the learning theory of attachment

Question 1

what does the learning theory of attachments say?

Answer 1

• attachments are learned through the experience of being fed by a caregiver. the reason babies form an attachment to their caregiver is because their caregiver feeds them.
• babies love food so they learn to like anyone or anything that brings them closer to food.
• attachment are learned through the process of conditioning (classical and operant)

Question 2

what is classical conditioning?

Answer 2

when a neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus through repeated association with an unconditioned stimulus.

Question 3

explain how classical conditioning works for babies and their caregivers

Answer 3

from the day they are born, babies love food and feel happy when they are fed so food is an unconditioned stimulus.
on the other hand, babies are born with no feelings towards its caregiver so caregivers are a neutral stimulus.
caregivers feed their babies repeatedly and babies begin to associate their caregivers with being fed so therefore begin to feel the same happy feelings towards their caregiver as food.
so the caregiver has become a conditioned stimulus and the baby has developed a happy conditioned response to the caregiver.

Question 4

what does it mean if behaviour has been reinforced?

Answer 4

when the outcome of our actions leads us to repeat the actions again and again we say the behaviour has been reinforced.

Question 5

what is positive reinforcement?

Answer 5

when we learn to repeat a behaviour to get a rewarding outcome

Question 6

what is negative reinforcement?

Answer 6

when we learn to repeat a behaviour to avoid an unrewarding outcome

Question 7

explain how positive and negative reinforcement works for babies and their caregivers

Answer 7

babies can’t feed themselves but they can try to behave in ways that will get them food. if babies aren’t near their caregiver they can’t easily get hold of food. whereas if they are close by they can get hold of some food.
so over time babies learn to associate the action of staying close to their caregiver with the outcome of getting food.
this is an awarding outcome so the action of staying close to their caregiver has been reinforced through positive reinforcement.
babies learn to stay near their caregiver to avoid the unpleasant feeling of being hungry.
so, the action of staying close to the caregiver has been reinforced through negative reinforcement.

Question 8

learning theory of attachment strength - believable (dollard and miller)

Answer 8

• researchers dollard and miller counted how many times babies are fed by their caregivers in the first year of their life. dollard and miller found that babies get fed over 2,000 times by their caregivers. all this experience of being fed by their caregiver gives babies plenty of opportunity to form an association between their caregiver and getting fed. so the learning theory of attachment is believable.

Question 9

learning theory of attachment weakness - harlow

Answer 9

• one study doesn’t support the learning theory of attachment - harlow’s monkeys

Question 10

learning theory of attachment weakness - metapelets in israel

Answer 10

• isn’t supported by findings from the metapelets in israel. babies raised in communal environments by foster mums called metapelets don’t form attachments to their foster mums.