4.1.3c - Explanations of Attachment: Bowlby's Theory
Monday 4th March ‘24
Friday 8th March ‘24
Monday 18th March ‘24
Worked with emotionally-disturbed children in London.
Most children had early separation, experienced early loss of maternal figure.
Proposed that children who experienced deprivation suffered long-term distress.
Two theories: monotropic (evolution) theory of attachment, maternal deprivation hypothesis.
Innate - baby face hypothesis.
Continuity hypothesis - attachment in infants goes on to influence relationships in later life; emotionally secure infants will go on to be emotionally secure, trusting and socially well adjusted adults.
Critical period - the time early in infant’s life where there is an innate drive to become attached; later research to change this to a ‘sensitive period’ (Rutter et al, 2010).
Monotropy - one relationship the infant has with the primary attachment figure is of special significance in emotionally development; secondary relationships hierarchical, providing safety net.
Internal working model - mental model of the world enabling indivisuals to predict and control their environment; in relation to attachment, this is reference to a person’s expectations about relationships. Representation of their relationship with mother provides framework by which gives way to continuity hypothesis.
Social releasers - innate features (eg baby face features) that provoke innate responses in caregiver ensuring the infant is cared for.
Evolution - attachment is innate, leading to survival; naturally selected process; influence from the work of Lorenz & Harlow, but wanted to research the two-way evolutionary process of attachment.
What is support for Bowlby’s research?
Social releasers - Tronick’s 1978 ‘stil face’ experimentation. When these were not responded to, babies became distressed.
Heidi Bailey et al (2007)
Assessed attachment relationships with 99 mothers and 1 year old infants, studying own mothers and the attachment quality with babies.
Findings - those with poor attachment to their own mothers were more likely to have poorly attached babies.
This shows support for the internal working model.
Supporting research: Kornienko (2016) - genetic differences in anxiety and sociability affect behaviour. This can impact parenting ability. Thus internal working model is not the only factor in determining parenting ability
Monday 4th March ‘24
Friday 8th March ‘24
Monday 18th March ‘24
Worked with emotionally-disturbed children in London.
Most children had early separation, experienced early loss of maternal figure.
Proposed that children who experienced deprivation suffered long-term distress.
Two theories: monotropic (evolution) theory of attachment, maternal deprivation hypothesis.
Innate - baby face hypothesis.
Continuity hypothesis - attachment in infants goes on to influence relationships in later life; emotionally secure infants will go on to be emotionally secure, trusting and socially well adjusted adults.
Critical period - the time early in infant’s life where there is an innate drive to become attached; later research to change this to a ‘sensitive period’ (Rutter et al, 2010).
Monotropy - one relationship the infant has with the primary attachment figure is of special significance in emotionally development; secondary relationships hierarchical, providing safety net.
Internal working model - mental model of the world enabling indivisuals to predict and control their environment; in relation to attachment, this is reference to a person’s expectations about relationships. Representation of their relationship with mother provides framework by which gives way to continuity hypothesis.
Social releasers - innate features (eg baby face features) that provoke innate responses in caregiver ensuring the infant is cared for.
Evolution - attachment is innate, leading to survival; naturally selected process; influence from the work of Lorenz & Harlow, but wanted to research the two-way evolutionary process of attachment.
What is support for Bowlby’s research?
Social releasers - Tronick’s 1978 ‘stil face’ experimentation. When these were not responded to, babies became distressed.
Heidi Bailey et al (2007)
Assessed attachment relationships with 99 mothers and 1 year old infants, studying own mothers and the attachment quality with babies.
Findings - those with poor attachment to their own mothers were more likely to have poorly attached babies.
This shows support for the internal working model.
Supporting research: Kornienko (2016) - genetic differences in anxiety and sociability affect behaviour. This can impact parenting ability. Thus internal working model is not the only factor in determining parenting ability
