AO3

• Weakness:

  • A weakness of the learning theory explanation of attachment is that it lacks support from animal studies.
  • For example, Lorenz found that geese imprinted on the first moving object they saw, regardless of food, while Harlow showed that monkeys preferred a cloth surrogate for comfort over a wire surrogate providing milk.
  • This challenges the learning theory, as it suggests that comfort and security, not food, are key to attachment formation.
  • Therefore, the theory is limited as it overlooks the role of emotional factors in attachment.
• Weakness:

  • A weakness of Learning Theory is the lack of support from human studies.
  • For instance, Schaffer and Emerson found that infants formed primary attachments to responsive caregivers, not necessarily those who fed them
  • This contradicts the theory's claim that attachment forms through conditioning with food, emphasising the role of primary caregiver interactions instead.
  • This undermines the validity of Learning Theory, as it oversimplifies attachment by ignoring emotional and social factors.
• Weakness:

  • A weakness of learning theory is that it portrays babies as having a passive role in attachment formation.
  • However, Feldman’s research shows that babies actively engage in reciprocity and interactional synchrony with caregivers
  • This challenges the idea that attachment is solely based on conditioning, as it overlooks the active, dynamic nature of infant-caregiver interactions.
  • Therefore, learning theory may be an inadequate explanation for attachment.