The Learning Theory Explanation of Attachment

• Nature Vs Nurture Debate:

  • Nature- the extent to which our genes influence our characteristics & abilities, ie what is inherited from our partners.
  • Nurture- the extent to which our experiences influence our characteristics & abilities, ie what is learned through interacting with our environment.
• Learning Theory:

  • All human behaviour is learned; children are "blank slates" when born.
  • Indicates that attachment must have to be learnt by the infant.
  • 2 processes by which behaviour & attachment is learnt: classical conditioning & operant conditioning.
• Classical Conditioning:

  • Developed by Ivan Pavlov, who investigated the automatic saliva response that dogs produce when food is presented.
  • States that we learn new stimulus-response associations.
• Classical Conditioning in attachment:

  • Food (unconditioned stimulus)- comfort & relief from hunger (unconditioned response).
  • Food + Caregiver (US & neural stimulus)- comfort (UR).
  • Caregiver (conditioned stimulus)- comfort (conditioned response).
  • Babies learn to associate the presence of the caregiver with a feeling of comfort- meaning an attachment is formed.
• • The classical conditioning theory can be applied to explain attachment whereby a naturally existing reflex exists between the stimulus food & the feeling of pleasure.
  • The food is given by a caregiver, though they are initially a neutral stimulus.
  • Over time, pairing occurs, this means that the caregiver becomes the Conditioned Stimulus to the response of pleasure, ie makes the infant happy.
  • As a result, an attachment formed through this stimulus-response association & now mere presence of the caregiver alone will produce a positive emotional response.
• Operant Conditioning:

  • Developed by B.F. Skinner, he worked with animals (rats & pigeons) to investigate how new behaviours are learned.
  • Reinforcement strengthens a behaviour (makes it more likely to happen again).
  • Positive reinforcement= a desirable consequence (food, praise etc).
  • We learn via the consequences of our actions.
• Dollard & Miller (1950) applied Skinner's work on Operant Conditioning to explaining attachment:

  1. Infant hunger produces a drive to find someone to feed them (usually they cry)
  2. Caregiver provides food & needs are met (drive reduction)
  3. Infant is more likely to seek their attention in the future
• Dollard & Miller on explaining attachment through Operant Condi:

  • The food= primary reinforcer, ie it reduces the discomfort of hunger- known as drive reduction
  • The caregiver becomes the secondary reinforcer, ie the child seeks them because they supply the food
  • An attachment is formed because the child seeks the caregiver to meet their needs.
• Evaluation for the Learning Theory- weakness:

  • The Learning Theory is based on non-human animals (eg Pavlov used dogs).
  • This means a lack of validity, so results cannot be generalised.
• Evaluation for the Learning Theory- weakness:

  • Learning theory assumes that the role of food is important in attachment formation.
  • However, research by Harlow (1959), who experimented with monkeys, indicates that contact comfort rather than food is important in formation of attachment.
  • This finding cannot be explained by the learning theory- indicating that it does not provide an adequate amount of attachment.
• Evaluation for the Learning Theory- strength:

  • The Learning Theory is a well established explanation of how we can learn- so it is plausible (lends credibility to the theory).