A connectionist model of secure attachment responses in the strange situation procedure

Abstract

[cat] En aquesta tesi es presenta un model computacional del vincle afectiu en humans. El vincle afectiu s'identifica com aquells comportaments que resulten en proximitat física amb els cuidadors, per exemple plorar, cridar, seguir, o aferrar-se. Des del punt de vist del desenvolupament, s'ha trobat que una relació adequada de vincle afectiu es important de cara al benestar emocional.

En aquest treball ens hem centrat en el comportament d'infants d'1 any d'edat en el procediment psicològic conegut com la situació estranya. El model desenvolupat constitueix la primera especificació precisa i motivada psicològicament del comportament dels infants en la situació estranya. L'agent autònom desenvolupat, els comportaments del qual s'han validat en un entorn de simulació que reprodueix la situació estranya, genera respostes que convergeixen amb el comportament observat en infants reals. Addicionalment, el model s'ha validat en condicions de simulació diferents a la situació estranya, i s'han obtingut respostes coherents.

[eng] In this thesis a computational model of human attachment behavior is presented. Attachment is a species-wide phenomenon, which can be identified as those behaviors that bring about or maintain proximity to caregivers. This tendency can be witnessed in such infant behaviors as crying, calling, following, and clinging. Developmentally, healthy attachment relationships have been found to be of remarkable import for emotional well-being. In this work we have focused on the behavior of 1-year-old infants in the psychological procedure known as the strange situation. We have built an autonomous agent the control system of which is based on the concept of the attachment behavioral system. This theoretical construct describes, in terms of control systems, how attachment behaviors are organized as a goal-directed system. The model developed constitutes the first psychologically motivated, computationally precise specification of infants’ behavior in the strange situation. The autonomous agent developed, which has been tested in a high-fidelity simulation environment replicating the strange situation, generates responses which are coherent with the observed behaviors of 1-year-old infants in that psychological procedure. Additionally, the model has been preliminary tested in simulated conditions different than those used for its development, generating plausible responses.