Attachment Theory: Bowlby & Ainsworth
Attachment refers to the reciprocal, enduring emotional bond between an infant and their primary caregiver. This guide covers caregiver-infant interactions, learning theory vs Bowlby's monotropic theory, Ainsworth's Strange Situation classification, cultural variations, and the effects of maternal deprivation and institutionalisation.
- Internal Working Model
- A mental representation of our relationship with our primary caregiver that becomes a template for future relationships.
- Critical Period
- A biologically determined timeframe (up to about 2.5 years) during which an attachment must form if it is to form at all.
- Secure Attachment (Type B)
- Infants who use the caregiver as a safe base, show moderate separation anxiety, and are easily comforted upon reunion.
Attachment Theory: Bowlby & Ainsworth: Situational Variables & Memory Encoding Simulator
Explore how situational variables alter human behaviour in controlled experiments or test cognitive rehearsal pathways.
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Key Concepts & Exam Definitions (5)
- Internal Working Model
- A mental representation of our relationship with our primary caregiver that becomes a template for future relationships.
- Critical Period
- A biologically determined timeframe (up to about 2.5 years) during which an attachment must form if it is to form at all.
- Secure Attachment (Type B)
- Infants who use the caregiver as a safe base, show moderate separation anxiety, and are easily comforted upon reunion.
- Insecure-Avoidant Attachment (Type A)
- Infants who do not seek proximity to the caregiver, show little separation anxiety, and do not require comfort at reunion.
- Institutionalisation
- The effects of living in an institutional setting (like an orphanage) where children often experience privation of attachment.
Quick-Fire Flashcards (5)
Click any card to check the answer, then mark it as Known to track your progress.
What are the three attachment types found by Ainsworth?
What is reciprocity in infant-caregiver interactions?
Who conducted the classic rhesus monkey studies on attachment?
What concept describes a child lacking the ability to feel guilt or strong emotion?
What is interactional synchrony?
Exam-Style Questions & Mark Schemes (3)
Write or think through your answer first, then click Check Mark Scheme to see the exact points examiners award marks for.
- Q1
Describe Harlow's animal study of attachment.
Click “Check Mark Scheme” to compare your answer, Harlow reared infant rhesus monkeys with two wire model 'mothers'-one dispensed milk, the other was covered in soft cloth. The monkeys spent most of their time with the cloth mother and ran to it when scared, suggesting contact comfort is more important than food in attachment.
- Q2
Outline one cultural variation in attachment found by van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg.
Click “Check Mark Scheme” to compare your answer, They found that while secure attachment was the most common across all cultures, insecure-avoidant was most common in Germany (which values independence) and insecure-resistant was most common in Japan (where mothers are rarely separated from infants).
- Q3
Explain the role of the internal working model.
Click “Check Mark Scheme” to compare your answer, The internal working model is a cognitive framework comprising mental representations for understanding the world, self, and others. A child's first relationship with their primary caregiver provides a template for all future relationships, influencing parenting styles and romantic relationships later in life.
Common Exam Questions (3)
What is Bowlby's monotropic theory?
Bowlby proposed that infants have an innate, evolved biological drive to form one primary attachment (monotropy) during a critical period of the first two and a half years, which acts as an internal working model for all future relationships.
What is the Strange Situation?
Ainsworth's Strange Situation (1970) is a controlled laboratory observation of eight 3-minute episodes designed to assess the quality of an infant's attachment to their caregiver by observing proximity seeking, stranger anxiety, separation anxiety, and reunion behaviour.
What does the maternal deprivation hypothesis claim?
Bowlby's maternal deprivation hypothesis (1951) states that prolonged disruption of the continuous emotional bond between an infant and their primary caregiver during the critical first 30 months causes irreversible emotional and intellectual damage, including affectionless psychopathy.
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