Animal Studies and Theories of Attachment

Comprehensive vocabulary flashcards covering animal studies, learning theory, Bowlby's monotropic theory, Ainsworth's Strange Situation, cultural variations, maternal deprivation, and institutionalisation.

Imprinting

The process where bird species that are mobile from birth attach to and follow the first large moving object they see, an adaptive trait developed for safety as they cannot fly at birth.

Critical period (Lorenz)

The specific timeframe identified by Lorenz, between $13$ and $16$ hours after hatching, during which imprinting must occur.

Sexual imprinting

A phenomenon where animals, upon reaching adulthood, direct mating behaviours toward the type of object, person, or animal with which they originally imprinted.

Contact comfort

The conclusion from Harlow's rhesus monkey study that physical comfort is more important than the provision of food in forming attachment behaviour.

Secure-base attachment behaviour

A behaviour demonstrated in Harlow's study where monkeys were willing to explore a novel room only when a cloth-covered mother was present.

Cupboard love

A learning theory concept from Dollard and Miller ($1950$) suggesting infants attach to caregivers primarily because they are associated with the pleasure of food.

Classical conditioning (Attachment)

A process where an infant associates a neutral stimulus, the caregiver, with an unconditioned stimulus, food, eventually producing a conditioned response of pleasure.

Operant conditioning (Attachment)

A process where attachment is built through reinforcement; crying is positively reinforced by food for the baby, and feeding is negatively reinforced by the removal of crying for the caregiver.

Monotropic theory

Bowlby’s ($1969$) evolutionary explanation stating that infants have an innate drive to form one qualitatively unique attachment to a single primary caregiver for survival.

The law of continuity

Bowlby's principle stating that the quality of attachment is better when a child's care is more constant and predictable.

The law of accumulated separation

Bowlby's principle suggesting that the effects of every separation from the mother add up and can harm the attachment, so separation should be avoided.

Social releasers

Innate, 'cute' behaviours like smiling, cooing, and gripping intended to activate the adult's attachment system and encourage reciprocity.

Critical period (Bowlby)

The timeframe of the first $30$ months of a human infant's life during which the attachment system is active and an attachment must be formed.

Internal working model

A mental representation of the relationship with the primary caregiver that serves as a template for future relationships and parenting styles.

Strange Situation

A controlled observation procedure by Ainsworth ($1969$) involving $7$ episodes of $3$ minutes each to measure the security of infant attachments.

Secure attachment

A type of attachment where infants show moderate proximity seeking and separation anxiety, explore using the caregiver as a secure base, and accept comfort on reunion.

Insecure-resistant attachment

A type of attachment where infants show high levels of proximity seeking and separation anxiety, do not explore, and seek comfort on reunion but then reject it.

Insecure-avoidant attachment

A type of attachment where infants show low levels of proximity seeking and separation anxiety, explore without a secure base, and do not require comfort on reunion.

Imposed etic

The practice of using behavioural categories based on Western/American interpretations to judge and categorise attachment in other cultures.

Maternal deprivation

The psychological harm arising from prolonged separation during the critical period between a child and their mother or mother-substitute.

Affectionless psychopathy

A condition resulting from maternal deprivation characterized by an inability to feel guilt or empathy, which can lead to criminality and difficulties in relationships.

Institutionalisation

The effects of living for long, continuous periods in an institution like an orphanage, often resulting in disinhibited attachment and delayed development.

Disinhibited attachment

A sign of poor emotional development involving attention-seeking, clinginess, and affection directed indiscriminately toward both familiar and unfamiliar adults.

Love quiz (Hazan and Shaver)

A study of $620$ respondents that assessed attachment types in adulthood based on relationship experiences and attitudes toward intimacy and trust.