Flashcards
Explanations of Attachment
Flashcards do conjunto (12)
- 1Learning Theory- Classical Conditioning
- Operant Conditioning
- Social Learning Theory - 2Classical Conditioning- First investigated by Pavlov
- Things become associated with food because they are present at the time of being fed
- Food = UCS / Pleasure = UCR
- Mother = NS = No response
- NS = CS / Pleasure = CR - 3Operant Conditioning- First investigated by Skinner
- Hunger = discomfort
- Food = primary reinforcer
- Negative reinforcement = the removal of hunger = reward - 4Social Learning Theory- First investigated by Bandura
- Modelling can be used to explain attachment behaviours
- Children observe their parent's affectionate behaviour and imitate this - 5EvaluationLearning theory is based on animal research
> Skinner's rats / Pavlov's dogs
> Limited generalisability to complex human behaviours
> Non-behaviourists suggest innate predispositions - 6EvaluationContact comfort is more important than food
> Limitation of learning theory
> Feeding has nothing to do with attachment (Harlow) - 7EvaluationLearning theory has some explanatory power
> Infants do learn through association and reinforcement
> Food is not a primary reinforcer but may be attention and responsiveness - 8Bowlby's Monotropic Attachment Theory- Critical period - infants have the innate drive for attachments and have a time period for development
- Social releasers - smiling elicits a caring response - innate mechanism
- Monotropy - infants have one special emotional bond with the primary attachment figure - 9Bowlby's Theory- Consequences of attachment
- An infant has a single special relationship and forms a mental representation of this relationship (Internal working model)
1 - short-term insight into caregiver's behaviour
2 - long-term template for future relationships - 10EvaluationIs attachment adaptive?
> Important in emotional development but less critical for survival
> Monkeys cling to their mother's fur to become attached as soon as possible
> Humans do not need to cling onto their mothers as they get picked up - 11EvaluationA sensitive period rather than critical?
> Should not be possible to form attachments beyond the critical period
> Rutter suggested that this is true to some extent - less likely to form after this point but not impossible - 12EvaluationMultiple attachments vs monotropy
> No primary or secondary attachment figures but are all integrated into a single internal working model