Attachment

Attachment

1. Learning and etholoigcal

2. Learning theory

   • Main predictions
     • The child will form attachment on the basics of primary care provisions
       • Attachment behaviour should increase steadily from birth
         • The strongest attachments will be with those who provide the most primary care
   • Cupboard love
     • The mother is the food cupboard
   • Harlow 1959
     • Contact comfort

3. Key Words

   • Reinforcement - Something which makes a behaviour more likely to occur again
     • Punishment - Something which stops a behaviour from happening again
       • Positive - Adding something
         • Negative - Removing something
           • Shaping - Using reinforcement step by step to produce a behaviour

4. Ethological Approach

   • Ethology
     • Study of animal behaviour
       • Imprinting - Instinct,fast,automatic
   • Lorenz
     • Newly hatched chicks follow first moving object
     • Critical period - 4-24 hours after hatching,must happen then or not at all
   • John Bowlby
     • 6 assumptions
       • Assumption 1 Attachment is biologically pre programmed into children at birth -Encoded in the human genes -Evolves and persists
       • Assumption 2 Infants emit social releasers,to which adults are biologically attuned-Physical appearance/Crying,smiling -These stimulate caregiving from adults
       • Assumption 3 Infants are programmed to attach to whoever responds to their releasing stimuli -they select 1 special attachment figure -The primary attachment is the template for future social relations
       • Assumption 4 A strong attachment provides the child with a safe base giving them confidence
       • Assumption 5 The first 3 years of life are the critical period for this attachment to develop otherwise it might never do so
       • Assumption 6 If this attachment doesn't develop (separation or death) or if it is broken,it might seriously damage the child

5. Attachment is a close emotional relationship between infants and their caregivers