The Monotropic and Learning Theories of Attachment*

Question 1

List the 5 principles of Bowlby’s Monotropic theory.

Answer 1

1) . Attachment is adaptive
2) . Social releasers to elicit a response
3) . Critical Period
4) . Monotropism
5) . Internal Working Model

Question 2

How long is the critical period?

Answer 2

The first two years of life.

Question 3

When does the sensitive period end?

Answer 3

At around 5 years.

Question 4

What was the reason for attachment’s adaptive nature?

Answer 4

To aid survival, as infants would retain proximity to safety figures.

Question 5

What is monotropy?

Answer 5

An innate tendancy to form an attatchment to one primary caregiver. Most commonly the mother (Schaffer).

Question 6

What is the law of continuity as part of the internal working model?

Answer 6

The process by which attachments formed in the critical period act as a template for future relationships.

Question 7

Give a strength of Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment.

Answer 7

Strengths:
- Animal studies have supported monotropism - Lorenz and Harlow - imprinting aided survival and natural selection.

• Supporting evidence for the internal working model - Hazan and Shavers - secure attachments formed happy and stable future relationships.
• Simpson et al - Secure attachments types were more emotionally attached to their partners in later life.

Question 8

Give a weakness of Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment.

Answer 8

Socially sensitive research - Burman suggested it placed a burden on mothers to stay at home during the critical period - may have economic implications as mothers feel pressured to not work - father may have to work longer hours.

• Bowlby underestimated the role of the father - father’s role is solely economic - theory is a zeitgeist.
• Rutter suggested that all attachment types are equally important - Thomas suggested that a primary caregiver attachment was not good for psychological development.

Question 9

What two behaviourist processes are included in the learning theory of attachment?

Answer 9

Classical and operant conditioning.

Question 10

How is an attatchment learned through classical conditioning?

Answer 10

Food (UCS) = Pleasure (UCR)
Mother (CS) + Food (UCS) = Pleasure (UCR)
Mother (CS) = Pleasure (CR)

Question 11

How is an attachment maintained through operant conditioning?

Answer 11

Food is the primary reinforcer, the peron who distributes the food becomes the secondary reinforcer.

Question 12

Who explained operant conditioning in relation to maintaining attachments?

Answer 12

Dollard and Miller

Question 13

Give a strength of the learning theory.

Answer 13

• Plausible and scientific - based on empirical methods - e.g. Pavlov (classical conditioning) and Skinner (operant conditioning) - high reliability to this explanation.

Question 14

Give a weakness of the learning theory.

Answer 14

• Contradictory findings - attachment may be based on comfort rather then food - e.g. Harlow’s monkeys still formed an attachment with the cloth monkey even when it blasted them with cold air - comfort contact - attachment occurred with no reward suggesting the instinctive nature of their attachment.
• Hay and Vespo - attachment is indirectly learned - the parent’s model how to form an attachment - parents reinforce positive behaviours e.g. ‘that was a lovely hug’.