Explanation Of Attachment: Learning Theory Flashcards
What does learning theory focus on
Focuses on classical and operant conditioning, emphasis on attachment figure as someone who provides food ‘cupboard love’
Process of classical conditioning to form attachment
Milk UCS that elicits UCR of happiness as relieved of hunger, mother NS eliciting no response in baby, during conditioning milk UCS and mother NS eliciting UCR of happiness, repeated pairing of mother and milk, mother becomes CS eliciting CR of happiness in baby
How does attachment form in classical conditioning
Attachment forms as a secondary drive forming because it meets the needs of a primary drive(hunger)
-attachment relationship becomes associated with satisfying a primary drive and so itself becomes the source of satisfaction
Outline how attachment positively reinforced
-baby cries and caregiver responds and if this is the desired response eg feeding then the crying behaviour is positively reinforced increases the likelihood that behaviour is rpeeated
Outline how attachment can be negatively reinforced
Infant cries and caregiver picks up infant and infant stops crying if this is desired response, mother avoids the negative consequence of crying therefore being negatively reinforced, increases likelihood of chance of behaviour being repeated by mother
Expand on limitation that there is counter-evidence from animal research
-range of animal studies show young animals do not necessarily attach to those who feed them eg Lorenz’s geese imprinted before they were fed and maintained attachments regardless of who fed them/Harlow’s monkeys attached to a soft surrogate in presence of wire one that dispensed milk
-suggests attachment doesn’t form as result of feeding which challenges role of primary drive in attachment formation
Expand on limitation that approach ignores other factors associated with forming attachments
-eg reciprocity and interactional synchrony, suggest best quality attachments are with sensitive careers that pick up infant signals and respond appropriately
-challenges internal validity, would be no purpose of these complex interactions if attachment developed purely as a result of feeding
Expand on limitation that there is counter-evidence from human research
-feeding does not appear to be an important factor in humans, Schaffer and Emerson’s study many of the babies developed a primary attachment to biological mother even though other carers did most of the feeding
-feeding not key element to attachment, no UCS/ primary drive involved
