Explanations of Attachment: learning theory

Question 1

A01

Explain Learning theory

Answer 1

Learning theorists-believe everything is learnt from experience
We learn to form attachments through classical & operant conditioning,
The idea of ‘cupboard love’-we form attachments to person providing us with food
Hunger is a primary drive
attachment is a secondary drive learned by an association formed between caregiver & satisfaction of primary drive reduction i.e. feeling less hungry.

Question 2

A01

Dollard & Miller cuboard love theory
(learning theorists)

Dollard & MIller-learning theorists

Answer 2

Dollard & Miller proposed that caregiver infant attachment can be explained by learning theory
Their approach ‘cupboard love’ emphasises importance of attachment figure as provider of food

Question 3

A01

Learning theories of attachment: Classical conditioning

Answer 3

classical conditioning idea that we learn via association/aquisition of behaviour
We learn when we associate a stimulus with a response.
Classical conditioning of attachment:
Unconditioned stimulus-> Unconditioned response
Food -> Pleasure
In the case of attachment , food serves as unconditioned stimulus , being fed gives us pleasure, it is an unconditioned response
Neutral stimulus-> no response
caregiver
caregiver starts as neutral stimulus ( something that produces no response)
baby forms an association between the caregiver (NS) &
feeling of pleasure with being fed (an innate unconditioned response)
Unconditioned+ neutral stimulus-> Unconditioned response
Food + Cargiver -> Pleasure
When caregiver(NS) provides food (UNS) over time they become associated with the food
Conditioned stimulus-> Conditioned response
Caregiver—-> Pleasure
The neutral stimulus has become a conditioned stimulus. One conditioning has taken place the sight of the caregiver produces a conditioned response of pleasure

Question 4

A01

Explain Operant Conditioning

Answer 4

Operant conditioning Involves learning from the consequences of behaviour
>if behaviour produces pleasent consequence, behaviour is said to be reinforced
>If behaviour produces unpleasant response (punishment)less likely to be repeated
Operant conditioning explains why babies cry for comfort
crying leads to response from cargiver i.e feeding
if caregiver provides correct response-crying reinforced
baby then directs crying fro comfort towards caregiver
Reinforcement-two way process
As baby is reinforced for crying , cargiver recieves negative reinfrocement as crying stops -thus escaping from crying which is unplesant is reinforced.

Question 5

A01

Explain Attachment as a primary drive

Answer 5

A primary drive is something infant needs, biologically, to survive i.e food
A secondary drive is a stimulus that reinforces behaviour after it has been associated with the primary drive
In this case, food is the primary reinforcer and the PCG is the secondary drive as they provide the food
The attachment begins when the infant forgets about the primary drive and looks for the secondary drive- the PCG

Question 6

A03

Explain how Conditioning could be involved in aspects of attachment

Strength

Answer 6

> > Baby may associate feelings of warm & comfort with certain adults.
This may influence babys choice of their main attachment figure
learning theory useful in understanding development of attachments

Question 7

A03

Outline how Classical & Operant Conditioning has been criticised-alert phases

Limitation

Answer 7

Counterpoint-to conditioning strength
Learning theory shows Baby plays a passive role in attachment development, simply responding to associations with comfort/reward.
>researchers show babies take active role in interactions:
> Feldman & Eidelman( alert phases)
> thus conditioning not adequate explanation of any aspect of attachment

Question 8

A03

Lack of support from animal studies

Limitation

Answer 8

Lorenz geese imprinted on first moving object seen, regardless of object associated with food
> Harlow-showed -contact comfort more important than food
> Monkeys formed primary attachment to cloth mother regardless of whether dispensed milk
> food-little influence on attachment formation

Question 9

A03

human studies ( learning theory is reductionist)
Brazelton

Limitation

Answer 9

Brazeleton et al
emphasised importance of interactional synchrony & reciprocity in formation of attachments between primary caregiver & infant
Attachments form not to person who spends most time with infant, but person who is most attentive
suggests food is not main factor in formation of human attachments
Therefore the learning theory is highly reductionist in only looking at food as the main drive behind attachment
It could be said to be over-simplistic in ignoring reciprocity, interactional synchrony which are universal features of attachment