Gagliardi, Marcantonio ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7275-6315 (2022) Human attachment as a multi-dimensional control system: a computational implementation. Frontiers in Psychology, 13:844012. ISSN 1664-1078 (Online) (doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.844012)

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Abstract

Attachment is an emotional bond between two people where one seeks care from the other. In the prototypical case, the child attaches to their mother. The most recent theoretical developments point out that attachment is multidimensional – meaning that the phenomenon pertains to multiple domains related to the relationship with the caregiver. However, researchers have so far modeled attachment computationally by mostly adopting a classical categorical (as opposed to dimensional) standpoint that sees the system as controlling caregiver proximity. In contrast, we adopt here a dimensional perspective (DP) and consider dimensions to be the system’s set-goals. We hypothesize that the resulting multidimensional controller should lead to valid (or even better) models of the phenomenon. To start testing this hypothesis, we built a DP-informed agent-based model of attachment inspired by the widely-studied Strange Situation Procedure. In this context, child and mother show the nature of attachment bonds through their behavioral and emotional expressions. By modeling them as point-agents moving in a two-dimensional arena, we simulated child-mother interactions for the avoidant and ambivalent attachment dimensions. The generated dynamical patterns – characterized by the alternation between approach and exploration – matched those described in the attachment literature, thereby confirming the implementability and validity of the DP.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	attachment; mother-child; dimension; representation; control system; agent-based model; simulation; strange situation
Subjects:	B Philosophy. Psychology. Religion > BF Psychology Q Science > QA Mathematics > QA75 Electronic computers. Computer science
Faculty / School / Research Centre / Research Group:	Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development > Centre for Exercise Activity and Rehabilitation Faculty of Education, Health & Human Sciences > Institute for Lifecourse Development > Centre for Mental Health
Related URLs:	Publisher
Last Modified:	11 May 2023 12:39
URI:	http://gala.gre.ac.uk/id/eprint/37503

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