Learning + Bowlby

• Learning theory 


  • Suggests that attachment is a set of learnt behaviour
  • By associating the feeder with food, the infant will begin to feel pleasure with the other even when she isn't feeding them
• Classical conditioning in attachment

  Learning through association (carer -> food)

  A) Unconditioned stimulus

  B) Unconditioned response

  C) Neutral stimulus

  D) Conditioned stimulus

  E) Conditioned response

  
• Operant conditioning in attachment 


  If a behaviour results in agreeable consequences, it is likely to be repeated

  Crying -> Feeding

  Crying is reinforced because consequences are pleasant

  Escaping from an unpleasant stimulus is a reinforcer

  Cessation of crying is a negative reinforcer, encouraging the carer to feed for example, to stop baby crying

  Baby smiling after is rewarding and a positive reinforcer, encouraging the carer to behave to evoke smiling

  Attachment bond is formed
• Strengths of the learning theory


  • Rather than feeding, some element of conditioning could form attachment such as the secure base provided by the caregiver (UCS)
  • Social learning theory - children may observe and imitate attachment behaviours such as hugging
• Weaknesses of the learning theory

  • Lorenz's geese study - no food was involved and attachment happened at first site
  • Harlow's monkey study - attachment to mother who provided care was 17 hrs, attachment to mother who provided food was >1 hr
  • Schaffer & Emerson - the main attachment figure was the person who responded most sensitively to the child's needs
  • Learning theory ignores other factors associated with forming attachment
• Internal working model 


  A mental model of the world which enables individuals to predict and control their environment

  In the case of attachment the model relates to a person's expectations about relationships
• Monotropy 


  The idea that the one relationship that the infant has with his/her primary attachment figure is of special significance in emotional development
• Social releaser


  A social behaviour or characteristic that elicits caregiving and leads to attachment
• Continuity hypothesis


  The idea that emotionally secure infants go on to be emotionally secure, trusting and socially confident adults
• Bowlby's evolutionary theory 


  • He suggests that babies are biologically pre-programmed to form attachments, to aid survival
  • He believes that infants produce innate 'social releasers' such as crying and smiling to stimulate caregiving from adults
  • A child would initially form only one attachment and it acts as a secure base for exploring the world - template for all future relationship
• Strengths of Bowlby's theory


  • Lorenz + Harlow both support innate attachment and demonstrates the internal working model (monkeys were damaged by the lack of attachment)
• Support for the importance of social releasers

  • Tronick (1975) Still Face experiment - shows social releasers and how they elicit caregiver behaviour
• Support for monotropic theory


  • Fox (1977) - infants from Israeli supported monotropic behaviour as there were stronger attachment for the mother than nannies (Kibbutz nurses) even though they spent more time with nannies
• Support for continuity hypothesis


  • Hazan & Shaver (1987) tested internal working model using a 'love quiz' and found there were characteristic patterns for later romance behaviours which were associated with the quality of infant attachment
• Criticisms of the concept of monotropy


  • Schaffer & Emerson -> multiple attachment after 10 months, also fathers were the main attachment figure for 48% of children
  • Rutter says it would not make sense for evolution to place so much importance on one single attachment
  • FIeld (1978) showed mothers do not need to be at the top of the monotropy
  • Ijzendoorn (1993) claims in collectivist cultures, multiple attachments are formed from the outset
• What is learning theory also referred as?

  Cupboard love (behavioural approach)