the infant's emotional tie to the mother as adaptive. The baby is seen as biologically prepared to contribute to the attachment relationship; the environment and cognitive development are included in the emergence of a mature attachment relationship. For Bowlby, the enduring affectional tie to the caregiver emerges from experiences during the first two years of life. Once the attachment is firmly established the bond is said to bridge time and distance and the child no longer needs to engage in proximity-seeking behaviors. Ethological theory is bidirectional and secure attachment depends on the baby's equipment for evoking responsive caregiving as well as sensitive maternal behavior. Bowlby divides the development of attachment into four phases (Berk, 1991).
The preattachment phase is from birth to six weeks. This phase includes behavior of the infant that consists largely of genetically determined reflexes that have survival value. Grasping, smiling, crying, and tracking with the eyes, helps the infant orient toward and signal the caretaker. Babies are biased to respond to stimuli coming from others since they are comforted when picked up or coddled. Rudimentary sensory recognition of the mother is found during this phase; even neonates are found to prefer their own mother's voice and the process of distinguishing mother is facilitated by maternal emotional cues (Berk, 1991).
The attachment-in-the-making phase is from six weeks to six or eight months. During this time infants orient toward and respond with preference to the mother. Babies smile and vocalize more to the mother and quiet more quickly when picked up by the mother. During this phase infants do not yet protest when separated from their mother; they become anxious and upset when left alone (Berk, 1991).
The clearcut attachment phase is from six or eight months to 18 months or two years. Attachment to the mother is now clearly e
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