Attachment - Explanations Of Attachment: Learning Theory

Question 1

What was Dollard & Miller’s learning theory explanation for caregiver-infant attachment?

Answer 1

‘Cupboard love’ - Emphasises the importance of the caregiver as a provider of food & children learn to love whoever feeds them

Question 2

How is this theory explained with classical conditioning?

Answer 2

Food serves as the unconditioned stimulus (being fed gives pleasure which isnt a learned response)
Caregiver is the neutral stimulus - same person is presented with food overtime is associated with food so the baby produces a conditioned response of pleasure whenever the caregiver is seen (aka love)

Question 3

How is this theory explained with operant conditioning?

Answer 3

Explains why babies cry for comfort - crying leads to response from caregiver and if caregiver gives the correct response the behaviour is reinforced (aka positive reinforcement)
The caregiver receives negative reinforcement as crying stops (they’ve escaped something unpleasant & avoided the consequence)
This strengthens the attachment between them

Question 4

How is attachment a secondary drive?

Answer 4

Hunger - primary drive (innate, biological motivator)
Sears et al -> caregivers provide food so the primary drive of hunger is generalised to them (attachment is a secondary drive learned between the caregiver and the satisfaction of the primary drive)

Question 5

What is a strength of this theory?

Answer 5

Some elements of conditioning are involved -> many aspects of human behaviour are affected by conditioning so it is still credible to say that association between primary caregiver & comfort & social interaction is part of what builds attachment

Question 6

What are some limitations of this theory?

Answer 6

Counter evidence (animal research) -> Lorenz & Harlow (the animals didnt attach to those who fed them) so if attachment doesnt develop this way in animals the same must be true for humans (learning theorists believe animals & humans are equivalent)

Counter evidence (humans) -> Schaffer & Emerson (most babies developed primary attachment to the bio mother although other carers did most of the feeding) - shows feeding isnt the key element to attachment + quality of attachment is associated with reciprocity & interactional synchrony (if attachment was purely based on feeding there would be no need for these complex interactions & there wouldn’t be any relationships between them and the quality of infant-caregiver attachment

Question 7

What new learning theory explanation did Hay & Vespo develop?

Answer 7

Based on social learning theory -> suggest parents teach children to love them through modelling attachment behaviour e.g. hugging them & other family members/ rewarding them with approval when they display attachment behaviour to others