Attachment

• what is imprinting

  This is an innate readiness to form a strong bond with the mother
• What is Lorenz's study

  lorenz studied imprinting in geese. A clutch of goslings were split into two where half remained with their mother and the other half were placed in an incubator where the first moving / living thing they saw was Lorenz. To test imprinting they were put together and exposed to the exposed their natural mother. They found that one group followed Lorenz and the other followed the mother. Lorenz's brood showed no recognition of their mother which shows that attachments form on the first moving / living thing you see during the critical period.
• What is harlow's Monkey Study

  Harlow studied attachment with rhesus monkeys. There were two surrogate mothers; one was a wire mother and the other was a cloth mother. They found that although the wire mother provided them with food they spent most their time with the cloth mother. For instance, when frightened they would cling to the cloth mother and felt more comfortable to play and explore in the presence of the Cloth mother. This suggests that attachments form based on comfort rather than food
• Strength of animal studies - useful pointer when looking into human behaviour

  One strength of animal studies is that it could be a useful pointer when looking into human behaviour. This is because they are simpler and as a result it's easier for the researcher to interpret the findings. This allows us to gain insights we couldn't get from studying humans.
• limitation of animal studies - may not be able to extrapolate from animals to humans

  One limitation of using animals is that you may not be able to extrapolate from animals to humans. This is because human behaviour is more complex .For instance we have a conscious insight into our behaviour which could cause us to behave differently to animals.
• Limitation of animal studies - unethical

  One limitation of animal studies is it could be seen as unethical. This is because it could have long lasting effects on the animals that have been used. For example Harlow's Monkeys developed abnormally as they froze a fled around other monkeys and did not cradle their own young. Some even harmed their young which means that people might not be able to trust the research made.
• Strength of animal studies - more ethical than using humans

  One strength of animal studies is that it is more ethical than doing a study on humans and it allows us to gain insights we wouldn't be able to get from using humans in our research.
• Learning theory of attachment

  This is a behaviorist explanation that suggests that attachment develops through classical and operant conditioning. It is sometimes called cupboard love Theory as infants attached to the caregiver who provides them with food. The motivation to learn is due to drive reduction which is an innate desire to fulfill the primary drives.
• Learning theory of attachment - classical conditioning

  Attachment is formed through classical conditioning. For example a caregiver (NS) provides an infant with food (UCS) causing pleasure(UCR). Infants therefore learn to associate the caregiver with food so that the caregiver(CS) causes pleasure (CR).
• Learning theory of attachment - operant conditioning

  Operant conditioning strengthens the attachment. This is because infants learn that crying or smiling brings a positive response from their caregiver. While the caregiver learns that responding to the infant's cries brings relief from the noise. So crying is positively reinforced by the caregiver but receiving the relief from noise is negatively reinforced for the caregiver.
• One strength of learning theory of attachment - research to support

  One strength of learning theory of attachment is that it has research to support. For example Pavlov classically conditioned dogs to salivate after ringing a bell. In this study a bell was rung (NS) when dogs were presented with food (UCS) which caused them to salivate (UCR). Overtime they learnt to associate the bell with food so that the bell (CS) caused salivation (CR).
• Limitation of pavlov's dogs - methodology flaws

  One limitation is that there may be methodology issues with the research evidence for learning theory as an explanation for attachment. For example, pavlov can be criticised for its over reliance on animals. This is an issue because it may not be possible to extrapolate from animals to humans. We have conscious insight into our behaviour which could cause us to behave differently to animals.
• Limitation of learning theory of attachment - environmental reductionist

  One limitation of the learning theory for attachment is that it is an environmental reductionist. This is because it reduces complex human behaviour such as attachment down to stimulus response associations. Therefore learning theory of attachment may provide an over simplified explanation for attachment.
• What is Bowlby's monotropic theory

  Bowlby's monotropic theory suggests that infants have an innate readiness during the critical period to form one attachment to their primary caregiver. The bond between mother and infant is particularly unique. This bond forms on the basis of the mother being able to respond to the infants social releasers. The infant will then form an internal working model which is an internal template for future relationships to be based on
• What are social releasers

  A social behaviour that elicits a caregiving response
• What is the critical period

  Bowlby originally suggested that if a child does not form an attachment before the age of two and a half years (the critical period) then an attachment would never occur.
• What is an internal working model

  A mental template which future relationships are based on
• Strength of bowlby's monotropic theory - research to support

  One strength of bowlby's monotropic theory is that it has research to support. For example Tronick researched the african tribe Efe, and found that infants were not solely fed by their mother. They were fed by multiple women and despite this they still formed one unique bond with their natural mother. This therefore supports Bowlby's monotropic theory that infants form one close bond with their mother.
• Limitation of Bowlby's monotropic theory - Out of date

