Your psychology professor claims that attachment between an infant and a caregiver must form during a critical period to ensure normal development.Which developmental perspective does your professor support?

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

The concept of critical period is commonly associated with the ethological perspective, which emphasizes the innate behaviors and attachment instincts that are crucial for survival and adaptation in different environments. According to this perspective, there is a sensitive period during which certain experiences must occur in order for normal development to take place. The timing and quality of attachment to a caregiver is seen as particularly important for shaping social, emotional, and cognitive functioning. The behaviorist perspective, in contrast, focuses on the role of reinforcement and conditioning in shaping behavior, and may not emphasize the biological preparedness or timing of learning. The psychoanalytic perspective emphasizes the role of early experiences in shaping unconscious conflicts and personality development, but may not have a specific concept of critical period. The informative-processing perspective focuses on the role of cognitive processes and information processing in shaping behavior, but may not have a specific concept of the biological constraints or timing of learning.

Your Psychology Professor Claims That Attachment Between an Infant and a Caregiver