Learning theory

• Learning theories of attachment are based on the principles of behaviourism
• Classical conditioning is learning through association
• The process of classical conditioning:

  1. Unconditioned stimulus = unconditioned response
  2. Neutral stimulus + unconditioned stimulus = unconditioned response
  3. Conditioned stimulus = conditioned response
• in attachment, food is an UCS that produces an UCR of pleasure because it reduces the unpleasant feeling of hunger
• Before conditioning, the mother produces no response in the infant because the infant hasn’t yet learned that she can provide food and comfort
• The mother starts a NS, producing no response in the infant. when they repeatedly bring food it produces pleasure in the infant. with multiple pairings of the mother and food, the infant begins to associate her with the pleasure that comes with being fed
• After repeated pairings of the mother and food, the mother becomes a CS and they produce pleasure (which is now a CR) even when they don’t bring food. an attachment has now formed between infant and parent
• Operant conditioning is learning through the consequences for behaviour through rewards and punishments
• If a behaviour produces a positive consequence, then it’s more likely to be repeated because is has been reinforced
• Positive reinforcement is a reward that serves to increase the occurrence of a particular behaviour
• Negative reinforcement is the removal of something negative, which increases that chance of a particular behaviour being enacted again
• Punishment is a negative consequence that makes an individual less likely to repeat a behaviour
• When a baby cries it receives a reward, like food to relieve hunger, which reinforces the action so the baby repeats it
• The infant learns to form an attachment with their mother, or primary caregiver because the caregiver brings rewards
• Because of the reward of food, the action of crying is reinforced and the baby repeats it. overtime, the caregiver becomes a secondary reinforcer because the baby learns that they reduce discomfort, so they produce pleasure and thus an attachment forms
• Lorenz (1953) found that imprinting was a form of innate attachment present in birds which suggests that attachment isn’t formed through association and rewards and punishments
• Harlow (1958) found that baby rhesus monkeys formed an attachment to the cloth mother than provided contact comfort. This comfort provided by the cloth mother was more important than food provided by the wire mother
• Schaffer and Emerson (1964) found that in 39% of cases, the baby’s primary attachment figure wasn’t the person who fed and bathed them. Instead it’s the person who responded most sensitively to the infants needs, not necessarily the main feeder
• Dollard and Miller pointed out that the caregiver is responsible for feeding that infant 2000 times in the first year which provides an ample opportunity for the caregiver to become associated with the removal of hunger, which is a form of negative reinforcement
• However, the caregiver also provides many other positive experiences like warmth and comfort, which suggests that attachments occurs for other reasons, not just because the primary caregiver provides food
• Learning theories of attachment can be argued to simplify attachment down to the simple components of the provision of food and the association of the caregiver with food and reward
• The processes of operant and classical conditioning can also be argued to explain attachment in a way that lacks detail and can therefore be stated to not account fully for the process of attachment since they don’t explain the complex emotions involved in attachment, nor the possible biological and psychological factors that may also have an impact on attachment