Understanding Attachment
The term ‘attachment’ makes reference to an intense and emotional relationship between two people.
“It is not just a connection between two people. It is a bond that involves a persons desire for regular contact with that person and the experience of distress during separation from that person” (Ainsworth, M. 1958)
Two of the biggest contributors to the understanding of attachment are Harry Harlow (1905 - 1981) and Mary Ainsworth (1913 - 1999).
In 1958, psychologist Harry Harlow conducted a series of experiments to investigate an infants bond with its mother or care provider.
Due to the ethics at the time of his studies, it was impossible for Harlow to conduct these experiments using human subjects, so he conducted them using Rhesus monkeys. (Custance, D. 2012)
Harlow was initially conducting research into the intelligence of the monkeys, until he observed some behaviours being displayed by the infant monkeys when they were separated from their mothers, due to disease.
What followed these observations is Harlow’s research into attachment.
Harlow carried out a series of studies that placed the infant monkeys in different situations. These independent variables included the introduction of a wire ‘mother’ which was cold and hard but provided a source of food and a soft, warm terry cloth ‘mother’. The studies concluded the infants showed preference to the comfort and security the terry cloth mother gave to the infants, rather than the source of food the wire mother provided.
Other independent variables included the ‘Iron Maiden mother’. Harlow built this ‘mother’ to study the impact of abuse on the infants. Harlow also explored the effects of isolation on the infants. both partial and complete, to identify the effects these had on the infants as they grew into adult monkeys, over a period of 20years.
In 1950, developmental psychologist Mary Ainsworth joined scientist John Bowlby’s research team.
Bowlby was the first person to produce a theory to
“It is not just a connection between two people. It is a bond that involves a persons desire for regular contact with that person and the experience of distress during separation from that person” (Ainsworth, M. 1958)
Two of the biggest contributors to the understanding of attachment are Harry Harlow (1905 - 1981) and Mary Ainsworth (1913 - 1999).
In 1958, psychologist Harry Harlow conducted a series of experiments to investigate an infants bond with its mother or care provider.
Due to the ethics at the time of his studies, it was impossible for Harlow to conduct these experiments using human subjects, so he conducted them using Rhesus monkeys. (Custance, D. 2012)
Harlow was initially conducting research into the intelligence of the monkeys, until he observed some behaviours being displayed by the infant monkeys when they were separated from their mothers, due to disease.
What followed these observations is Harlow’s research into attachment.
Harlow carried out a series of studies that placed the infant monkeys in different situations. These independent variables included the introduction of a wire ‘mother’ which was cold and hard but provided a source of food and a soft, warm terry cloth ‘mother’. The studies concluded the infants showed preference to the comfort and security the terry cloth mother gave to the infants, rather than the source of food the wire mother provided.
Other independent variables included the ‘Iron Maiden mother’. Harlow built this ‘mother’ to study the impact of abuse on the infants. Harlow also explored the effects of isolation on the infants. both partial and complete, to identify the effects these had on the infants as they grew into adult monkeys, over a period of 20years.
In 1950, developmental psychologist Mary Ainsworth joined scientist John Bowlby’s research team.
Bowlby was the first person to produce a theory to