learning theory of attachment

Question 1

what is the learning theory?

Answer 1

• infants learn to become attached to their primary caregiver via classical and operant conditioning
• the main focus of this theory is food, the infant will form an attachment to whoever feeds them (the cupboard love approach)

Question 2

classical conditioning

Answer 2

before conditioning
- food (uc stimulus) = relief from hunger (UC response)
- caregiver (neutral stimulus) = no response

during conditioning
- caregiver (neutral stimulus) + food (UC stimulus) = relief from hunger (uc response)

after conditioning
- caregiver (c stimulus) = relief from hunger (c response)

Question 3

operant conditioning

Answer 3

• use the principles of pos and neg reinforcement and punishment to explain human attachment
• when an infant is hungry they cry to receive comfort, the caregiver gives them food which causes pleasure (pos reinforcement), so the behaviour is repeated
• this reinforcement is reciprocal, the caregiver receives a reward when the child stops crying (neg reinforcement)
• hunger is the primary drive and food is the primary reinforcer
• attachment (secondary drive) occurs as the infant seeks out the person supplying the reward (secondary reinforcer)

Question 4

give a strength of the learning theory of attachment
1/2

Answer 4

elements of conditioning are likely to be associated with attachment. a baby can associate warmth and comfort with a specific caregiver or adult, influencing their attachment to that person and its strength

Question 5

give a strength of the learning theory of attachment
2/2

Answer 5

the theory has practical real-world applications for parenting. it can help suggest ways for parents to improve their attachment with their child by becoming more involved with the feeding process, this allows parents to become more aware on how to form better and more secure attachments with their children, ultimately positively impacting the development of future attachments

Question 6

give a limitation of the learning theory of attachment
1/4

Answer 6

contrasted by harlow. he found that baby rhesus monkeys showed a preference for the soft towelling mother that provided no food, compared to the wire mother who did provide food, they formed attachments based on contact comfort rather than food. this contradicts the cupboard love theory, suggesting that alternative processes to attachment may have been ignored

Question 7

give a limitation of the learning theory of attachment
2/4

Answer 7

contrasted by lorenz. he found that after hatching, the goslings imprinted on the first moving object they saw, this process appears to be innate as the goslings had no time to learn this behaviour. this indicates that animals can display some inborn attachment behaviours rather than purely learning attachment based on who feeds us

Question 8

give a limitation of the learning theory of attachment
3/4

Answer 8

much of the research supporting the learning theory is criticised for being over-reliant on animals. for example, pavlov’s research on dogs and skinner’s research on rats and pigeons. these studies provide an oversimplified account of attachment formation, a complex emotional bond between an infant and their caregiver. the learning theory may lack validity as we cannot confidently generalise findings from animal studies to humans

Question 9

give a limitation of the learning theory of attachment
4/4

Answer 9

an alternative to the learning theory was proposed by bowlby. he suggested that infants have an innate readiness to form an attachment to their primary caregiver during the critical period. this evolutionary perspective explains how an attachment forms, and why (to aid survival). his theory provides a more comprehensive explanation of attachment, rather than simplifying such a complex behaviour to a simple stimulus-response association