Section 3 : Attachment - Explanations of Attachments

Question 1

What is learning theory also known as

Answer 1

The Behaviourist theory

Question 2

What does the learning theory focus on

Answer 2

Focuses on the baby wanting it’s needs fulfilled

Question 3

What is given as an explanation for how attachments form

Answer 3

Conditioning

Question 4

How is classic conditioning used to explain how attachments form

Answer 4

• this is about learning associations between different things in our environment
• getting food naturally gives the baby pleasure
• the baby’s desire for food is fulfilled whenever the mother is around to feed it
• so an association is formed between mother and food
• whenever the mother is around, the baby will feel pleasure i.e. attachment

Question 5

How is operant conditions used to explain attachment

Answer 5

• Dollard and Miller (1950) claimed that babies feel discomfort when they’re hungry and so have a desire to get food to remove the discomfort
• they find that if they cry their mother will come and feed them so the discomfort is removed (negative reinforcement)
• the mother is therefore associated with food and the baby will want to be close to her
• this produces attachment behaviour (‘distress when separated from the mother’)

Question 6

What are the strengths for learning theory as an explanation for attachment

Answer 6

• lots of support from scientific research
• other theories of attachment which also have support such as Bowlby’s theory

Question 7

What are the weaknesses of the learning theory as an explanation for attachment

Answer 7

• reductionist, tries to explain complex attachment using simple stimulus-response process
• lots of evidence for learning theory uses animal research, findings aren’t always generalisable
• Schaffer and Emerson findings don’t support learning theory, half of the infants don’t have their mother as primary attachment

Question 8

What did Bowlby 1951 argue

Answer 8

that something like imprinting occurs in humans

Question 9

What were John Bowlby’s claims

Answer 9

• Attachment can be explained by evolution
• We create one special attachment
• We create an internal working model of attachment
• There is a critical period for attachment

Question 10

What does the claim ‘Attachment can be explained by evolution’ refer to

Answer 10

• we have evolved a biological need to attach to our main caregiver
• this biological need has developed through natural selection to ensure the survival of the child to maturity

Question 11

What does the claim ‘we create one special attachment’ refer to

Answer 11

• Bowlby’s idea of monotropy is that we form one main attachment - usually to our mother
• Forming this attachment has survival value as staying close to the other ensure food and protection
• a strong attachment provides a ‘safe base’ giving us confidence to explore our environment

Question 12

What does the claim ‘we create an internal working model of attachment’ refer to

Answer 12

• Bowlby’s theory also says that forming an infant attachment gives us a ‘template’ for all future relationships
• this forms an internal working model for all later attachments
• model is a ‘working’ model because it can change and develop over time depending on how the person’s relationship change
• the primary caregiver provides the foundations for the child’s future relationship
• this is called continuity hypothesis

Question 13

What does the claim ‘there is a critical period for attachment’ refer to

Answer 13

• the first 3 years of life are the critical period for attachment to develop
• if the attachment doesn’t develop (e.g. separation or death) or if it’s broken, it might seriously damage the child’s social and emotional development
• Bowlby’s maternal deprivation hypothesis assumes if the relationship between the primary caregiver and infant is disrupted or stopped during the critical period, there are long term consequences

Question 14

Is there evidence for Bowlby’s claims

Answer 14

Yes

Question 15

What study supports the claim that attachment can be explained by evolution

Answer 15

• Harlow’s study supports the idea that we have evolved a need to attach
• also suggests that social and emotional development might be damaged if an attachment isn’t formed

Question 16

Who provided evidence against Bowlby’s claims about monotropy and what did they find

Answer 16

• Schaffer and Emerson
• they found that, rather than one main attachment, many children form multiple attachments and may not attach to their mother

Question 17

What other study goes against Bowlby’s idea of monotropy and what did they find

Answer 17

• Harlow (study of monkey’s raised in isolation)
• other monkeys who didn’t have a mother, but grew up together, didn’t show signs of social and emotional disturbance in later life
• they didn’t have a primary caregiver, but seemed to attach to each other instead

Question 18

What did Bowlby’s report lead to

Answer 18

• an increase in stay at home mothering
• had a subsequent impact on the economy as fewer women were going to work