An encounter between 4e cognition and attachment theory

PETTERS, Dean (2016). An encounter between 4e cognition and attachment theory. Connection Science, 28 (4), 387-409.

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Official URL: https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/09540...
Open Access URL: http://www.cs.bham.ac.uk/~ddp/petters4e_attachment...
Link to published version:: https://doi.org/10.1080/09540091.2016.1214947

Abstract

This paper explores a constructive revision of the conceptual underpinnings of Attachment Theory through an encounter with the diverse elements of 4e cognition. Attachment relationships involve the development of preference for one or a few carers and expectations about their availability and responsiveness as a haven of safety and a base from which to explore. In attachment theory, mental representations have been assigned a central organising role in explaining attachment phenomena. The 4e cognition approaches in cognitive science raise a number of questions about the development and interplay of attachment and cognition. These include: (1) the nature of what Bowlby called ‘internal working models of attachment’; (2) the extent to which the infant–carer dyad functions as an extension of the infant's mind; and (3) whether Bowlby's attachment control system concept can be usefully re-framed in enactive terms where traditional cognitivist representations are: (3i) substituted for sensorimotor skill-focused mediating representations; (3ii) viewed as arising from autopoietic living organisms; and/or (3iii) mostly composed from the non-contentful mechanisms of basic minds? A theme that cross-cuts these research questions is how representations for capturing meaning, and structures for adaptive control, are both required to explain the full range of behaviour of interest to Attachment Theory researchers.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: Artificial Intelligence & Image Processing; 0801 Artificial Intelligence and Image Processing; 1702 Cognitive Sciences
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1080/09540091.2016.1214947
Page Range: 387-409
SWORD Depositor: Symplectic Elements
Depositing User: Symplectic Elements
Date Deposited: 06 Aug 2020 11:24
Last Modified: 17 Mar 2021 23:48
URI: https://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/25442

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