explanations of attachment

• Learning theory (behaviourist)


  attachments are learned rather than innate (inborn) - suggest infant becomes attached to a caregiver through conditioning
• learning - classical conditioning 


  learning by association - we don't need to learn food is pleasure so food (unconditioned stimulus) produces pleasure (unconditioned response) - caregiver doesn't naturally produce pleasure so caregiver is neutral stimulus - caregiver provides food so child learns to associate caregiver with pleasure - caregiver becomes conditioned stimulus and pleasure becomes conditioned response
• learning - operant conditioning

  learning by reinforcement - if behaviour is reinforced (adding something positive or removing something negative) more likely we are to repeat it - main behaviour being reinforced is crying (hungry) in early attachment - when caregiver responds by feeding, reduces discomfort and behaviour is repeated (positive reinforcement) - crying distressing for caregiver, when feeding stops crying, caregiver repeats behaviour (negative reinforcement) - child and caregiver mutually reinforce one another
• LEARNING EVALUATION - Harlow


  rhesus monkeys in cage with 2 wire mothers one with feeding bottle and other wrapped in cloth with no food, monkeys spent most time with cloth mother - concluded monkeys valued comfort over food - problem as suggested theory is inaccurate as monkeys should have learned to associate food mother with pleasure and attached
• LEARNING EVALUATION - Lorenz


  newborns imprint on first moving thing they see within hours of being born, allows them to to stick closely to source of protection and food - Lorenz used newly hatched greylag geese who having Loren as their first image after hatching, followed him everywhere and became their imprinted parent - attachment innate infants too young to have learned anything at this stage
• LEARNING EVALUATION - scientific and plausible explanation

  can explain how humans develop behaviours in response to their environment - e.g. behaviourists shown many phobias develop when we learn to associate certain situations with danger even if association is irrational - learning may play similar role in attachment as we clearly do learn through association
• LEARNING EVALUATION - Tronick

  studied Efe tribe, tradition for infants to be looked after and breastfed by different women in the tribe - found despite being fed by different women, at 6 months infant still showed primary attachment to their biological mother - learning theory would expect infants to be attached to individual who feeds them
• Bowlby's monotropic theory


  all infants are innately programmed to form an attachment from birth - infants form attachment to caregiver because it's adaptive (good for survival) - biological process because he argues infants are born with attachment gene that programmes them to exhibit innate behaviours (social releasers) increase chances of receiving care like crying or smiling
• Bowlby's monotropic theory


  attachment gene drives parents to provide care as its adaptive (increases chances of genes being continued) - critical period - attachments tend to be formed between 6 months and 2 and a half years - argued infants who don't have the opportunity to form attachments in this time will have difficulty forming attachments later on in life - argued one relationship (usually mother) is of special significance and drive to have one main attachment called monotropy
• Bowlby's monotropic theory


  first attachment crucial for later development since child formed internal working model or template for later relationships e.g. close loving relationship with mother leads to child expecting future relationships to be warm and loving - affects child's later ability to parent themselves as people tend to base parenting behaviour on own experiences of being parented - explains why children from functional families tend to have similar families themselves (continuity hypothesis)
• MONOTROPIC EVALUATION - Lorenz's imprinting 


  newborns imprint on first moving thing they see (usually parents) within hours of being born allowing them to stick close to important source of protection and food - Lorenz's greylag geese had Lorenz as first moving image and followed him everywhere as he became their imprinted parent - shows attachment is innate
• MONOTROPIC EVALUATION - Hazen and Shaver


  after participants answered questions as part of love quiz which assessed adult romantic relationships as well as childhood relationship with parents there was a strong correlation with between childhood attachment type and adult relationships - concluded children seem to continue to follow a sort of relationship template into later life - supports internal working model
• MONOTROPIC EVALUATION - Tronick


  studied Efe tribe its tradition for infants to be looked after and breastfed by different women in tribe - found despite being fed by different women at 6 months infants still showed primary attachment to biological mother - supports infant having monotropic bond with mother
• MONOTROPIC EVALUATION - critical period criticised 


  Rutter found although may appear less likely that attachments will form after this period it isn't impossible - concluded more accurate term would be sensitive period to reflect although it is an important window of time which children are most likely to form an attachment such forms can still be formed outside the window - Bowlby may be overly negative about chances of healthy development following early deprivation