Explanations of Attachment Flashcards
What is the the classical conditioning model to describe how an infant becomes attached to their mother because they provide food
Food (UCS) → Happiness (UCR)
Food (UCS) + Mother (NS) → Happiness (UCR)
Mother (CS) → Happiness (CR)
How does operant conditioning strengthen the mothers feeding behaviour
- Negative reinforcement for the mother:
○ A hungry baby will cry.
○ Crying is an unpleasant stimulus for the mother.
○ Therefore the mother will feed the baby.
By doing this the behaviour of feeding is strengthened.
How does operant conditioning strengthen the behaviour of the babies crying
- Negative reinforcement for the baby:
○ For the baby the unpleasant stimulus is hunger.
○ The baby will cry to be fed.
○ Once they get food the unpleasant stimulus is removed.
○ Therefore the behaviour of crying to get food is strengthened.
Strength of learning theory as an explanation of attachment
Lab based research- high internal validity, high levels of control, However this reduces the ecological validity as it cannot be applied to a real life setting
Weaknesses of learning theory as an explanation of attachment
Contradictory research- Schaffer and Emerson’s research suggests that it is quality of time not quantity that leads to attachment formation. They found 40% of infants were attached to more responsive people who provided stimulation rather than those who fed them. This is a limitation of the explanation because it suggests that the learning theory explanation is reductionist, not taking into account other factors that could impact attachment
Contradictory research- Harlow’s research into Rhesus Monkeys showed that monkeys preferred contact comfort over food but these findings cannot be accurately generalised as it was researched on monkeys and not humans
SLT provides an alternate explanation- Dake Gay and Jo Vespo (1988) suggests that parents teach children to form attachments by modelling attachment behaviours such as hugging. Furthermore, parents also reinforce loving behaviour by showing approval when babies display their own attachment behaviour. This explanation fits better with the idea of reciprocity being important and suggests that there is a two way interaction between carer and infant. This highlights the limitation of the learning theory explanation of attachment formation as it fails to suggest how infants learn attachment behaviour through observing their environment
One limitation of the learning theory explanation of attachment formation is the reductionist stance of learning theory. The learning theory explanation suggests that attachments are formed as a result of learning from their environment; this highlights the importance of nurture over nature in the learning theory explanation. This is a significant limitation of the explanation as it reduces complex interactions between caregivers and infants into stimulus-responses
