Learning theory

• Describe how classical conditioning can be used to explain attachment

  primary caregiver = neutral stimulus

  food = unconditioned stimulus

  Joy and love of food = Unconditioned response

  An association will grow between joy/love and the caregiver that gives the infant food

  Therefore...

  Primary caregiver = conditioned stimulus

  Joy/love = conditioned
• Describe how Operant conditioning can be used to explain attachment

  • Crying leads to caregiver response, feeding
  • Crying is reinforced because of this, positively by rewarding behaviour giving child what they want
  • Baby directs crying for comfort towards caregiver responding with comforting social suppressor behaviour
  • Reinforcement is therefore a 2 way process
  • As the baby is positively reinforced for crying, the caregiver is negatively reinforced as the crying stops (avoiding an unpleasant stimulus)
  • This strenghtens attachment
• Explain what is meant by drive reduction in the context of the learning theory

  The idea that infants are born with an innate drive of hunger in order to receive food. We are motivated to eat to reduce the hunger drive.
• What is a limitation of the learning theory due to counter-evidence from animal research? (AO3)

  • Lorenz found that geese imprinted before they were fed- their attachments maintained regardless of who fed them
  • Harlow found that monkey's attachment to a soft surrogate instead of the wire one that dispensed milk
  • This may suggest that attachment is not formed from feeding behaviour and therefore must be the same for humans
  • This feeds into learning theorists idea that humans and non-human animals are equivalent
• What is a limitation of the learning theory due to counter evidence from human research? (AO3)

  • Feeding is not an important factor, reinforced by Schaffer and Emerson's study
  • Found many babies developed a primary attachment to their biological mother even though carers fed them
  • This limits the learning theory as feeding is not as much of a key element in attachment as suggested
  • Therefore there is no UCS or primary drive involved in forming attachment
• What is a further limitation with the learning theory and other factors influencing attachment?

  • Research into early-infant caregiver interaction suggests the quality of attachment is associated with factors such as reciprocity and interactional synchrony (ISABELLA ET AL)
  • Studies have also shown the best quality attachments are with the most sensitive and responsive carers
  • Therefore the learning theory's explanatory ability is limited and cannot account for other factors that may influence the formation of attachment
  • Attachment is not formed primary from feeding behaviours