Attachment Theory Studies Overview

Attachment Theory Studies

• Lorenz (1935): Imprinting in Birds

  • Divided gosling eggs into two groups: one hatched naturally, the other in an incubator.
  • Goslings followed the first moving object they saw (either mother or researcher).
  • Imprinting occurs during a critical period shortly after birth.
  • Generalization to humans limited due to human attachment complexity.

• Harlow (1958): Monkey Attachment

  • Raised baby monkeys with wire and cloth "mothers".
  • Monkeys preferred cloth mother, showing comfort importance over food.
  • Ethical concerns regarding monkey distress. Generalization to humans is limited.

• Ainsworth (1978): Strange Situation

  • Measured attachment in infants through a controlled observation.
  • Examined responses to caregiver and stranger's presence and absence.
  • Identified three attachment styles:
    • Secure: Comforted by caregiver upon return, distressed on separation.
    • Insecure-avoidant: Avoids caregiver, little distress on separation, avoids caregiver on return.
    • Insecure-resistant: Clingy, distressed on separation, resists comfort on return.
  • Possible cultural bias in attachment behaviors (ethnocentric).

• Bowlby (1944): 44 Thieves Study

  • Compared 44 juvenile thieves to a control group.
  • Assessed affectionless psychopathy and maternal deprivation.
  • 14 thieves were identified with affectionless psychopathy, and 12 had experienced prolonged maternal separation.
  • A correlational study, not causal. Biased retrospective data.

• Rutter et al. (1998): Romanian Orphan Study

  • Followed Romanian orphans adopted to UK families.
  • Compared adoption timing (before 6 months, 6–24 months, after 2 years).
  • Earlier adoption resulted in better outcomes.
  • Delayed adoption linked to disinhibited attachment (indiscriminate friendliness).
  • Extreme Romanian orphanage conditions may limit generalizations to other contexts.

• Hazan and Shaver (1987): Love Quiz Study

  • Surveyed adults about their attachment styles and relationship patterns.
  • Found correlations between childhood attachment and romantic relationships.
  • Secure attachment linked to more positive relationships.
  • Relied on self-report, which can be biased.

• Schaffer and Emerson (1964): Stages of Attachment

  • Longitudinal study of 60 working-class infants in Glasgow.
  • Found four stages of attachment development, based on monthly visits and observation.
    • Asocial (0-6 weeks): Similar response to people and things.
    • Indiscriminate (6 weeks - 7 months): Preference for familiar faces but comfort from anyone.
    • Specific (7-9 months): Primary attachment with one caregiver, separation and stranger anxiety.
    • Multiple (10+ months): Attachments to multiple caregivers.
  • Primary attachment was frequently not with the feeder but the responsive caregiver.
  • Limited sample size results in limited generalizability. Data based on maternal reports may introduce bias.

Explore key studies in attachment theory, including Lorenz's imprinting in birds, Harlow's monkey experiments, and Ainsworth's Strange Situation. Understand how these experiments shaped our understanding of attachment styles and their implications on human behavior. Delve into the ethical considerations and limitations of generalizing animal studies to human attachment patterns.