  One limitation is that it can be seen as out of date. This is because multiple attachments are the new norm for infants rather than the exception. Schaffer and emerson found that infants could form multiple attachments by at least 10 months and that the mother wasn't always the first attachment. For instance, 30% attached to their mother and another (often the father) and 3% of infants first attachment was to their father. Bowlby's theory is therefore out of date because it doesn't take into consideration gay couples or single fathers.
• Strength of bowlby's monotropic theory - Practical applications

  One strength of Bowlby's monotropic theory is that it has practical applications for example with adoption. it is widely accepted that attachment should take place within the first few years of life so adoption agencies should try to place children as young as possible. This means babies are now put up for adoption within the first few weeks of life because research suggests that there is no difference in attachment type when this happens.
• What are the different infant caregiver interactions

  • Reciprocity
  • Interactional synchrony
• What is reciprocity

  This is a two way / mutual process where each party responds to the other's signals to sustain interaction (turn taking).
• One strength of reciprocity - research to support

  One strength of reciprocity is that there is research to support. For example Murray did a study where infants interacted with their mother via video monitor. When the screen did not respond it caused acute distress in the infant. They tried to gain their mothers attention bt got no response and then the mother turned away. This supports reciprocity because the infant were desperately trying to get their mother's attention to sustain interaction and when they didn't respond it caused them distress.
• What is interactional synchrony

  This is when infants mirror the actions or emotions of another person
• Strength of interactional synchrony - research to support

  One strength of interactional synchrony is that there is research to support. For example Meltzoff and moore did a study with 40 newborn babies where they were shown one of three facial expressions or hand gestures whilst a dummy was in their mouth. when the dummy was removed they found a clear association between the infants behaviour and that of the adult model. This therefore suggests that interactional synchrony is innate.
• strength of Meltzoff and Moore - High internal validity

  One strength of Meltzoff and Moore is that it has high internal validity. this is because the infants responses were videoed which means that it could be rewatched and checked by other researchers to improve the reliability of their findings and decrease any chances of researcher bias.
• Limitation of meltzoff and moore - others failed to replicate their findings

  One limitation of Meltzoff and Moore is that Koepke et al failed to replicate their findings. This lack of research to support suggests that the results from meltzoff and moore are unreliable and more research is required to validate their findings.
• Limitation of infant studies - unpredictable

  One limitation of using infants is that babies cannot communicate so we must make inferences based on their behaviour. This means that it is subjective and inferences could've been drawn to help the study. Babies are unpredictable so we have an issue with intentionality because there is no way to know if their behaviour was deliberate for the study or if it was just a coincidence. For example, 53 babies were withdrawn from Meltzoff and Moore's study for reasons like sleeping, crying, spitting etc. This shows how unpredictable babies behaviour is.
• what are the stages of attachment

  1. Asocial stage
  2. indiscriminate stage
  3. Specific attachments
  4. Multiple attachments
• What is the asocial stage

  This is when infants produce similar responses to all objects (animate and inanimate)
• What is the indiscriminate stage

  This is when separation and stranger anxiety begins
• What is separation anxiety

  distress shown by child when separated from their primary caregiver
• what is stranger anxiety

  a form of distress when a child is exposed to strangers.
• what are specific attachments

  This is when attachment is formed with the one who provides the most interaction

  • 65% mother only
  • 30% mother and another
  • 3% father
• What are multiple attachments

  This is when secondary attachments form
• Strength of Schaffer and Emerson - Good external validity

  One strength of Schaffer and Emerson's study is that it has good external validity. This is because the observation was conducted from within the infant's own home and the observer was often their parents while doing regular activities. This means that their behaviour is unlikely to be affected as it would in the presence of an observer so we can be confident that the infants behaviour was natural.
• Limitation of Schaffer and Emerson - unreliable data

  One limitation of Schaffer and Emerson's study is that it may produce unreliable data. This is because the results are based on mothers self reports. It may be that the results are biased because some mothers may be less sensitive to their child's protests and therefore will be less likely to report them. This would create systematic bias and would therefore challenge the validity of the data.
• Strength of Schaffer and Emerson - Longitudinal study

  One strength of schaffer and Emerson's study is that it was conducted longitudinally. This means that the same children were studied and observed regularly. This means that there is high external validity because there are no confounding variables that can affect the results of the study.
• Limitation of Schaffer and Emerson - biased sample

  One limitation of Schaffer and Emerson's study was that it has a biased sample. this is a limitation because all the participants were from working class backgrounds. This means that the findings cannot be generalised to other social groups because their child rearing styles were different back then.

  This study was conducted within the 1960's and child rearing has changed considerably since then. Now more women go off to work leaving their children to be cared for by someone outside the home. And quadruple as many fathers stay at home now.
• What is a father

  A father is not specifically referring to an infant's biological parent but refers to the infant's closest male caregiver.