Modelling emotional attachment: An integrative framework for architectures and scenarios

Abstract

Abstract-Humans possess a strong innate predisposition to emotionally attach to familiar people around them who provide physical or emotional security. Attachment Theory describes and explains diverse phenomena related to this predisposition, including: infants using their carers as secure-bases from which to explore, and havens of safety to return to when tired or anxious, the development of attachment patterns over ontogenetic and phylogenetic development, and emotional responses to separation and loss throughout the lifespan. This paper proposes that one way for computational modelling to integrate these phenomena is to organise them within temporally nested scenarios, with moment to moment phenomena organised within ontogenetic and phylogenetic sequences. A number of existing agent-based models and robotic attachment simulations capture attachment behaviour, but individual simulations created with different tools and modelling approaches typically do not integrate easily with each other. Two ways to better integrate attachment model are proposed. First, a number of simulations are described that have been created with the same agent-based modelling toolkit, so showing that moment to moment secure base behaviour and the development of individual differences in attachment security can be simulated with closely related architectural designs. Secondly, an integrative modelling approach is proposed where the evaluation of, and comparison between attachment models is guided by reference to a shared conceptual framework for architectures provided by the CogAff schema. This approach can integrate a broad range of emotional processes including: the formation of a set of richer internal representations; and loss of control that can occur in emotional episodes.

Human attachment as a multi-dimensional control system: A computational implementation

“…Adopting this perspective should help solve the limitations inherent to the early theory. This model also confirms the adequacy of the ABMs for the investigation of attachment (Petters and Waters, 2015).…”

“…(2) As Petters and Waters (2015) discuss, ABMs have demonstrated to be a valuable choice to simulate attachment. Petters and Beaudoin (2017) describe an ABM underpinned by the CogAff ( Sloman, 2008 ), an architecture developed to implement both cognitive and affective phenomena.…”

“…Testing the effects of these factors on the simulation outcomes would be particularly interesting. For example, Petters and Waters (2015) suggested the initial configuration may be crucial for the attachment learning process, which seems to contradict the expected caregiver's capacity to compensate for possible unpredictable factors. (5) Attachment relationships are part of our life, which, of course, can involve any motivation.…”

The attachment control system and computational modeling: Origins and prospects.

“…A single model can include interacting agents that represent infants, caregivers and strangers, so enabling the Strange Situation Procedure to be simulated (Petters & Waters, 2015). The care-giver software agents that are used to model Strange Situation studies can also be used in simulations of the Adult Attachment Interview (Petters & Beaudoin, 2017;Petters & Coyne-Umfreville, 2017). Having such diverse types of empirical data, from the many empirical attachment measures now used as well as the many perspectives that attachment research now follows, allow attachment model evaluation and validation by constraining models to simulate such a broad specification of requirements (Petters, 2004(Petters, , 2006a).…”

“…The potential integrative benefits of attachment modeling are underscored by looking at how models can bring together elements from the great diversity of approaches in contemporary attachment theory. A single model can include interacting agents that represent infants, caregivers, and strangers, so enabling the strange situation procedure to be simulated (Petters, 2006b;Petters & Waters, 2015). The caregiver software agents that are used to model strange situation studies can also be used in simulations of the Adult Attachment Interview (Petters & Beaudoin, 2017;Petters & Coyne-Umfreville, 2017).…”