Attachment theory
- Created by: sarah_mocha
- Created on: 04-04-17 13:59
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- Attachment Theory
- Concept
- Attachment is an emotional bond that connects one person to another
- Attachment is characterised by behaviours in children, such as proximity seeking behaviours
- Attachment behaviour in adults towards the child includes responding appropriately to the child's needs
- Attachment theory provides an explanation of how the parent-child relationship emerges and influences development
- Key psychologist: John Bowlby
- Observed that children experienced intense distress when separated from their mothers
- Proposed the idea that attachment can be understood in an evolutionary context
- The caregiver provides safety and security for the child. Attachment is adaptive as it enhances the child's chance of survival
- Children are biologically programmed to form attachments as they aid survival.
- Children produce innate social releaser behaviours that provoke innate caregiving responses from adults
- Children initially form 1 primary attachment and this figure acts as a secure base for exploring the world and making future social relationships
- Critical period for developing attachment = 0-5 years. If it has not been developed by then, the child will suffer developmental consequences
- Stages of attachment: Schaffer & Emersen (1964)
- (1) Asocial (0-6 weeks): Many kinds of stimuli, both social and non-social produce a favourable reaction e.g a smile
- (2) Indiscriminate Attachments (6 weeks - 7 months): Enjoy human company, respond equally to any caregiver. May get upset when an individual stops interacting with them
- (3) Specific Attachment (7-9 months): Special preference for a single attachment figure. Baby shows stranger fear and separation anxiety
- (4) Multiple Attachment (10 months +): Baby becomes increasingly independent and forms several attachments
- Key study: Lorenz's geese (1935)
- Took a large clutch of goose eggs, half placed under a goose mother, and half kept beside Lorenz
- When the geese hatched Lorenz imitated a mother goose's quacking sound. The geese regarded him as their mother and followed accordingly. The other group followed the mother goose
- Lorenz found that geese follow the first moving object they see, during a 12-17 hour critical period. This process is known as imprinting
- Imprinting aids survival in the short-term
- Key study: Harlow's monkeys (1958)
- Harlow explained that attachment developed as a result of the mother providing "tactile comfort"
- This suggests infants have an innate need to touch and cling to something for emotional comfort
- In one experiment, Harlow reared infant monkeys in total isolation for several months
- When the isolated monkeys were put back in with other monkeys they were scared, aggressive, unable to socialise and were bullied
- In another experiment, infant monkeys were raised with a "surrogate mother" either made of wire or soft cloth
- All monkeys spent more time with the cloth mother and when frightened, took refuge with the cloth mother. The wire mother was used only for feeding
- This supports the evolutionary theory of attachment in that its the sensitive response and security of the caregiver that is important, as opposed to food
- All monkeys spent more time with the cloth mother and when frightened, took refuge with the cloth mother. The wire mother was used only for feeding
- Harlow explained that attachment developed as a result of the mother providing "tactile comfort"
- Key study: Mary Ainsworth - Strange situation
- Procedure: (1) mother, baby and experimenter (2) mother and baby alone (3) stranger joins mother and infant (4) mother leaves baby and strange alone
- (5) mother returns and stranger leaves (6) mother leaves, infant is left totally alone (7) stranger returns (8) mother returns and stranger leaves
- Attachment styles were based primarily on 4 interaction behaviours directed towards the mother in the 2 reunion episodes
- 1. proximity and contact seeking 2. contact maintaining 3. avoidance of proximity and contact 4. resistance to contact and comforting
- 3 main attachment styles: secure attachment, insecure attachment, and avoidant attachment
- Secure was most common, with insecure and avoidant being equally as uncommon
- Procedure: (1) mother, baby and experimenter (2) mother and baby alone (3) stranger joins mother and infant (4) mother leaves baby and strange alone
- Concept
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