3.3.3 The Critical Period and Internal Working Model

Critical period:

A specific time period during which babies can form an attachment to their main caregiver

According to Bowlby's monotropic theory, attachments are biologically pre-programmed into babies and their caregivers through the process of evolution

Attachments in babies are driven by the need to survive
Attachments in caregivers are driven by a need to protect babies from danger

Social releasers:

Innate behaviours that babies perform to attract the attention of their caregivers

Following
Crying
Crawling
Smiling (Caregivers are biologically pre-programmed to respond to social releasers)

According to Bowlby's monotropic theory, babies are biologically pre-programmed to perform social releasers because they help to attract the attention of caregivers to ensure they get what they need

Internal working model:

Early attachments with caregivers act as a schema used to form expectations and beliefs about relationships in the future.

Sensitive responsiveness: The responsiveness of the caregiver to the infant's needs, caregivers with high sensitive responsiveness respond quickly when the baby tries to interact with them. E.g., crying=milk

Continuity hypothesis:

Attachment styles will remain constant from infancy to adulthood.

Evaluation:

infoNote

P: Bowlby's emphasis on the importance of attachments for a baby's emotional development leads to positive changes in real-world policy. E: For example, visiting hours for children in hospitals were lengthened so parents could spend more time with their children

E: Therefore, Bowlby's theory has practical application as it has led to useful reforms

P: Observations from Metapelites in Israel, support Bowlby's monotropic attachment theory as it shows that attachments are formed to the main caregiver

infoNote

P: However, Shaffer and Emerson's study of stages of attachment doesn't support Bowlby's theory because they found that in the multiple attachment stage 87% to two or more caregivers. E: For example, making mothers feel guilted into staying at home and raising their children

E: This led to a reduction in the number of women in the workforce, which is bad for the economy and for the women who were made to feel guilty

P: Bowlby's theory had some unintended negative consequences in the real world

Support for Bowlby's theory:

Lorenz and the Goslings

infoNote

Lorenz split eggs into two groups

The control group was left to hatch normally in the presence of the mother goose, the way the geese are normally born.
The experimental group was hatched in an incubator, away from their mother. Lorenz made sure to be the first thing these baby geese saw when they hatched.

Findings:

Baby geese form attachments immediately after birth, suggesting that the attachment is biologically pre-programmed.
This attachment isn't necessarily formed with the mother, baby geese form an attachment to the first thing they see when they're born. (imprinting)

infoNote

Imprinting: An attachment made immediately to the first thing an infant sees (person or object), suggesting that their attachment was biologically pre-programmed.

Relevance to Bowlby:

Lorenz's study of geese provided support for three features of Bowlby's model:

The fact that imprinting occurred immediately from birth supports the idea that attachments are biologically pre-programmed, rather than learned from experience
The fact that imprinting was irreversible and only formed onto one animal or person, supports the idea that attachments are monotropic
The fact that imprinting could happen during a narrow time window supports the idea of the critical period

Evaluation - Lorenz:

infoNote

P: Some results weren't replicated in later studies E: For example, Guiton found that imprinting in baby chicks was reversible. Therefore, this provides counter-evidence for the idea that attachments are monotropic as Guitons findings did not completely replicate Lorenz's study

E: This is a weakness as it suggests the results aren't completely valid

infoNote

P: It's likely that goslings and babies have different attachment mechanisms E: For instance, goslings and babies are at very different stages of development when they're born

E: Therefore, the results may not generalise to humans

The Critical Period and Internal Working Model Simplified Revision Notes for A-Level Edexcel Psychology

3.3.3 The Critical Period and Internal Working Model

Critical period:

Social releasers:

Evaluation:

Support for Bowlby's theory:

Lorenz and the Goslings

Findings:

Relevance to Bowlby:

Evaluation - Lorenz:

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