Learning Theory of Attachment
- Created by: emilyisblue
- Created on: 21-04-15 16:25
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- Learning Theory of Attachment
- Classical Conditioning
- 1. Food (unconditioned response) produces pleasure.
- 2. Person who feeds infant (controlled stimulus) eventually produces pleasure.
- 3. Becomes a controlled response and pleasure occurs do to association with food.
- Operant Conditioning
- 1. Primary Reinforcer: A hungry infant feels uncomfortable this creates a drive to remove the discomfort.
- 2. When the infant is fed the drive is reduced inducing feelings of pleasure.
- 3. Secondary Reinforcer: The person who supplies the food is associated with relieving discomfort.
- Strengths
- Learning theory does explain attachment, we do acquire attachment through association and reinforcement.
- However food is not the reinforcer.
- E.g. a caregiver who is responsive is providing reinforcement.
- Learning theory does explain attachment, we do acquire attachment through association and reinforcement.
- Limitations
- Contact comfort is more important.
- Harlow conducted an animal experiment.
- 1. Infants were placed in a cage with two wire mothers.
- 2. The lactating mother had a feeding bottle attached and the other mother had a cloth attached but no food.
- 3. The monkeys spent most time with the cloth monkey.
- Harlow's study showed that although food is a factor of attachment, it is not a primary one.
- Contact is more important as the monkeys showed proximity seeking behavior towards the cloth.
- Harlow conducted an animal experiment.
- Human studies also challenge the importance of food in attachment.
- Shaffer and Emerson conducted a controlled observation of 60 babies for a year.
- Infants not most attached to those who fed them.
- Most attached to those who were responsive and interacted with them most.
- Shaffer and Emerson's study showed that responsive behavior is a key factor of attachment.
- Shaffer and Emerson conducted a controlled observation of 60 babies for a year.
- Contact comfort is more important.
- Classical Conditioning
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