The strong bond that develops between an infant and their primary caregiver, usually their biological mother
Biological psychologists' view on attachment
Attachment bond is innate, babies are primed with the need to attach to their mother figures, and caregivers have an innate response to care for them
Classical conditioning explanation of attachment
1. Neutral stimulus (mother) becomes associated with unconditioned stimulus (food), resulting in conditioned response (pleasure)
2. Infant learns association between mother (conditionedstimulus) and food - feels pleasure (love) - this forms attachment
Operant conditioning explanation of attachment- twowayprocess
1. Crying behavior is positivelyreinforced when parent provides milk (positive reinforcement)
2. Crying behavior is negativelyreinforced when parent provides care and stops the unpleasant stimulus - strengthens attachment
Primary drives
Instinctual desires required for survival and reproduction (e.g. sleep, hunger, thirst, sex)
Secondary drives
Learned desires that can ultimately satisfy primary drives (e.g. money, satisfaction of caregiver)
Attachment- SEARS
A secondary drive, infants seek attachment with their mothers to satisfy the primary drive of hunger
Bowlby's Monotropic Theory
Infants have an innate, instinctive drive to form a strong bond with their primary caregiver (usually the mother) for evolutionary survival reasons
Infants are born with social release behaviors (e.g. crying, smiling) that elicit instinctive caregiving responses from mothers - reciprocal process
Attachment in the critical period (first 6 months) - sensitive period
Learning theory - 'cupboard love' Dollard and miller
AO3 learning theory - counter-evidence from animal studies: Lorenz geese imprint on first moving object (no food). Harlow monkeys favoured comfort over food.
AO3 learning theory - counter-evidence from human studies: schaffer and emerson babies formed attachment to their mother with no food involved.
AO3 learning theory - conditioning involved: babies associate warm and comfortable feeling with a caregiver which influences attachment. Learning theory useful.
Internal working model - child forms mental representation of relationship with the primary caregiver
serves as a model for what future relationships are like
base their parenting style from their experience of their parents
AO3 - Monotropy lacks validity: Shaffer and Emerson - a minority of babies attached to multiple people. First attachment is just stronger not different qualities.
AO3 - support for social releasers: Brazelton - observed babies triggerinteractions. When attachment figures ignore babies social releases babies became distressed. Social releasers important in emotional development.
AO3 - support for internal working models: Bailey - observed attachment relationship in 99 mothers and I year olds. Mothers with poor attachment to primary caregiver were poorly attached to babies.