Formation of Attachment

Formation of Attachment

1. The Learning Theory

   • Nurture
     • Attachment is based on feeding
   • Classical Conditioning
     • Before Conditioning: UCS = Milk -> UCR = Pleasure at relief from hunger
       • During Conditioning: NS = Mum (the feeder) -> Repetition of feeding mum = CS
         • After Conditioning: CS (Mum) = CR Relief (baby has linked mum with food & so seeing mum causes relief for baby)
   • Evaluation
     • - Largely based on non-human research: animals aren't like humans and so findings aren't reliable
       • - Harlows Monkeys proves that contact is more important that food
         • - Not a fully explanation; explains how we form an attachment but not why as it doesn't say how attachments benefit us, unlike Bowlby's studies
           • - More evidence for Bowlby's theory of attachment, suggesting it's nature not nurture

2. Bowlby's Theory

   • Nature
     • Attachment is based on genetic survival & reproduction; we have an innate drive to attach to parents as it has long-term benefits such as survival & the ability to reproduce effectively
   • Factors of attachment:
     • Monotropy: we are genetically programmed to attach to one single caregiver (mum)
       • Research to support Monotropy: Babies in African Tribes only formed one main attachment to their mum despite being cared for by all other women in the tribe - proving attachment is nature. not nurture
     • Critical / Sensitive Period: We have an innate drive to attach from around 3-6 months & this period lasts for the first 3 years of our lives
     • Social Releasers: Social behaviour / characteristics that elicits caregiver reaction (these are criticical in the formation of attachments)
   • The 2 ways how early attachment effects adult relationships
     • Internal Working Model
       • What we expect others to be like in relationships
       • The relationship between infant & caregiver provides us with a template of how we think others should act like in our adult relationships
     • Continuity Hypothesis
       • What we are like in relationships
       • There's a link between our early attachments & relationships in later life e.g. secure attachments as babies -> stable attachments as adults
       • Research to support Continuity Hypothesis: Longitudinal study found that infants with secure attachments to their caregiver were more empathetic & popular in their adult life - showing that there's a link between early attachments & adult attachments
   • Evaluation
     • + Practical Applications: The idea that attachments should take place in the critical / sensitive period (3 years) is Widely accepted in society e.g. adoptive agencies try to place kids in homes as early as possble
       • - Monotropy; Out of date -> we now form multiple attachments e.g. dad plays a much bigger role nowadays
         • - Problems with critical period: Studies into orphans show that kids adopted at ages of 3 or 4 years old can still form strong attachments, meaning that we don't have to form an attachment within the first 3 years.