therefore an adaptive trait - has evolutionary advantages and increases the rate of survival

Question 10

What is stage three of Bowlby’s Monotropic theory?

Answer 10

• Infants use social releasers to elicit caregiving
• parents are programmed instinctively to respond to her child’s social releasers
• these can be characteristics (e.g. a cute face) or behaviours (e.g. smiling,crying)
• these encourage the caregiver to respond to babies needs

Question 11

What is stage four of Bowlby’s Monotropic theory?

Answer 11

• The Monotropic attachment has a critical period (2.5 - 3 years)
• this is a window when the infant is most easily and quickly able to form an attachment
• attachment after is very difficult

Question 12

What is stage five of Bowlby’s Monotropic theory?

Answer 12

• Monotropic attachment forms our internal working model
• this is an individuals template for all future relationships based on their first monotropic relationship
• provides secure base to explore world

Question 13

What is the Continuity Hypothesis?

Answer 13

The idea that there is a clear link between early attachment and later emotional behaviour

Question 14

Summarise evaluations for Bowlby’s Monotropic theory

Answer 14

• research support - Lorenz’s concept of a critical period
• however lack of biological continuity between people and geese meaning we cannot extrapolate
• good practical applications - nurseries and daycares/children given one primary carer instead of being passed around to prevent attachment which is damaging
• Alternative theories - the learning theory