The idea that early bonding experience is important is supported by Harlow. He removed infant monkeys from their mothers soon after birth and raised them with surrogate wire or cloth covered `mothers`. He found that this early experience had long-term consequences. For example, whilst their physical health was unaffected, they had problems with emotional development. As adults they had poor social and parenting skills. Harlow said that the monkeys had experienced maternal deprivation.
The research of Lorenz and Harlow was supported by Bowlby, who applied their ideas to the human infant-caregiver relationship. Bowlby argued that infants have an instinct to form an attachment to one caregiver (this is called monotropy) and that the quality of this relationship is important for healthy psychological development. Care is encouraged by the infant through signalling behaviours, e.g. smiling and crying.
Bowlby’s evolutionary perspective has been very influential and has stimulated a great deal of research. However, it has been questioned whether or not the findings of research into lower animals could or should be applied directly to humans. Humans are far more complex than other animals in their feelings and emotions. Some of Bowlby’s core concepts have also been questioned, for example he over-emphasised the importance of attachment to one person since research shows that children are capable of multiple attachments.
One strength of the evolutionary perspective theory of attachment is that imprinting in non-human animals supported by a ethologist called Konrad Lorenz. In his view he says that imprinting is innate because the goslings imprinted on the first moving object they saw whether it was a goose or Lorenz himself. A similar process is likely to have evolved in many species as a mechanism to protect young animals and enhance the likelihood of their survival.
One weakness of the evolutionary perspective theory of attachment is that it is debatable whether or not the rules of behaviour which apply to simpler animals such as monkeys and geese apply to humans. Humans are highly developed intellectually and emotionally, making us much more complex.
Another strength of the theory is that Schaffer and Emerson observed that strongly attached infants had mothers who responded quickly to their demands and who offered their child the most interaction. Infants who were weakly attached had mothers who failed to interact with them.
Another weakness of the theory is that the evolutionary theory believes that there is a `critical period` in which an attachment must be formed or else it won’t occur. However, there is quite a lot of evidence that goes against this.