Attachment: Explanations Of Attachment - Bowlbys Theory

Question 1

Why did Bowlby reject learning theory as an explanation for attachment

Answer 1

• he believed in an evolutionary explanation
• attachment was an innate system that gave us a survival advantage
• imprinting and attachment evolved because they ensure young stay close to their caregivers for protection

Question 2

Outline bowlbys theory of monotropy

Answer 2

• placed emphasis on child’s attachment to 1 caregiver + believed this was more important than others
  -bowlby believed the more time a baby spent with their primary attachment figure the better
• law of continuity - the more constant/predictable a child’s care, the better their attachment
• law of accumulated separation - effects of every separation add up - ‘safest dose is a zero dose’

Question 3

Outline the importance of ‘social releasers’ according to bowlby

Answer 3

• babies are born with an innate set of ‘ cute’ behaviours- smiling, cooing etc
• these are callers ‘social releasers’ because their purpose is to activate the adult attachment system
• proposed a critical period of around 2 years where an infant attachment system is active, but this is more of a ‘sensitive period’

Question 4

Outline the internal working model

Answer 4

• a child’s mental representation of their relationship with their primary caregiver
• important in affecting our future relationships because they carry our perception of what relationships are like
• also affects a child’s later ability to parent themselves, they base their parenting off their own experiences

Question 5

What are the three evaluation points for bowlbys theory for explaining attachment

Answer 5

• there is mixed evidence for monotropy
• support for social releasers
• support for internal working models

Question 6

Outline ‘there is mixed evidence for monotropy’ as an evaluation point for bowlbys theory of explaining attachment

Answer 6

• bowlby believed infants form attachments to primary caregivers first + AFTER form secondary attachments
• Schaffer and Emerson - found babies do attach to one person first but some can form multiple attachments at the same time
• it is unclear as to whether there is something ‘unique’ about the first attachment

Question 7

Outline ‘support for social releasers ’ as an evaluation point for bowlbys theory of explaining attachment

Answer 7

• brazleton et al - observed mothers and babies during their interactions + found when primary attachment figures were told to ignore their babies signals (social releasers) babies showed initial distress
• some babies then responded by curling up and lying motionless
• as children responded so strongly, this provides support for importance of social releasers

Question 8

Outline ‘support for internal working models’ as an evaluation point for bowlbys theory of explaining attachment

Answer 8

• this concept is testable as it predicts that patterns of attachment will be passed on through generations
• Bailey et al - tested mothers on the quality of attachment to their own mothers + their attachment to their own infants was also observed
• mothers who reported poor attachment to their own mothers were more likely to have children classified as poor according to observations made