A03

• It's appealing simple
• It's too simple
• It is true that feeding helps establish attachments
• Attachment can't be reduced to learning
• Fails to consider any role of biology or evolution in attachment
• Attachments promote survival and on some level, we are biologically predisposed to form bonds with others
• Animal studies provide evidence against food as the basis of attachment?

  • Lorenz's imprinting geese imprinted maintained attachments regardless of who fed them, Harlow's monkeys attached to a soft surrogate in preference to a wire one with milk
  • In both, these animal studies, attachment didn't develop as a result of feeding
  • The same must be true for humans (that food doesn't create the attachment bond), after all, learning theorists believe that NHAs and humans are equivalent
• Human research also shows that feeding isn't an important factor?

  • Schaffer and Emerson (64) showed that for many babies a primary attachment wasn't to the person who fed them
  • This shows that feeding isn't the key element to attachment and so there is no unconditioned stimulus or primary drive involved
  • The evidence suggests that other factors are more important than food in the formation of attachment
• A limitation is that learning theory ignores other factors linked with attachment?

  • Research shows that quality of attachment is associated with developing reciprocity and good levels of interactional synchrony
  • Studies also show that the best quality attachments are with sensitive carers who pick up infant signals and respond appropriately
  • It's very hard to reconcile these findings with the idea that attachment develops primarily through feeding
• A strength is that some elements of conditioning could still be involved?

  • The main problem with learning theory is the idea that feeding provides the UCS, reinforcement or primary drive
  • However, many aspects of human development are affected by conditioning so it seems plausible that it could still play a role in attachment but not in relation to feeding
  • For example associations (CC) between the primary caregiver and provision of comfort and social interaction could be parts of what builds attachment
• There's a newer learning explanation based on social learning theory?

  • Hay and Vespo (88) suggest that parents teach children to love them by modelling attachment behaviours e.g. hugging them and other family members
  • And also by rewarding them with approval when they display their own attachment behaviours e.g. 'that's a lovely smile' etc
  • In this version, babies have learned attachment behaviours as a result of their interactions which fists with research on the importance of interactional synchrony and reciprocity