L5 - Learning Theory of Attachment

Question 1

What is Learning Theory?

Answer 1

• all behvaiour is learnt rather than being innate or inherited from parents
• can learn behaviour through 2 types of conditioning - classical conditioning + operant conditioning

Question 2

How does classical conditioning work?

Answer 2

• infant born with certain reflex responses e.g food is unconditioned stimulus which produces reflex response of pleasure is unconditioned response
• person providing food is neutral stimulus but overtime become associated with the pleasure gained from food - person becomes conditioned stimulus that produces pleasure as conditioned response
• according to classical conditioning this is how the attachment bond develops + is the reason children feel pleasure in their caregiver’s presence

Question 3

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 3

• strengthens attachment
• baby recieves positive reinforcement (when behaviour prod pleasant consequence) for crying when they are hungry as the caregiver feeds them
• caregiver recieves negative reinforcement (when behaviour removes something unpleasant) for feeding their baby when they cry as feeding their baby makes crying stop

Question 4

What are the strengths of the Learning Theory?

Answer 4

• plausible + scientific as it is founded in established theory
• likely that association berween provision of needs + the person providing those needs can lead to strong attachments

Question 5

What are the weaknesses of the Learning Theory?

Answer 5

• Harlow (1959) seperated baby rhesus monkey’s form their mothers + put them in cages. Either given milk from ‘surrogate mother’ wire mesh or one made from comfortable soft cloth. When monkeys scared by aversive stimulus they clung to soft cloth mother even if it wasn’t the ‘mother’ that provided milk suggesting that comfort has greater significance than food when determining whom baby would form attachment to
• Schaffer + Emerson (1964) found that food not necessary for attachment to form. Discovered that babies often attached to people who play with them, rather than people who feed them. In 39% of cases even though mother fed baby, baby more attached to someone else
• theory explains HOW attachments form not WHY they form. According to Bowlby’s theory of attachment, infants form an attachment to their caregiver to ensure they are protected
• Learning theory is environmentally reductionist as it explains complex human behaviour in overly simplistic way. Infant + caregiver relationship is very varied, sophisticated and complicated behaviour, and there are many different types of infant + caregiver attachment. Therefore very unlikely that attachment merely result of caregiver providing infant with food
• Learning theory is environmentally deterministic because it states that early learning determines later attachment behaviour