Explanations of attachment: Learning theory

• 'Cupboard love' approach- emphasises importance of an attachment figure as a provider of food.
• Classical conditioning:

  • UCS- Food
  • UCR- Pleasure
  • NS- Caregiver
  • CS- Caregiver
  • CR- Pleasure
  • Conditioned pleasure response is love (an attachment is formed)
• Operant conditioning:

  • Explains why babies cry for comfort.
  • Crying leads to a response from the Caregiver (e.g. feeding).
  • As long as caregiver gives a correct response- crying is reinforced.
  • Response is a 'social supressor' behaviour.
  • Reinforcement a two-way process-Caregiver receives negative reinforcement when crying stops.
• Attachment as a secondary drive:

  • Drive reduction
  • Hunger- primary drive- innate, biological motivator.
  • Sears (1957)- suggested that, as caregivers provide food, primary drive of hunger becomes generalised to them.
  • Attachment is thus a secondary drive learned through association
• Limitation: counter evidence from animal

  • Lack of support from studies conducted on animals.
  • E.g.- Lorenz's geese imprinted on first moving object they saw regardless of food.
  • Harlow- no support for importance of food ('contact comfort').
  • Shows factors of association with food are important in the formation of attachment.
• Limitation: counter evidence from studies on humans

  • Lack of support from studies of human babies
  • Schaffer and Emerson- babies tend to form main attachment to mother regardless of whether she was the who fed them.
  • Isabella- high levels of interactional synchrony predicted quality of attachment
  • These factors not related to food.
  • Suggests food is not the main factor in forming of human attachments
• Stength: some conditioning may be involved

  • Elements of conditioning could be in some aspects of attachment.
  • Unlikely association with food play central role in attachment.
  • But- baby may associate feeling warm and comfortable with the presence of a particular adult.
  • Means learning theory may still be useful in understanding the development of attachments.
• Counterpoint to some conditions involved:

  • Both CC and OC explanations see the baby playing a relatively passive role in attachment development- responding to associations with comfort or reward.
  • Feldman and Eidelman- babies take active role in interactions that produce attachment.
  • Means conditioning may not be an adequate explanation of any aspects of attachment.