Explanations of attachment

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Learning theory

  • Learning theory proposes that all behaviour, including attachment is learned through either classical or operant conditioning
  • Classical conditioning
    • In the case af attachment, food serves as an unconditioned stimulus
    • Being fed gives us pleasure- unconditioned response
    • A caregiver starts as a neutral stimulus
    • When the same person provides the food overtime they become associated with the food, the conditioned stimulus
    • Once conditioning has taken place the caregicer produces a conditioned response of pleasure without the food
  • Operant conditioning
    • Can explain why babies cry for comfort
    • Crying leads to a response from the caregiver, e.g. feeding
    • As long as the caregiver provides the correct response, crying is reinforced
    • The reinforcement is a two way process, the caregiver also receives negative reinforcement because the crying stops
    • This interplay of mutual reinforcement strengthens an attachment

Evaluation

-Animal studies provide evidence against food as the basis of attachment

  • Lorenz's geese maintained attachments regardless of who fed them
  • Harlow's monkeys attached to the soft surrogate in preference to the wire one with milk
  • Attachment did not develop as a result of feeding
  • The same must be true for humans as learning theorists believe that non-human animals and humans are equivalent

-Human research also shows that feeding is not an important factor

  • Schaffer and Emerson showed that for many babies a primary attachment was not the person who fed them
  • This shows that feeding is not a key element to attachment and there is no unconditioned stimulus involved
  • Other factors, more important than food are involved in the formation of attachment

-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…

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