learning theory of attachment

Question 1

what is the learning theory?

Answer 1

Learning theory suggests attachment develops through classical and operant
conditioning.

According to classical conditioning food (UCS) produces pleasure (UCR). The mother is associated with the pleasure and becomes a conditioned stimulus.

the attachment is reinforced through operant conditioning- positive and negative reinforcement

According to operant conditioning food satisfies the infant’s hunger and makes it feel comfortable again (drive
reduction). Food is therefore a primary reinforcer. The mother is associated with food and becomes a secondary reinforcer. The infant becomes attached to the mother because she is a source of reward.

Question 2

negative evaluation- harlow

Answer 2

harlow goes agaisnt the learning theory as the monkeys spent 22 hours a day with the cloth covered mother rather than the mother that had a food dispenser

therefore the attachment was not based on food, it was based on comfort

Question 3

negative evaluation- lorenz

Answer 3

lorenzs study showed that attachment is innate as the birds formed an attachment and imprinted on lorenz without needing to be fed. this shows that food is not needed to form an attachment

Question 4

shaffer and emmerson for the learning theory

Answer 4

attachment comes from sensetive responsiveness - being in tune with the needs of the infant

this can involve food (knowing the baby needs feeding) but doesnt directly support learning theory because it also involves the need for comfort and care

Question 5

the theory has face validity

Answer 5

we know that other mammilian animals form bonds based on food and association so it is possible that humans act the same way
behavioursists suggest there is no difference in human and animal behaviour

Question 6

how does bowlby criticise the learning theory?`

Answer 6

it fails to account for the importance of evolutionary adaptations

bowlby suggests that attachment is innate and can only occur during a critical period

bowlby rejects the idea that attachments are passive e.g classical and operant conditioning and instead suggests that babies use social releasers to actively seek out an attachment figure even if it does not feed them

Question 7

learning theory is reductionist

Answer 7

attachment is a complex emotional and social behaviour and it needs to be studied holistically taking into account lifestyle factors like poverty personality/ temperament

humanistic researchers would criticise learning theorists for attempting to reduce it down to a simple stimulus and response

instead, each attachment case must be viewed as complex and individual

Question 8

brazelton et al

Answer 8

emphasised the importance of interactional synchrony and reciprocity in the formation of attachments between caregiver and infant

attachments don’t form to the person who spends the most time with the infant, but rather to the person who is most attentive to the infant and deals with their signals the most skilfully.

this means that the unconditioned stimulus food is irrelevant in most cases