Learning Theory of Attachment

The learning theory of Attachment is sometimes called ______ because it highlights the role of food in attachment.

According to Schaffer, what are the stages of attachment?

• Preattachment (0-3 months)

• Indiscriminant attachment (3-7 months)

• Discriminant (7 months+)

• Multiple attachments (9 months+)

What did Schaffer and Emerson find regarding infants' prime attachment?

• Evidence for all stages was found

• Strongly attached infants had mothers who responded to their needs quickly

• Infants had multiple attachments

• 39% of infants’ prime attachment was not to the main carer

What role do fathers tend to play according to the information provided?

• Playmate and protector

• Secondary to the sensitive responsiveness like a mothers would be

What did Brown find in his study about attachment patterns in families?

• High levels of supportive co-parenting was related to secure attachments

• The findings were only with fathers

What did Harlow's study on monkeys show regarding the importance of food and attachment?

• Food was not as important as comfort in terms of forming attachments

• Monkeys preferred the cloth mother without food to the wire mother with food

What did Harlow's study on the effects of social isolation in monkeys demonstrate?

• Monkeys showed signs of psychological disturbance

• Neglected mothers were awful

• Monkeys were unable to perform any normal social behaviour

• Monkeys harmed their young

What did Van Ijzendoorn and Kroonenberg find in their meta-analysis of attachment across cultures?

• 1.5 times greater variance in attachment within cultures than between

• They also found secure was the most common across the world

What was found about children from Germany in terms of attachment?

• They were insecure avoidant

• Independence was encouraged

What was observed about children from Japan regarding attachment?

• They were insecure resistant

• Parenting style – infants rarely left alone