Download Lesson 3 - Why do babies develop attachments

Why do babies develop
attachments?
Lesson Three
Starter
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Bowlby’s Evolutionary Theory
• Attachment is vital for survival
• Humans have evolved to the point that infants
have an innate tendency to form attachments
- in other words it is natural and biological
• Adults are also innately programmed to
respond to and bond with, their infants
• This attachment has a long term benefit in the
sense that it forms the basis for all our
relationships
Innate programming
• All psychological and physiological
characteristics are naturally selected. Through
natural selection, to ensure that the baby
survives to reach maturity and reproduce
• Babies produce instincts such as crying which
means that the caregiver responds to them
• Mothers have natural instincts to care for their
children and ensure their surival
• All about ensuring the survival of the genes
Critical period
• Attachment between infant and caregiver
should not be disrupted or broken at any point
during the first three years of life
• If an attachment is not made within the first
three years then the child will grow up to have
‘affectionless psychopathy’
Monotropy
• A single attachment to the person who is the
most important to them (usually the mother)
• One relationship is more important than any
of the others and this exists throughout the
life of the child
• This was a very controversial part of his theory
Internal working model
• The first relationship between the infant and
the primary caregiver provided the child with
an internal working model or template for
their future relationships.
• This model influences relationships later on in
life
• Looked at Harlow’s work and decided that the
mother is like a ‘safe base’ providing comfort
and security
It’s like a jungle out there.....
• All of the attachment behaviours serve to
promote the survival of the infant
• This is an evolutionary process
Plenary
Lorenz’s study as support for Bowlby
• Studied the behaviour of geese who ‘imprint’ on
the first object they see
• Divided a group of geese eggs into two, half left
with the mother and the other half in an
incubator
• When those in the incubator hatched, the first
living thing they saw was Lorenz and they
followed him around
• Placed back with their mother, the ones in the
incubators still continued to follow Lorenz
Applications of study to Bowlby
• A young animal that follows its mother is
more likely to be safe from predators, be fed
and learn how to find their food
• More likely to survive and reproduce
• Shows the importance of the critical period –
the geese formed an attachment to the
primary caregiver very quickly (even if it was
Lorenz!)