Learning Table 5 - Bowlby’s Evolutionary Theory of Attachment
This theory argues focuses on how attachment is an evolved mechanism that ensures survival of a child.
AO1 (Knowledge and Understanding)
M
(Named on Specification) / A / G / I
(Named on Specification) / C
(Named on Specification)
  1. Monotrophy
The attachment bond is with one special person. Although other relationships are formed, they are qualitatively different from the one involving the infant and primary caregiver. /
  1. Attachment is Adaptive
If behaviour is adaptive, it has evolved because it helps our survival. According to evolutionary psychologists, we have genes which determine all of our behaviours. Those individuals with the ‘best’ behaviour are more likely to survive and reproduce, and so pass on their genes to future generations. Bowlby believed that attachment was a good example of ‘best’ behaviour. /
  1. (Attachment relies on) Good Quality Care
Bowlby said that infants become most attached to those who respond best to their social releasers. He argued that babies are born programmed to behave in ways that encourage attention from adults. E.g. sucking, cooing and crying. He called these social releasers because their purpose is to release instinctive parenting behaviour. Parents are innately programmed to respond to these social releasers. /
  1. The Internal Working Model (Continuity Hypothesis)
From their relationship with their caregiver, the child develops a mental model about how this relationship works. This model then forms the basis of all other relationships the child (and later the adult) forms. For example, if the infant had a warm trusting relationship with his/her primary caregivers, the child will grow up feeling loved and will go on to develop warm and trusting relationships as an adult. /
  1. Critical Period
Bowlby suggested that babies are born with a set of innate ‘cute’ behaviours like smiling and cooing to encourage attention from adults. He called these social releasers because their purpose is to activate the adult attachment system. This interplay gradually builds the basis of the attachment. Bolwby claimed that if attachment does not take place before the age of 2 ½ years old, then it never will. He borrowed these ideas from ethologists (who study animal behaviour in their natural environment) who looked at the rapid formation of attachment in some animal species.
AO3 (Evaluation)
Evidence Against a Critical Period
P: One issue with Bowlby’s theory of attachment is that there is evidence against the idea of a critical period.
E: For example, a case study by Curtiss (1997) reported that Genie was brought up by abusive parents up to the age of 12 when social services discovered her. However she did show some mild attachment behaviours to some of the drs researching her and taking care of her. Furthermore, Tizard & Hodge’s, study of adopted children, found that even children adopted later than the age of 2 ½ managed to form strong attachment bonds to their new parents.
E: This suggests that the assumptions of Bowlby’s critical period are flawed because both cases were well out of the critical period yet showed some attachment behaviour.
L: As a consequence, this reduces the explanatory power of Bowlby’s theory of attachment. / Evidence for the Internal Working Model
P: One strength of Bowlby’s theory is that the idea of the internal working model has empirical evidence to support it.
E: For example, Bailey (2007) questioned 99 teenage mothers with 1 year old babies about their attachment to their own mothers. They also observed the participants with their own young children. They found that those mothers who reported insecure attachments to their own parents were much more likely to have children whose behaviour implied insecure attachment.
E: This suggests that as Bowlby proposed, a pattern of insecure attachment was being passed from one generation to the next.
L: As a result, this provides credible support for Bowlby’s internal working model. / Evidence for Social Releasers
P: Another positive aspect of Bowlby’s theory is that the idea that the quality of attachment depends on the quality of care is supported by research evidence.
E: For example, Brazelton (1975) asked mothers to ignore their baby’s social releasers. He found that the babies became distressed quickly and some even curled up and became motionless, exhibiting signs of depression.
E: These findings support Bowlby’s idea that attachment depends on good quality care and the importance of responding to social releasers.
L: As a result, this provides credible support for Bowlby’s assumption that attachment relies on good quality care.