part 2 - explanations/studies

• what does the learning theory suggest attachments are


  - formed through learning and experience

  - attachment develops to the person that feeds the infant
• what are the 2 ways attachments can occur

  - operant conditioning

  - classical conditioning
• what is this theory also known as

  the cupboard love theory

  attachments are formed based on who feeds the infant
• how does classical conditioning explain attachment

  learning by association:

  person (NS) becomes associated to food (UCS) so they learn to produce pleasure (CR)

  the baby learns to associate pleasure with the person giving the food, even when food is not present
• what theory is operant conditioning based on

  the 'Law of effect'

  where any action that has a pleasurable outcome will be repeated again - reinforcements develop attachments
• what are the 2 types of reinforcement

  positive reinforcement - reward reinforces action

  negative reinforcement - removes unpleasant
• apply the types of reinforcement to babies forming attachments

  positive: baby cries = gets attention, so they learn to cry again

  negative: given food = removes unpleasant feeling of hunger
• what are the primary and secondary reinforces according to the learning theory

  primary = food, reinforces behaviour to reduce discomfort

  secondary = person who supplies food

  attachment occurs because the child seeks the person that can supply the primary reinforcer
• do the animal studies support or contradict this theory

  Harlow: contradict, monkeys attached due to comfort not food

  Lorenz: contradict, geese imprint on the first thing they see, regardless of who feeds them - they don't learn to imprint it's biologically determined through evolution

  However, can't generalise to human behaviour
• what did Schaffer and Emerson find that goes against the theory

  in 39% of cases, the mother (often main carer) was not the main attachment figure - suggests feeding is not the primary reason
• what other evidence contradicts the theory (feeding)

  attachments develop with people that don't feed them (siblings) - LT suggests you only attach to those that give you food
• what is an issue of the behaviourist explanation

  - reductionist: attachments are simply due to food, this simplifies complex behaviour down to food and ignores emotions (love) and other factors (comfort)
• what other factors does the learning theory ignore about attachment

  - interactional synchrony: in time, mirror each other

  - reciprocity: mimic behaviour
• A- adaptive

  S- social releasers

  C- critical period

  M- monotropy

  I- internal working model

  what is the 5 elements of Bowlby's monotropic theory?
• humans have an innate tendency to form attachments to primary caregiver, usually mother. Passed down through evolution as infants attach to parents for SAFETY and parents attach to infants to PASS DOWN GENES

  explain the 'adaptive' element of bowlbys theory?
• babies have social releasers to unlock innate tendency of adults to care for them. could be physical (baby face features and body proportions) or behavioural (crying, cooing, smiling)


  explain the 'social releasers' element of bowlbys theory?
• babies have to attach to caregiver during critical period between birth- 2 1/2yrs old. If not then child damaged for life: socially, emotionally, intellectually and physically


  explain the 'critical period' element of bowlbys theory?
• infants form one very special attahcment (monotropy) with person who interacts most sensitively (primary attachment figure). Can form secondary attachments but they are less important on the heirachy


  explain the 'monotropy' element of bowlbys theory?
• harmful effects of every seperation from the mother add up and the safest dose is therefore a zero dose


  what is the law of accumulated seperation?
• through monotropic attachment, infant forms an internal working model which argues that the relationship with the mother forms a model for future relationships based on relationship with primary attachment figure. There is CONTINUITY in that stable secure infant become emotionally stable adult, childhood affects their parenting


  explain the 'internal working model' element of bowlbys theory?
• + hospitals allow parents to stay with child

  + day care facilities provide substitute caregiver in absence of working parent

  + social services support struggling parents rather than put children in foster care

  explain the applications of Bowlbys theorys?
• - schaffer and emerson

  - czech twins


  name 2 studies that contradict Bowlby/
• followed mother and babies for 18 months. at 7 months, 29% had multiple attachments, 18 months had 87%. at 18 months, half sample strongly attached to mother and 1/3 to fathers. Challenges montropic theory that claims you can only form one special attachment

  explain how schaffer and emersons study contradicts Bowlby
• twins discovered at 7. They were locked up and isolated and abused by stepmother since birth, no language abilities either. By 14 they had normal social skills, intelectual and could form attachments. challenegs Bowlby as they missed the critical period but still formed healthy bonds.

  explain how the czech twins contradict Bowlby?
• baby monkeys seperated from monkeys. Unable to recover from experiences and developed illnesses, inability to stay with groups and neglecting own babies. Shows they missed critical period and now irreversibly damaged for life, also supports internal working model as they negelected own children

  explain how Harlows study supports Bowlbys ideas?
• romaian children unable to form attachments due to poor conditions in institutional care. Even when adopted, difficult to form attachments if they failed to form attachment before 6 months of age. Supports idea of critical period


  explain how the romanian children support Bowlby's ideas?
• suggests lots of time away from infants is harmful, so puts pressure on mothers and blames them for anything that goes wrong for rest of childs life. Forces them not to work

  explain how Bowlbys montoropic theory is socially isnenstitive
• Mary Ainsworth


  who developed the stange situation?
• - proximity seeking (how close infant stays to mother)

  - exploration and secure base behaviour (child confident to explore)

  - stranger anxiety

  - seperation anxiety

  - response to reunion


  what were the procedures of the strange situation examining?
• series of episodes each lasting 3 mins.

  1) caregiver takes infant into lab room and they are left to explore

  2) infant plays while caregiver sits

  3) stranger enters and interacts with infant and caregiver

  4) caregiver quietly leaves and stranger interacts with infant

  5) caregiver returns and stranger leaves

  6) caregiver leaves so infant is alone

  7) stranger enters and interacts with infant

  8) caregiver returns to greet infant


  what were the procedures of the strange situation?
• - secure

  - insecure avoidant

  - insecure resistant


  what are the 3 types of attachment types in infants?
• - stays relatively close to caregvier

  - confident in exploration and periodically returns to mother

  - moderate stanger anxiety

  - nomral/ high levels of seperation anxiety

  - seeks comfot in mother in response to reunion


  explain secure attachment in a child.
• - doesnt care about proximity to mother

  - confident in exploration

  - low levels of stranger anxiety

  - low levels of seperation anxiety

  - ignores mother on reunion


  explain insecure avoidant attachment in a child.
• - stays very close to caregiver with little exploration

  -huge stranger anxiety

  - huge seperation anxiety

  - immediately return to caregiver in reunion but then shows anger and fights contact


  explain insecure resistant attachmnet in a child.
• differences in attachment are caused by the sensitivity of the mother to the infants needs (sensitive responsiveness) and mothers who read infants well produce securely attached infants


  what were the conclusions from the strange situation study?
• - culturally biased

  - judgment of infants behviour is subjective

  -not all researchers agree there are only 3 classifications of attachment


  what are the weaknesses of the strange situation?
• +procedures controlled

  + practical applications


  what are the strengths of the strange situation?
• people have criticised that secure attachment is only desirable attachment. Weakness because some countries (germany) view insecure avoidant as a healthy attachment and Mary assumed all countries would have same view as America. HOWEVER research shows secure is most common across cultures


  explain how being culturally biased is a weakness?
• researchers classify infants based on their behaviour, this is opinion based so could lead to differences in opinions. Furthermore, strange situation only classifies attatchment type at that particular time, but attachment could vary on times, situations, locations etc.


  explain how subjective views is a weakness?
• researchers argued there is insecure disorganised, where children dont fully fit into on of the 3 categories. Children may have been forced into a catergory when in reality should have been insecure disorgansied.


  explain how the argument of more than 3 classifications is a weakness?