Explanations for attachment

• Explanations for attachment: Learning Theory Dollard + Miller (1950)

  Before: Food = UCS Mum = NS Pleasure = UCR

  During: Food = UCS Mum = NS Pleasure = UCR

  After: Food = CS Pleasure = CR

  an association forms between mum & the feeling of being fed which creates pleasure.
• Baby has to learn to form an attachment with mum acquired through classical & operant conditioning. Dollard & Miller (1950)

  Classical conditioning - baby forms an association between mum & pleasure that comes from being fed (innate UCR). At first, the baby feels comforted by food, however, they quickly associate mum with the pleasure of being fed. Mum stimulates feelings of pleasure even without the food present now. Babies feel happy when mum is near.
• Operant conditioning - mum rewards infant by feeding them (positive reinforcement) so the baby repeats the action which led to them being fed e.g. crying in order to be fed again (primary reinforcer) The mum (secondary reinforcer) will feed them in order to stop the baby from crying which is a negative consequence of not being fed (negative reinforcement). This is mutual reinforcement which strengthens the two-way bond as the baby is positively reinforced & the mother is negatively reinforced.
• AO3 Learning Theory -

  • Schaffer + Emerson's findings suggest that nearly half the primary attachments formed were not the mother, only references the mother, inadequate explanation.
  • Environmental reductionism, breaking to stimulus-response as a consequence other factors: affection, skin-on-skin, meaningful interactions are ignored, not a full explanation for attachment.
  • Harlow found contact comfort was more important than food
  • Many studies to support the findings however, they used animal studies, can't extrapolate the findings.
• Explanations of Attachment: Bowlby's Monotropic Theory (ASCMI)-

  • Adaptive = attachment is a viral adaptive quality evolved to increase our chance of survival through proximity-seeking behaviour.
  • Social Releasers = babies born with innate behaviours e.g. smiling & cooing these encourage attention (trigger) & activate the adult attachment system, reciprocal process, both mum & baby have an innate predisposition to attach.
  • Critical Period = 2/2 1/2 years when infant attachment system is active, if not formed these are hard to form later.
• • Monotropy = places emphasis on 1 particular caregiver, this is different & more important. The more time spent the better.
  • Internal Working Model = cognitive framework for what all relationships are like, it can impact future relationships. Affects child's later ability to be a parent themselves. People tend to base parenting off their own parents.
• AO3 Bowlby's Monotropic Theory -

  • SR, in the still-face experiment, mothers were instructed to ignore their babies' signals. Babies were distressed, lying motionless in order to gain attention. When the process is not reciprocal it causes distress.
  • IWM, RS Bailey et al assessed quality of mother's relationships to their own babies & their mothers. Those who reported poor relationships with their mum also identified as having poor relationships with their babies - template.
• AO3 Bowlby's Monotropic Theory -

  • Monotropy, Contradicting Research, Schaffer + Emerson found most babies attached to 1 caregiver however, most went on to form multiple attachments. Goes against the idea that one is more important & different to others.
  • Critical Period, questioned as some children do still form attachments outside this period, it may be a sensitive period rather than a critical period. Questions the validity of the monotropic theory.
• AO3 Bowlby's Monotropic Theory -

  • Critical Period + Monotropy, Lorenz supports Bowlby’s monotropic theory as the attachment process of imprinting is an innate process that has a critical period. Also, the geese also attached to a single person/animal or object, thus showing monotropic behavior. However, Rutter’s Romanian Orphan Study showed that attachments could form after the critical period.
  • Implications (including economic implications) of monotropy theory: e.g. the role of fathers, mothers returning to employment, use of day-care, etc.
• Learning Theory -

  • emphasises the importance of food in the formation of attachment/‘cupboard love’/drive reduction – children love those who feed them
  • classical conditioning creates attachment – association of caregiver (NS) with food (UCS) causes conditioned response of pleasure
  • operant conditioning strengthens attachment – crying is positively reinforced by caregiver; caregiver receives negative reinforcement when crying stops
• Monotropic Theory -

  • importance of primary attachment figure – bond with mother-figure is unique
  • the more time spent with the mother-figure, the better – law of continuity; law of accumulated separation
  • internal working model – first attachment is a blueprint for future relationships; child forms mental representation
  • importance of critical period
  • the role of social releasers
• Learning theory AO3 -

  • plausible and scientific as founded in established theory
  • reductionist – the focus on basic processes (S-R links, reinforcement) too simplistic to explain complex attachment behaviours
  • use of evidence, e.g. Schaffer and Emerson - primary attachment figure not always the person who feeds the child
  • environmentally deterministic such that early learning determines later attachment behaviours
• Monotropic theory AO3-

  • use of evidence, e.g. Schaffer and Emerson - multiple and not monotropic attachments are the norm
  • the concept of monotropy is socially sensitive – places pressure on mothers and underestimates the role of the father
  • use of evidence, e.g. Bailey et al - concept of the internal working model