Learning Theory of Attachment

Learning Theory of Attachment

1. Attachment = an emotional bond between two people. it is a mutual process that endures over time.

   • it leads to certain behaviors such as clinging and proximity seeking- these serve to protect the child

2. All behavior is learned rather than inborn

   • children are all born like blank slates - everything they become is a result of their experiences
     • behavior is learned through classical or operant conditioning
       • infants become attached to whoever satifies their biological drive for food

3. Classical conditioning

   • learning through association
   • Food (UCS) naturally produces a sense of pleasure (UCR)
     • The person who feeds (CS) the infant becomes ASSOCIATED with the food
       • Pleasure now becomes a conditioned response (CR)
         • association with an individual and a sense of pleasure = attachment bond

4. Operant conditioning

   • learning occurs when we are rewarded for doing something
     • each time something results in a pleasant consequence, - behavior is reinforced
       • becomes more probable that you will repeat behavior
         • negative consequence = less likely to repeat
     • Dollard and Miller (1950)
       • suggested a hungry infant feels uncomfortable and creates a drive top reduce the discomfort
         • when the infant is fed= drive is reduced = produces feelings of pleasure
           • Food becomes a primary reinforcer, because it reinforces the behavior in order to avoid discomfort
             • supplier of food = associated with avoiding discomfort
               • becomes a secondary reinforcer
                 • and a source of reward in his/her own right
                   • child seeks person with reward= attachment

5. WEAKNESSES

   • Schaffer + Emerson (1964)
     • natural experiment on working class families -studied 60 infants from birth at intervals of four weeks.
       • It was found that infants were often (4 in 10) were attached to people who did not perform caretaking activities like feeding, bathing and changing nappies.
         • What did seem to be important, however, was the quality of interactions that caregivers have with the child.
           • Babies formed stronger attachments with caregivers who were sensitive and responsive to their needs.
             • This study therefore shows that attachments are more likely to be formed to those who are sensitive and rewarding to the baby and who play with them.
   • Harlow & Harlow’s (1958)
     • experiment with Rhesus monkeys
       • Orphaned baby monkeys would have the opportunity to choose between a surrogate wire monkey that provides food and one which provides comfort, but no food.
         • The Harlow’s found that the baby monkeys used the soft mother as their base, returning to her for comfort when they were frightened and only visiting the wire mother to feed.
           • although this is an animal study which cannot be directly generalised to human infants
             • it provides strong evidence to suggest that there is much more to attachment than feeding and rewards.
               • reduces the Theory's validity
     • Cannot be generalised the human population because human behavior is influences by higher order thinking and emotions
       • behaviorists may lack validity because they present an oversimplified explanation of human behavior

6. STRENGTHS

   • Evidence suggests that emotional responses can be acquired through conditioning
     • E.g Phobias
       • Little Albert- conditioned to be afraid of white rats
         • shows infants could logically link a caregiver with pleasure- and so form an attachment with them

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