Monotropic theory Flashcards
Who does RTS come from?
Lorenz
What did Lorenz study?
He studied imprinting on goslings and found a critical period of 12-17 hours in which imprinting had to take place otherwise it would not later.
How does Lorenz’s research support Bowlby?
Supports Bowlby’s concept of a critical period that infants must attach within the first 2.5 years of life otherwise it would be difficult to form attachments later - strengthening Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment
What is a counter argument to Lorenz’s research supporting Bowlby?
Critics argue that this research is limited as it was conducted on geese and therefore, as humans are more emotionally complex, the findings may not be representative of attachment behaviour in humans
Who else conducted RTS?
Hazan and Shaver - the ‘Love Quiz’
What did Hazan and Shaver find?
They found that securely attached children had happy and long-lasting relationships in later life whereas insecurely attached children found it hard to form relationships and many were divorced
What does Hazan and Shaver’s research support?
The internal working model as their early infant attachments acted as a template for future relationships
What is a counter argument to Hazan and Shaver’s research?
Critics would argue that it is limited as it was conducted using a questionnaire, in which participants may lie about their relationships in order to present themselves in the best possible light, reducing the internal validity
Who conducted RTC?
Shaffer and Emerson
What did Schaffer and Emerson find?
They found multiple attachments may help children to develop socially, emotionally and cognitively which contradicts the ideas that infants have one attachment in the monotropy theory
What is a counter argument to Schaffer and Emerson?
They found that before making multiple attachments, children will form a specific attachment, which was with the mothers in 65% of the cases, which could somewhat support Bowlby’s idea of monotropy and one attachment with the mother
What is an alternative explanation?
The learning theory - which proposes that we learn to attach to a feeder via stimulus, response and associations of pleasure rather than attachment being innate as it gives us a survival advantage due to social releasers triggering a caring instinct in adults
