Behaviours such as smiling or crying that encourage a response from the caregiver
Humans are innately programmed to respond to social releasers
When an infant cries
Most people feel uncomfortable, which helps ensure someone will respond
Critical period
A certain time period within which mothering must take place for children to form attachments
Bowlby saw mothering as useless for most children if delayed until after 12 months and useless for all children if delayed until after 2-3 years
Internal working model
A cognitive framework used to understand the world, self and others, based on an infant's primary attachment
A child's first experience is of a loving relationship with a reliable caregiver
They will tend to form an expectation that all relationships are loving and reliable, and will bring these qualities to future relationships
A child's first relationship involves poor treatment
They will tend to form further poor relationships
Internal working models affect the child's later ability to parent themselves, and are passed on through generations
Support for social releasers
Bracketon et al (1975) experiment where primary attachment figures ignored babies' social releasers, leading to distress and curling up motionless
Some children kept in isolation or severely deprived circumstances for the first several years of their lives still form strong attachments following adoption