continuity hypothesis - the idea that emotionally secure infants go on to be emotionally secure, trusting and socially confident adults.

Critical period - a biologically determined period of time, during which certain characteristics can develop. Outside of this time window such development will not be possible.

Internal working model - a mental model of the wold which enables individuals to predict and control their environment. In the case of attachment the model relates to a person's expectations about relationships.

Monotropy (monotropic) - the idea that the one relationship that the infant has with his/her primary attachment figure is of special significance in emotional development.

Social releaser - a social behaviour of characteristic that elicits caregiving and leads to attahcment

Parents must also be attached to their infants in order to ensure that they are cared for and survive

Only the parents who look after the offspring that are likely to produce subsequent generations.

Food used to be the main factor that babies would become attached but it was comfort

Infants also form secondary attachments that provide an important emotional safety net and are important for healthy psychological and social development

Internal working model - the infant forms this when they gain their first primary attachment

(1) in the short term it gives the child insight into the caregiver's behaviour and enables the child to influence the caregiver's behaviour , so that a true partnership can formed

(2) in the long term it acts as a template for all future relationships because it generates expectations about what imitate, loving relationships are like.