Explanations of Attachment

Classical conditioning

It is about learning associations between different things in our environment

Operant conditioning example

Dollard and Miller (1950) claimed that babies feel discomfort when hungry and so desire to get food to remove the discomfort.

Weaknesses of the learning theory

• It is reductionist- it tries to explain complex attachment using simple stimulus-response processes

• Lots of the evidence for learning theory uses animal research, so the findings aren’t always generalisable

• Schaffer and Emmerson’s (1964) findings don’t fully support learning theory. In their study, half of the infants didn’t have their mother as the primary attachment

Strength of the learning theory

The learning theory of attachment has lots of support from scientific research

How can attachment be explained by evolution?

• We have evolved a biological need to attach to our main caregiver

• This biological need has developed through natural selection to ensure the survival of the child to maturity

How do we create one special attachment?

• Bowlby’s idea of monotropy is that we form one main attachment- usually to our biological mother. Forming this attachment has survival value, as staying close to the mother ensures food and protection

• A strong attachment provides a ‘safe base’, giving us confidence to explore our environment

How do we create an internal working model of attachment

• Bowlby’s theory also says that forming an infant attachment gives us a ‘template’ for all future relationships- we learn to trust and care for others. This forms an internal working model for all latter attachments

• The model is a ‘working’ model because it can change and develop over time, depending on how the person’s relationships change

• The primary caregiver provides the foundations for the child’s future relationships.

• This is called the continuity hypothesis

What is the critical period for attachment?

• The first 3 years of life are the critical period for attachment to develop- otherwise, it might never do so

• If the attachment doesn’t develop (e.g. because of separation or death), or if it’s broken, it might seriously damage the child’s social and emotional development

• Bowlby’s ‘maternal deprivation hypothesis’ assumes that if the relationship between the primary caregiver (often the mother) and infant is disrupted or stopped during the critical period, there are long-term consequences

What evidence is there to support the claims of Bowlby’s theory?

Harlow’s study supports the idea that we have evolved a need to attach. It also suggests that social and emotional development might be damaged if an attachment isn’t formed

What evidence did Schaffer and Emmerson provide which opposed Bowlby’s claims about monotropy?

They found that, rather than one main attachment, many children form multiple attachments, and may not attach to their mother

How did Harlow’s study of monkeys raised in isolation go against the idea of monotropy?

Other monkeys who didn't have a mother, but who grew up together, didn’t show signs of social and emotional disturbance in later life. They didn’t have a primary caregiver but seemed to attach to each other instead

What mixed evidence for claims of a critical period for attachments to develop are

• The effect of attachment not developing, or being broken, may not be as bad as Bowlby claimed

• Bowlby’s report in the 1950s led to an increase in ‘stay at home’ mothering. This had a subsequent impact on the economy as fewer women were going to work

What is Monotropism?

A person tends to focus their attention on a small number of interests at any time, tending to miss things outside of this attention tunnel