Explanations of attachment
- Created by: zoe_chetty
- Created on: 11-03-19 20:04
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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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