learning theory of attachment

• main assumptions?

  • children learn to become attached to their caregiver
  • learn this attachment usually by whoever gives them food - aka cupboard love
  • child can learn this by classical/operant conditioning
  • nurture - due to environment
• classical conditioning & attachment?

  1. food is uncon stimulus that produces uncon response of pleasure in baby
  2. at outset cg is neutral stimulus who produces no response
  3. but as she is continually paired with uncon stimulus she slowly becomes associated with pleasure until eventually mother alone can produce pleasure
  4. mother has now become conditioned stimulus & pleasure she brings is conditioned response
• operant conditioning & attachment?

  1. when baby cries mother responds by feeding baby therefore giving baby positive reinforcement
  2. so next time baby is hungry they are likely to repeat behaviour of crying in order to get same reinforcement
  3. at same time by mother stopping crying it is a negative reinforcement to mother making her more likely to repeat same behaviour of feeding baby
  4. by both mother & child being reinforced this strengthens & creates an attachment
• 4 X of learning theory of attachment?

  1. evidence to contradict from harlows animal study
  2. evidence to contradict from lorenz animal study
  3. evidence to contradict from lambs study
  4. reductionist
• * scientific?

  • focuses on observable behaviour - can be physically seen & measured (empirical)
  • e.g can clearly see when baby is crying & if they are comforted after food
  • internal
  • uses empirical methods
  • can establish cause & effect relationship between att & learning through association
• X harlows animal study?

  • 1959
  • found rhesus monkeys who were raised by 2 artificial surrogate mothers - one which provided food & one which provided comfort
  • monkeys spent most of their time cuddled to soft cloth even when they had no milk left
  • suggests att is based on contact-comfort not food.
  • theory implies that babies form att from food
  • these findings show that even when food was present there was clear preference for seeking comfort & emotional support
  • other reasons for forming att
• X lorenz animal study?

  • split clutch of geese eggs into 2 groups
  • one was left with natural mother (control) & other was placed in incubator (experimental)
  • made sure that when eggs hatched he was 1st moving object they saw
  • control followed their mother goose everywhere 2nd followed lorenz.
  • baby geese imprint the moment they hatch
  • highlights some forms of behaviour (imprinting) are present from birth
  • suggests att is innate not learnt - down to nature rather than nurture
• X lambs study?

  • 1987
  • children form strong att with fathers but for different reasons
  • through play
  • shows fathers have vital role in att but develops differently to role of mum.
  • evidence to suggest that att is not learned to gain food but instead are formed through play
  • play may be a more important reason to form att bond
• X reductionist?

  • pro - allows to research area in great detail so likely to be scientific e.g uses empirical methods such as lab exp & observe behaviours which we can physically see
  • con - neglects other factors that may be important in forming att such as seeking contact-comfort & protection
  • too simplistic - suggests that everyone learns to form att purely based on presence of food
  • instead a more holistic approach to explaining behaviour would be best
• define attachment?

  an emotional relationship between two people in which each seeks closeness & feels more secure when in presence of attachment figure