Wednesday, 21 January 2015

Bowlby's theory of attachment



Today we looked at Bowlby's evolutionary theory of attachment. He said that attachment is adaptive (necessary for survival) and that it is necessary to form a template for how future relationships work.

Today's powerpoint is here.

The powerpoint showing the model answers for the AS mock is here.

Here is the summary activity on Bowlby that I asked you to fill in at the end.

Wednesday, 7 January 2015

Attachment introduction



Today we looked at what an attachment is (a reciprocal, emotional bond that endures over time), and how and why children form their first attachments to their parents. We discussed the learning theory of attachment; a behavioural model that states that attachments form because of associations between food, the caregiver and pleasure. This is a rather simplistic view of attachment in human beings, and we looked at two studies that don't support the learning theory.

Schaffer & Emerson found that the babies weren't always attached to the people who fed them - responsiveness and interaction were more important. Harlow's monkeys showed us that even non-human primates prefer comfort to just purely being fed.

Today's powerpoints are here and here.

Don't forget the MOCK EXAM: Friday 16th January, P3 and P4. Questions on Memory, Stress and Research Methods.