Attachment: Learning Theory Flashcards
what’s the learning theory of attachment?
the idea that children are born with blank slates and everything is learnt through experiences. the babies have to learn to form attachments with its mother through classical and operant conditioning. cupboard love = we form attachments with the person that provides us with food. hunger is the primary drive and attachment is a result of the association of felling less hungry.
what’s the classical conditioning to form these attachments?
the baby forms an association between the mother (NS) and the pleasure of being fed (UCR). first the baby is comforted by food, the mother is present everytime the baby is fed. it associates the mother with the pleasure of being fed and then the mother becomes the CS and also causes the child pleasure.
what’s the operant conditioning way of forming attachments?
the child carries out an action (crying) which triggers the response of the mother comforting/feeding the child. the more this happens, the more its reinforced as the child associates the mother with these rewards. food is the primary reinforcer and the mother is the secondary reinforcer.
what’s the contradictory evidence from animal studies for the learning theory? (A03)
Harlow demonstrated that contact comfort is more important than food in the development of attachment, where the baby monkeys form a primary attachment with the cloth-bound mother regardless of which mother dispenses milk. this suggests there is no UCS of food.
what’s the contradictory evidence from human studies for the learning theory? (A03)
Brazleton emphasised the importance of interactional synchrony and reciprocity in the secure formation of attachments. attachment was formed to the person who was most attentive to the baby’s needs and responded to their signals efficiently. this means the UCS of food is irrelevant.
what’s the loss of focus on interactional sychrony and reciprocity? (A03)
the focus on UCS and CS means there’s a loss of focus. Interactional synchrony and reciprocity are both universal features of attachment as should be treated as such, as demonstrated by Feldman and Brazleton. learning theory doesn’t account for these aspects so is a limited explanation of only some aspects of attachment formation.
