learning theory

• behaviourist approach:

  • behaviour is learned, measured + studied
  • classical + operant conditioning
  • mental processes + introspection are irrelevant
• Dollard + Miller:

  • used behaviourist approach to explain attachments found
  • infants learn to love the person that feeds them 'cupboard love'
• classical conditioning + attachment:

  • ucs = food, ucr = happy baby
  • ns = mother + ucs (food) = ucr happy baby
  • cs = mother, cs = happy baby
• classical conditioning + attachment explained:

  • caregiver turns from ns to cs through learned behaviour
  • infant associates mother with food
• operant conditioning + attachment:

  • baby crying
  • infant receives positive reinforcement = food
  • caregiver receives negative reinforcement = crying stops
• Sears et al:

  • attachment is secondary drive
  • primary drive = innate biological drive
• Sears et al theory:

  • hunger = primary drive
  • caregiver provides food, leads to associating hunger reduction with caregiver
  • attachment = secondary drive - association between caregiver and satisfaction of primary drive
• EVALUATION: counter evidence from animal research

  • Lorenz - geese imprinted before they were fed, feeding not critical
  • Harlow - no support for importance of food, displayed attachment to cloth mother who didnt provide food
  • other factors other than food are important to formation of attachments
• EVALUATION: counter evidence from human research

  • schaffer + emerson - infants formed primary attachments to biological mother despite other caregivers feeding baby
  • food isnt main factor in formation of human attachments
  • cupboard love isnt always evident in attachment, creates conflicts in conclusions drawn from different human studies
• EVALUATION: other factors in forming attachments

  • research suggests quality of attachment associated with reciprocity + interactional synchrony (Isabella)
  • if attachment is primary result of feeding, there would be no reason for complex interactions
  • cupboard love isnt a complete answer to how attachments are made
• EVALUATION: new developments in social learning theory

  • Hay +Vespo - parents teach children to love by modelling attachment behaviours e.g hugging - reinforce through praise
  • development of previous learning theories of attachment - doesnt rely on cupboard love
  • shows social learning theory doesnt rely on cupboard love, can be seen as a convincing explanation