Lecture 7

Ethology and Attachment Theory

Ethology

Study of the evolutionarily significant behaviours of a species in its natural surroundings

4 basic concepts of ethology

1. Species specific innate behaviour

2. An evolutionary perspective

3. Learning predispositions

4. Ethological methodology

Species specific innate behaviour

Stereotyped in its form

All individuals within a species display the exact same set of actions

Exists without previous experiences

Universal

All members of the species

An evolutionary perspective

Innate behaviours are genetically passed down in a species

Facilitate survival

But modifications can be needed to survive in changed environments

Learning predispositions

Sensitive or critical periods

Specific time frames in which animals are biologically ready to learn from particular experiences

Ethological methodology

Natural observations

Lab studies

Isolating animals from natural environment

Changing stimuli in different experimental conditions

Konrad Lorenz

Imprinting

The alternative mother goose experiment

Imprinting

Shortly after birth certain birds are most able to recognise the distinct characters of their mother

They learn to follow a stimulus in this sensitive period

It is an innate survival instinct

Harry Harlow

‘Cupboard love’

Cloth mother vs wire mother experiment

‘Cupboard love’

Satisfy basic needs or primary drives

Cloth mother vs wire mother experiment

Hypothesis was that the monkey would gravitate to the cloth mother for protection

John Bowlby

He was concerned with the impacts of maternal deprivation

Observational methods

1. Protest

2. Despair

Protest

May begin immediately; it lasts a few hours to a week or more

During this time the child is acutely distressed at having lost his mother and seeks to recapture her

Despair

Succeeds protest

Preoccupation with missing mother is still evident, thought his behaviour suggests increasing hopelessness

Withdrawn and inactive, makes no demands on the people

Mary Ainsworth

The Strange Situation Experiment

Attachment styles

The Strange Situation Experiment

Where a mother leaves a child in a room with a stranger and responses of the child are noted

Observation of the Strange Situation Experiment

1. Separation anxiety

2. The infants willingness to explore

3. Stranger anxiety

4. Reunion behaviour

Attachment styles

Ainsworth and Bell proposed 3 attachment styles:

1. Securely attached

2. Insecure avoidant

3. Insecure resistance

An additional category was then made:

4. Disorganised attachment

Securely attached

Infant are associated with sensitive and responsive primary care

Insecure avoidant

Infants are associated with unresponsive primary care

Insecure resistance

Attached infants are associated with inconsistent primary care

Disorganised attachment

Incorporated both resistance and anxious behaviours

Critiques of the Strange Situation Experiment

• Experimental conditions

• Low ecological validity

• Single, universal definition of maternal sensitivity

• Excludes role of family and community

• Feminist critiques

Schaffer and Emerson

Longitudinal study of 60 babies from a large working class area in Glasgow

Found that attachment occurred at around 6-9 months

Mothers are generally the objects of attachment but after 1 main attachment was made others could form

Rutter

Boys aged 9-12 years

Early life disruption and inadequate parenting are common causes of poor social adjustments and relationship difficulties later

But separation from mothers didn’t necessarily mean the boys would become maladjusted adolescents