explanations of attachment - learning theory Flashcards
learning theory and attachment
dollard and miller proposed that caregiver-infant attachment can be explained by learning theory
emphasises the importance of the attachment figure as a provider of food
classical conditioning
learning to associate two stimuli together so that we begin to respond to one in the same way as we always respond to the other
in the case of attachment food serves as an unconditioned stimulus
being fed gives us pleasure which is an unconditioned response
caregiver starts as a neurotransmitter stimulus - produces no response
when the caregiver provides food over time they become associated with food
when the baby sees this person there is an expectation of food
the nuetral stimulus has become the conditioned stimulus
once conditioning has taken place the sight of the caregiver produces a conditioned response of pleasure
an attachment is formed and the caregiver becomes an attachment figure
operant conditioning
involves learning from the consequences of behaviour
if a behaviour produces a pleasant consquence that behaviour is likely to be repeated again
behaviour is said to be reinforced
if a behaviour produces an unpleasant consquence (punishment) it is less likely to be repeated
operant conditioning can examine why babies cry for comfort - an important behaviour in building attachment
crying leads to a response from the caregiver such as feeding
as long as the caregiver provides the correct response crying is reinforced
the baby then directs crying for comfort towards the caregiver who respons with comforting social suppressor behaviour
reinforcement is a two way process
the baby is reinforced for crying and the caregiver receives negative reinforcement because the crying stops - escaping something unpleasant is reinforcing
interlay of mutual reinforcement strengthens an attachment
attachment as a secondary drive
learning theory draws on the concept of drive reduction
hunger can be thought of as a primary drive - its innate , biological motivator
we are motivated to eat in order to rescue the hunger drive
Sears - suggested that as caregivers provide food the primary drive of hunger becomes generalised to them
attachment is a secondary drive learned by an association between the caregiver and the satisfaction of a primary drive
limitation
counter-evidence from animal studies
lack of support from studies conducted on animals
example - lorenz geese imprinted on the first moving object they saw regardless of whether this object was associated with food
hallows research - no support for the importance of food
when given a choice harlows monkeys displayed attachment behaviour towards a soft surrogate mother in preference to the wire one which provided milk
shows that factors other than association with food are importantly in the formation of attachments
limitation
counter evidence from studies on humans
learning theory explanations is lack of support from studies of human babies
Schaffer and Emerson found that babies tended to form their main attachment to their mothers regardless if whether she was the one who usually fed them
Isabella found that high levels of interactional synchrony predicted the quality of attachment
these factors are not related to feeding
suggests that food is not the main factor in the formation of human attachments
strength
some conditioning may be involved
learning theory is that elements of conditioning could be involved in some aspects of attachment
seems unlikely that association with food plays a central role in attachment but conditioning may still play a role
example - a baby may associate feeling warm and comfortable with the presence of a particular adult and this may influence the baby’s choice of their main attachment figure
means that learning theory may still be useful in understanding the development of attachments
