Attachment

Attachment

1. Classical conditioning

   • Pavlov(1927)
   • learning through association
   • food(UCS) - pleasure(UCR) - mum(NS) - no response - food+mum(UCS) - pleasure (UCR) - mum(CS) - pleasure(CR)

2. Operant conditioning

   • Dollard&Miller(1950)
   • hungry infant- uncomfortable- produces drive- infant fed- drive reduced- feeling of pleasure- food rewarding(PRIMARY REINFORCER)- person providing food(SECONDARY REINFORCER)
   • Attachment occurs because infant seeks person who supplies reward

3. Evaluating learning theory

   • Harlow(1959)
   • Strong evidence= attachment not based solely on food
   • Baby Rhesus' monkeys
     • Removed from mothers and placed in cage
       • 2 mothers
         • Contact comfort mother- soft towelling
           • Spent most time- especially when scared
         • lactating mother with food+drink
   • Problems
     • Conducted by monkeys and not by humans=extrapolation
     • Ethical issues=developed abnormalities in later life
   • Schaffer and Emerson(1964)
     • 60 babies Glasgow
       • Infants most attached to person who interacted with them the most

4. Bowlby's attachment theory (1958)

   • Sensitive period (4-6 months)
   • Caregiving is adaptive (adults innately programmed)
   • Secure base (infants explore world- return when threatened)
   • Monotropy and hierarchy (primary attachment figure=mum)
   • Internal working model (relationship creates expectations)
   • Continuity hypothesis (link= early attachment+later emotional behaviour)
   • Strengths
     • Evidence of monotropy in human infants
       • Scahffer&Emerson(1964)
         • 60 babies
     • Evidence for continuity hypthesis
       • Harlow(1959) -formed one way attachment with wire mother
         • Difficulties in later life
   • Weaknesses
     • Rutter(1995) - disagrees with concept of monotropy
       • Multiple attachment theory
         • HOWEVER
           • Bowlby doesn't doubt importance of secondary attachment figures but need primary for healthy development
             • Prior&Glaser(2006)
               • Conclude from research(meta analysis) evidence for hierarchy model
     • Kagen(1984) offers alternative explanation for continuity hypthesis
       • The temperant (personality) hypothesis
         • Infants born with different temperants

5. Strange situation

   • Aim to see how infants behave under stress conditions
   • 106 American middle class infants(9-18months) +mothers
   • Each stage lasts around 3 minutes
   • Ainsworth(1978)

6. Types of attachment

   • Secure (type B) 66%
   • Insecure avoidant (type A) 22%
   • Insecure resistant (type C) 12%
   • Main&Soloman(1986)
     • Re analysed strange situation
       • 'The disorganised type'
         • Mixture of all 3

7. Reliability+Validity

   • Reliability- if we repeat research and findings are the same,findings are reliable consistency
   • Validity= extent to which we are measuring what we intended to measure

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