CH 11 Pt 1

Parental Figures

Food/Milk/Water

John B Watson (1878-1958) & BF Skinner (1904-1990)

• Reinforcement and Learning

Attachment is driven by Milk

• Harry Harlow argued against this theory

John Bowlby (1907-1990) was influenced by Freud and Darwin

Biological predisposition to develop attachments

• Increased chance of survival

• Secure Base

• Emotion Regulation

Measurement of Attachment Security

• Observing children’s behavior with caregivers

• Interviewing parents/caregivers about behaviors and quality of relationship

Mary Ainsworth (1913-1999)

Strange Situation: assess infants’ attachment to their primary caregiver

• Mother–infant attachment

• Extent of infant’s use of caregiver as secure base

• Infant’s reaction to brief separations from and reunions with caregiver

Sources of Individual Differences in Attachment Styles

• Parental sensitivity/personality

• Parental attachment style

• Child’s genetic makeup

• Temperament

• variants of serotonin-transporter gene- (SLC6A4, formally 5HTT)

• Vulnerability to stress

• Environmental stressors

• Cultural variations