Learning Theory as an Explanation for Attachment:

?
  • Created by: KarenL78
  • Created on: 04-12-17 20:16

Learning Theory - Attachment (1):

Some factors that might affect attachment:

1. The amount of time a parent is able to spend with its child.

2. The quality of the interaction e.g. stimulation such as talking, touching and playing rather than just the amount of time spent with the child is important Schaffer & Emerson (1964)

3. Sensitivity of the attachment figure to the specific needs of the child Ainsworth et al. (1971) and Schaffer (1977) points to the importance of mutual reciprocity in the infant/mother relationship.

4. An attachment figure must be a consistent figure in the child's world, a predictable part of the child's environment. Robertson & Robertson (1971) and Tizard & Rees (1974).

5. Responsiveness to the child's personality.  Some children appear to need more comfort than others, but even the "non-cuddlers" need to be able to see or touch their mother when frightened.  Schaffer & Emerson (1964).

1 of 5

Learning Theory - Attachment (2):

  • Learning Theory or Behaviourism, sees all behaviour as acquired through experience via the process of association.
  • Attachments are seen to develop through an infant learning to associate a caregiver with feeding, leading learning theory to be AKA cupboard love theory.
  • Classical Conditioning and Operant Conditioning are the 2 types of learning theory applied to the development of attachments.

Classical Conditioning:

  • Before Learning:  UCS = UCR (e.g. food = pleasure)
  • During Learning:  UCS + CS = UCR (e.g. food+caregiver = pleasure)
  • After Learning:     CS = CR (e.g. caregiver = pleasure)
2 of 5

Learning Theory - Attachment (3):

Operant Conditioing:

  • Based on the Law of Effect where any action that has a pleasureable outcome (reinforcement) will be repeated again in similar circumstances.
  • Pleasureable outcomes, or reinforcements, strengthen behaviour, making it more likely to occur again.
  • Positive reinforcements involve recieving something for pleasureable for performing a certain behaviour e.g. recieving pocket money for doing chores.
  • Negative reinforcements involve not receiving something non-pleasurable for performing a certain behaviour e.g. not being grounded for tidying your room.
  • Attachments therefore occur through caregivers becoming associated with reducing the unpleasant feeling of hunger (a negative reinforcement) so that the caregiver becomes a soure of reinforcement (reward) themselves.
  • Support for the ide that attachments are learned through operant conditioning is given by Dollard & Miller (1950) who argue that babies are fed up to 2,000 times in their first year, generally by the main carer which creates ample opportunities for the carer to be associated with the removal of the unpleasant feelings of hunger, a form of negative reinforcement.  However...
3 of 5

Evaluation of Learning Theory & Attachment (1):

  • Both theories - classical and operant -  initally rely on food.
  • Theories make sense when we think of a baby forming an initial attachment but neither tells us how or if the attachment remains once the child has learnt to feed itself, so it's not a complete theory.
  • Conditioning best explains the learning of simple behaviours, but attachments are more complex with an intense emotional component.  Couple with fact that attachments develop with people who do not feed babies and doubt is cast on learning theory.
  • Schaffer (1971) argued that cupboard love theories put things the wrong way round since babies do not "live to eat" but "eat to live", thus they actively seek stimulation, rather than passively recieve nutrition.
  • Schaffer & Emerson (1964) found that in 39% of cases, the mother (usually the main carer) was not the main attachment figure, suggesting that feeding is not the primary explanation for attachment. Also...
  • Fox (1977) studied attachment bonds between mothers, babies and metapelets (specially trained, full time carers of new-born children, allowing mothers to work) on Israeli kibbutzim and found that generally children were more attached to their mothers, despite the metapelets doing the majority of feeding.  Invalidates learning theory.
4 of 5

Evaluation of Learning Theory & Attachment (2):

  • Bowlby (1973) argued that babies need food only occasionally, but emotional security that attachment brings constantly.  Suggests that food, and thus learning theory, is not the main reason for the formation of attachments. Conditioning and reinforcement through feeding probably do play a part in helping form attachments but are not the main reason.
  • Behaviourist explanations are reductionist as they explain complex behaviours in the simplest way possible.  Explaining attachments as simply down to feeding, does not consider internal cognitive processes or the emotional nature of attachments.
5 of 5

Comments

No comments have yet been made

Similar Psychology resources:

See all Psychology resources »See all Attachment resources »