Attachment & Love (Week 8)

Deprivation of mother-infant attachment consequences

Longer w.o significant care = reactive disorder

• Ie Romanian orphans

Liu et al. (1997) —> normal variation of mother-infant attachment

Examined relo. between maternal care & stress responses

• >maternal = <stress

• More glucocorticoid receptors in the hippocampus

Examined relo between materanl care & stress

Liu et al. (1997)

Rat maternal care behaviour

Licking & grooming, arched back nursing

Corticosterone related to ____

Stress

Stress related too ____

Corticosterone

Kaufman et al. (2004) —> gene x enviro interaction

II, sI, ss genes

• Only greater depression for ss genes

Maltreated w. ss genes —> >depression scores

• ss = serotonin transporter

Maltreated w. ss genes —> >depression scores

Kaufman et al. (2004)

Vasotocin is found in ____ for _____

reptiles, maternal behaviour

Mother turtles have ____ to help ____

Vasotocin, contractions to lay eggs

Evolution of vasotocin & usage

Oxytocin & Vasopressin

Reproductive + attachment behav.

Marlin et al. (2015) - Pup retrieval test

Found oxytocin tunes auditory cortex neurons to respond to pup distress calls

Pup retrieval test —> show naive virgin can’t hear & ignores isolated pup

Oxytocin tunes auditiory cortex neurons to respond to pup distress calls

Marlin et al. (2015)

Where is oxytocin made

Hypothalamus

Hypothalamus makes ____

Oxytocin —> targeting auditory cortex

Increasing vasopressin leads to ____

Increase in paternal behaviour & monogamy

To increase paternal behaviour, increase/decrease _____

increase vasopressin

Vasopressin found in ___

Prefrontal cortex

Correlation between offspring & vasopressin

Indirectly proportion (negatively correlated)

Imprinting (Lorenz)

Image of mother stamped irreversibly on nervous sys during critical innate period

J.B. Watson (1928)

Propose attachment isn’t innate but learnt

Proposed that constant affection will encourage excessive attachment in infants

• Should minimise affect displays

Reasoning behind Watson’s proposal

High death rate —> “isolatng” from disease also seen for attachment

• Thought to have similar process

Harlow proposal, testing Watson’s idea

Cloth & Wire monkey

• Preferred cloth monkey when distressed

• Showed contact (tactile comfort) preferred over food

  • Spent most time with cloth mother

• Went to cloth mother when distressed

Further research onto tactile comfort

Rocking & cradling just as important

Attachment Theory

Sensitive responding by parents to infant’s needs changes infant’s own attachment

______ is where the sensitive responding by parents to infant’s needs, changes infant’s own attachment

Attachment theory

Secure infant symptoms

Seek proximity/contact/greet parents at distance

_____: Seek proximity/contact/greet parents at distance

Secure infant attachment

_____: avoid parent

avoidant infant attachment

Resistant/ambivalent infant symptoms

Passively/actively show hostility towards parent

_____:

Passively/actively show hostility towards parent

Resistant/ambivalent infant attachment

Secure adults:

find it easy to get close to others without worrying about being abandoned

_____

find it easy to get close to others without worrying about being abandoned

Secure adults

Avoidant adults:

Uncomfortable being close to others, difficulty trusting others completely, don’t allow to depend on others, nervous when anyone gets too close

_____: Difficulty trusting others completely

Avoidant adult

Anxious/ambivalent adults:

Worry partner doesn’t actually love them

Want to merge completely w. another person —> scare ppl away

____: wan’t to merge w. another person

Anxious/ambivalent adult

Findings (Montane vs Praire)

Montane preferred spending time with themselves (polygamous)

Praireie preferred w. partner

What if oxytocin in female prairie vole brain was blocked

Prevented formation of monogamous bonds

• Preferred stranger

Prosocial behaviour in mouse

Pull on tongue & open mouth

Help remove

Oxytocin & prosocial behaviour (Sun et al.)

Silencing oxytocin = houesmate ignored anesthetised partner

Oxytocin = showed prosocial behav

Oxytocin roles: (4)

Promote maternal care

Monogamy

Reproductive behaviour: lactation, contractions

Increase prosocial behav.

Vasopressing role: (2)

Promote paternal care

Monogamy

Opponent processing & attachment

A process = seeing loved one

B process = Distress being apart

Weakening B process w. ducks

Isolate duck from mother

Unifying principle of attachment?

Shared vehavioural & brain mechanisms for different kinds of attachment & love