Zusammenfassung der Ressource
Developmental Psychology - Attachment
- Attachment
- Strong emotional tie that develops over time
between an infant and their primary caregiver(s)
- Depends on interaction between 2 people rather than simply being together
- Four Characteristics
- Seeking proximity , especially in times of stress
- Distress or separation
- Pleasure when reunited
- General orientation of behaviour towards the P.C.
- Explanations
- Learning Theory
- Attachment is a learned process through nurture
e.g. Classical conditioning and Operant learning
- Evolutionary Theory
- Bowlby's theory-attachment is important for
survival, it's an inherited behaviour(nature)
- Learning Theory
- Classical Conditioning
- Learning theory says we have to LEARN to attach and
we do so because of FOOD
- According to learning theory baby has to
learn to form attachment with mother.
- By process of C.C. baby forms association between mother (a
neutral stimulus) & feeling of pleasure that comes from being fed
(innate unconditioned response)
- At first baby simply feels comforted by food. However, each time it is fed,
mother is there. Quickly associated mother with pleasure of being fed.
- Before long, mother stimulates feeling of pleasure on own, even without food.
- Means baby feels happier when mother is near. Beginning of attachment.
- Operant Learning
- Learning takes place because of ACTIONS and REWARDS.
- In operant conditioning association
made between an action and a reward.
- This reward acts as a reinforcer because it causes
the action to be repeated.
- BF Skinner
- Demonstrated process of O.C. in animals like rats
- The Skinner Box
- Mouse performs ACTION: presses lever
- Mouse receives REWARD: food relieves hunger
- Reward REINFORCES the action, so mouse repeats it
- Baby performs ACTION:cries
- Baby receives REWARD given food to relieve hunger
- Reward REINFORCES the action, so baby repeats it
- Evolutionary Theory
- Tendency to form attachments is INNATE (Present in both infants and mothers)
- Bowlby (1969)
- Attachment important for survival. Infants physically
helpless-need adults to feed,care for & protect them.
- Cannot survive without such assistance. Importance of attachment may be
fundamental in long term. Foundation for all future emotional relationships.
- Born with INNATE tendency to form attachment
- States attachment in infants is similar to that of imprinting
- Important in the short term for survival and also in
long term regarding adult relationships
- Number of studies have shown adults are
less likely to mate with individuals with whom they were raised.
- Shepher's (1971)
- Found none of 3000 Israeli marriage records he studied was
between individuals that had been raised together on the same communal farms
- Lorenz (1952) Imprinting
- Geese- Lorenz set 2 groups
- Lorenz first moving thing seen by
goose chicks after hatching
- Chicks followed him as if he were their mother
- When they were adult, they performed mating displays with him
and ignored other geese
- Mother goose first moving thing
seen by goose chicks after hatching
- Chicks followed her when young
- When adult,performed mating rituals to other geese
- Found geese have a 'critical period' for imprinting