Explanations of attachment: learning theory and Bowlby's monotropic theory. The concepts of a critical period and an internal working model.

What is the Learning Theory of Attachment?

• Attachment is learned through conditioning.
• Caregiver becomes associated with food and reward.

What is Classical Conditioning in Attachment?

• Food is the unconditioned stimulus.
• Food creates pleasure.
• Caregiver associated with food becomes conditioned stimulus.
• Infant forms attachment to caregiver.

What is Operant Conditioning in Attachment?

• Crying rewarded with food.
• Caregiver removes discomfort of hunger.
• Infant associates caregiver with reward and comfort.

What is a Secondary Drive?

• Primary drive is hunger.
• Secondary drive is attachment.
• Caregiver becomes associated with reducing hunger.

Learning Theory Evaluation — Harlow Counter-Evidence

• Monkeys preferred cloth mother over food-giving wire mother.
• Suggests contact comfort more important than feeding.
• Contradicts learning theory.

Learning Theory Evaluation — Reductionist

• Reduces attachment to conditioning only.
• Ignores emotional, cognitive and biological factors.
• Oversimplifies attachment formation.

Learning Theory Evaluation — Behaviourist Support

• Conditioning explains many human and animal behaviours.
• Associations and reinforcement influence learning.
• Gives theory scientific credibility.

Learning Theory Evaluation — Practical Applications

• Conditioning principles can improve caregiver interactions.
• Positive reinforcement may strengthen attachment.
• Theory has real-world usefulness.

What is Bowlby’s Monotropic Theory?

• Attachment is innate and evolutionary.
• Infants are biologically programmed to attach.
• Babies form one special primary attachment.

What is Monotropy?

• Bowlby believed infants form one special primary attachment.
• Usually attachment to mother.

What are Social Releasers?

• Cute baby behaviours triggering caregiving.
• Includes smiling and crying.

What is the Critical/Sensitive Period?

• Attachment should form within first 2 years.
• Bowlby later preferred “sensitive period.”
• Failure may cause emotional damage.

What is the Internal Working Model?

• Mental template for future relationships.
• Based on early attachment experiences.
• Influences later parenting and romantic relationships.

What is the Continuity Hypothesis?

• Early attachment affects later relationships.

What is Affectionless Psychopathy?

• Inability to experience guilt or strong emotions for others.
• Lack of empathy and remorse.
• Linked by Bowlby to prolonged maternal deprivation.

Bowlby’s 44 Thieves Study — Aim

• Investigated relationship between maternal deprivation and delinquency.

Bowlby’s 44 Thieves Study — Procedure

• Studied 44 juvenile thieves.
• Compared with non-delinquent control group.
• Assessed affectionless psychopathy.

Bowlby’s 44 Thieves Study — Findings

• Affectionless psychopathy linked to prolonged maternal separation.
• Supports importance of early attachment.

Bailey et al. — Aim

• Investigated link between mothers’ attachment and babies’ attachment.

Bailey et al. — Procedure

• Observed mothers and babies.
• Measured attachment quality across generations.

Bailey et al. — Findings

• Mothers with poor attachment histories often had poorly attached babies.
• Supports internal working model.

Bowlby Evaluation — Bowlby Bias

• Bowlby raised mainly by nanny/caretaker.
• May have influenced emphasis on maternal attachment.
• Theory may reflect personal experiences.

Bowlby Evaluation — Research Support

• Bailey et al. supports internal working model.
• Early attachment linked to later relationships.

Bowlby Evaluation — Deterministic

• Suggests early attachment determines future relationships.
• Ignores later experiences and free will.

Bowlby Evaluation — Sensitive Period

• Later research suggests attachment can form after 2 years.
• Sensitive period more accurate than strict critical period.