1. Child Psychology
Attachments and relationships are, for the majority of people, one of the most important aspects of their lives!

2. Developmental Approach
Developmental psychologists are interested in how people develop and change from before they are born, throughout their life.
‘Lifespan’ Psychology
Examine both nature and nurture elements (height, attractiveness)

3. Questions
What’s your explanation of attachments? What is the definition of attachment? Why do psychologists study attachments? How do psychologists study attachment?

4. So why do infants become attached to one person and not the other?
What is the purpose of attachment?
Two views –
NATURE VS. NURTURE
Where do you stand?

5. Theories of attachment
Learning theories
Evolutionary theory
Infants have no innate tendency to form attachments
They LEARN attachments because of FOOD
The tendency to form attachments is INNATE
This tendency is present in both infants and mothers

6. Evolution of attachments
Evolutionary Theory
Evolution of attachments
Evolution is the process whereby USEFUL FEATURES are introduced into a species.
Features are useful if they help the animal SURVIVE long enough to successfully REPRODUCE.
To survive and reproduce, animals need to be WELL ADAPTED to their environment.
For this reason, useful features are said to be ADAPTIVE.

7. The Ethologists Evolutionary Theory
Ethologists are BIOLOGISTS who study animal behaviour in the natural environment.
One important ethologist is Konrad Lorenz.
He was interested in how young animals attach to their mothers, and how this gave them an increased chance of survival.

8. Konrad Lorenz: Imprinting
Evolutionary Theory
Konrad Lorenz: Imprinting
Lorenz carried out an experiment with grey lag geese.
He set TWO experimental conditions.
CONDITION 1: He was the first moving object seen by the goose chicks after they hatched
CONDITION 2: The mother goose was the first moving object seen by the chicks after they hatched

9. Konrad Lorenz: Imprinting
Evolutionary Theory
Konrad Lorenz: Imprinting
Lorenz found that:
The chicks who saw him before anything else, followed him as if he was their mother. When they were adult, they performed mating displays to him, and ignored other geese.
The chicks who saw their mother first, followed her when young, and performed mating rituals to other geese in adult life.
Lorenz also found that goose chicks seemed to have a ‘CRITICAL PERIOD’ of just a few hours in which to imprint (form an attachment).
If they didn’t imprint within this time, they never would.

10. John Bowlby Evolutionary Theory
Bowlby put forward an important theory of attachment, based on the work of the ethologists.
He saw humans as being just like other animals – we need an INNATE tendency to form attachments with a caregiver.
This tendency gives us an ADAPTIVE ADVANTAGE, i.e., makes it more likely that we will survive.
He adopted the idea of a CRITICAL PERIOD from ethologists like Lorenz, and applied this to his explanation of how human infants form their attachments.

12. Bowlby’s theory Evolutionary Theory s = Social releasers S M I
Attachments are innate and serve an adaptive advantage making us more likely to survive.
Babies have Social releasers, which
‘unlock’ the innate tendency of adults to care for them.
These Social releasers
are both:
Physical – the typical ‘baby face’ features and body proportions
Behavioural – e.g. crying, cooing
Separation distress/anxiety serve to draw the attachment figure back to the infant
= Social releasers S M I

13. Bowlby’s theory Evolutionary Theory M = Monotropy S M I
Bowlby believed that
infants form one very
special attachment with
their mother.
This special, intense
attachment is called
Monotropy.
If the mother isn’t
available, the infant
could bond with
another ever-present,
adult, mother-substitute.
= Monotropy S M I

14. Bowlby’s theory Evolutionary Theory S = Sensitive period S M I
Babies have to form the attachment with their caregiver during a Sensitive period.
This is between birth and 3 years old.
The maternal deprivation hypothesis holds that a broken attachment or lack of one can lead to problems in adulthood.
Broken attachment leads to affectionless psychopathy (unable to form relationships) and delinquency.
= Sensitive period S M I

15. = Internal working model
Bowlby’s theory
Evolutionary Theory I
Template for future relationships
This is a special mental
schema for relationships.
All the child’s future adult
relationships will be based
on this – known as the continuity hypothesis
= Internal working model S M I

16. Bowlby’s theory Evolutionary Theory S =Safe Base S M I
Attachments provide a safe base for when the child is afraid and from which to explore the world.
=Safe Base S M I

17. Exam Question
In some cultures children are raised collectively by the community. Ivan spends quality time with his mother but during the day he is looked after by whichever adult is around. Use Bowlby’s theory of attachment to explain why Ivan still remains most attached to his biological mothers. (8 marks)