explanations of attachment: Bowlby's theory

Question 1

monotropic definition

Answer 1

a term sometimes used to describe Bowlby’s theory. mono means one and tropic means learning towards. this indicted that one particular attachment is different form all others and of central importance to a child’s development

Question 2

critical period definition

Answer 2

the time within which an attachment must form if it is to form at all. Lorenz and Harlow noted that attachment in birds and monkeys had a critical periods. Bowlby extended the idea to humans, proposing that human babies have a sensitive period after which it will have much more difficult to form an attachment

Question 3

internal working model definition

Answer 3

our mental representations of the world such as the representation we have of our relationship to our primary attachment figure. this model affects our future relationships because it carries our perception of what relationships are like

Question 4

when did Bowlby come up with Bowlby’s monotropic theory

Answer 4

1988

Question 5

why did Bowlby come up with his monotropic theory as an explanation for attachment

Answer 5

rejected learning theory as an explanation for attachment (as infant does not readily take to whoever feeds him) instead bowlby looked at the work of Harlow and Lorenz and proposed an evolutionary explanation

Question 6

what type of explanation is Bowlby’s monotropic theory

Answer 6

evolutionary

Question 7

why is Bowlby’s theory evolutionary and what does it show

Answer 7

attachment was an innate system that gives a survival advantage. so attachment, like imprinting, evolved as a mechanism to keep young animals safe by ensuring they stay close to adult caregivers

Question 8

why is Bowlby’s described as monotropic

Answer 8

placed great emphasis on a childs attachment to one particular caregiver

Question 8

what did Bowlby believe about the child’s attachment to one caregiver

Answer 8

different and more important than others

Question 9

what did Bowlby call the person who the child attached to

Answer 9

the mother- didn’t need to be a biological mother or a woman

Question 10

what did Bowlby think about time spent with mother or primary-attachment figure

Answer 10

more time spent the better and put forward 2 principles to clarify this

Question 11

what 2 principles did Bowlby put forward to clarify the more time spent with primary attachment figure the better

Answer 11

-law of continuity
-law of accumulated separation

Question 12

what is the law of continuity (Bowlby’s principle for more time spent with primary-attachment figure the better)

Answer 12

stated the more constant and predictable a child’s care the better quality of their attachment

Question 13

what is the law of accumulated separation (Bowlby’s principle for more time spent with primary-attachment figure the better)

Answer 13

stated that the effects of every separated from the mother add up and the saftest dose is therefore a zero dose - Bowlby 1975

Question 14

what did Bowlby suggest babies were born with

Answer 14

Social releasers-innate set of cute behaviours like smiling, cooing and gripping that encourage attention from adults called social releasers

Question 15

what is the purpose of social releasers

Answer 15

to activate adult social interaction and so make an adult attachment to the baby

Question 16

why did Bowlby call them social releasers

Answer 16

as their purpose is to activate adult social interaction and so make an adult attachment to the baby

Question 17

what did Bowlby notice about attachment

Answer 17

attachment was a reciprocal process. both the mother and the baby are ‘hard-wired’ to become attached

Question 18

how does the interplay between adult and baby attachment build

Answer 18

gradually builds the relationship between the baby and caregiver, begging in the early weeks

Question 19

what did Bowlby propose about the critical period

Answer 19

critical period around 6months when the infant attachment system is active

Question 20

what did Bowlby think about the critical period

Answer 20

it is more of a sensitive period. the child is maximally sensitive as 6 months and this possibly extends up to the age of 2 (2.5). if an attachment is more formed at this time, a child will find it much harder to form one later

Question 21

what is the internal working model

Answer 21

Bowlby proposed that a child forms a mental representation of their relationship with their primary attachment figure

Question 22

why is it called a internal working model

Answer 22

because it severs as a model for what relationships look like

Question 23

internal working model- what do child with first experience is loving relationship with a reliable caregiver

Answer 23

will tend to form expectation that all relationships are loving and caring, and will bring these qualities to future relationships

Question 24

internal working model - what does a child with first relationship involves poor treatment

Answer 24

will tend to form further poor relationship in which they expect such treatment from others and/or treat others in that way

Question 25

what does the internal working model mean for future

Answer 25

affects the child’s later ability to be a parent themselves. people tend to base their parenting behaviour on their own experiences of being parented. explains why children from functional families tend to have similar families themselves

Question 26

limitation of Bowlby’s monotropic theory as an explanation of attachment - validity of monotropy challenged

Answer 26

-lacks validity
-Schaffer and Emersion 1964 found that although most babies did attach to one person first, a significant minorty formed multiple attachmenst at the same time. also, although the first attachment does appear to have a particularly strong influence on later behaviour, this may simply mean it is stronger, not necessarily different in quality form the child’s other attachments, for example, other attachments to family members provide all the same key qualities such as emotional support and a safe base etc –> means Bowlby may be incorrect that there is a unique quality and importance to the child’s primary attachment

Question 27

strength of Bowlby’s monotropic theory as an explanation of attachment - support for social releasers

Answer 27

-evidence supporting the role of social releasers
-clear evidence that cute baby behaviours are designed to elicit interaction form caregivers. Brazelton et al 1975 observed babies trigger interactions with adults using social releasers . the researchers then instructed the babies’ primary attachment figures to ignore the babies social releasers. babies who were previously shown to be normally responsive became increasingly distressed and some eventually curls up and lay motionless –> illustrates the role of social releasers in emotional development and suggests that they are important in the process of attachment development

Question 28

strength of Bowlby’s monotropic theory as an explanation of attachment - support for the internal working model

Answer 28

-support for the internal working model
-idea of the internal working model predicts that patterns of attachment will be passed on from one generation to the next. Bailey et al 2007 assessed the attachment relationships in 99 mothers and the 1 year old babies. the researchers measures the mothers attachment to the their own primary attachment figures such as their parents. the researchers also assessed the attachment quality of the babies. they found that mothers with poor attachment to their own primary attachment figures were more likely to have poorly attached babies –> supports Bowlby’s idea that mothers’ ability to form attachments to their babies is influenced by their internal working models which in turn comes form their own early attachment experiences

Question 29

limitation of Bowlby’s monotropic theory as an explanation of attachment - counterpoint to support for internal working model

Answer 29

-there are probably other important influences on social development. for example some psychologists believe that genetic differences in anxiety and sociability affect social behvaiour in both babies and adults. those differences could also impact on their parenting ability Kornienko 2016 –> means Bowlby may have overstated the importance of the internal working model in social behaviour and parenting at the expense of other factors

Question 30

evaluation of Bowlby’s monotropic theory as an explanation of attachment - feminist concerns

Answer 30

-law of continuity and accumulated separation suggest that mothers who work may negatively affect their child’s emotional development. feminists like Burman 1994 point out that this belief set up mothers to take the blame for anything that goes wrong for the child in the future. it also gives people an excuse to restrict mothers’ activates, for example retouring to work
-on the other hand, prior to Bowlby’s time people didn’t think the mother’s role was important, and, in fact, many custody disputes were settles in favour of the father because mothers were not regarded as necessary. also, Bowlby ideas have many real-world applications, such as key workers in day care who build an attachment with particular babies