Outline and Evaluate the Learning Theory as an Explanation for Attachment

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Outline and Evaluate the Learning Theory of Attachment

The learning

theory, firstly proposed by Dolland Miller (1950) argues that attachment is a

form of nurture and so is learnt. Behaviourists came up with the idea that it

is learnt either through classical or operant conditioning.

Classical conditioning infants the sensation of hunger and the need for food is an

unconditioned stimulus and producing a sense of pleasure happens when the baby

receives food. The baby then has an

unconditioned response to receiving food.

The person who produces the food becomes associated with the pleasure

the baby feels. If that is repeated

enough the baby then reacts in a similar way to the mother as it does to food,

even in the absence of food. The baby

then learns to become attached to the mother.

Operant

conditioning states that, any behaviour that produces a positive reinforcement

such as food will be repeated. Behaviours that switch off something unpleasant

are also likely to be repeated (negative reinforcement). The caregiver is now the source of reward.

There are many

strengths and weaknesses for the learning theory of attachment. It makes intuitive sense that babies will come to like those

who feed them because they develop pleasure from feeding. Nevertheless, the

theory is extremely reductionist and there is evidence that children develop

attachments with people who do not feed them and that feeding is less important

in the development of attachments that other behaviours.

Similarly, Mary and Harry Harlow’s (1958) well-known experiment with Rhesus monkeys also poses problems for the learning theory of attachment. 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. This shows that responsiveness, not food is the object of attachment.

Support for

Bowlby’s theory can instead of the learning theory can be found from Lorenz’s study on Geese. Lorenz was the first animal/person the geese

saw. This group became attached

to Lorenz straight away before they had time to learn the behaviour. Showing that at least in Geese attachment is

innate. Of course there is a limit to how much this study can be generalised to humans because it was done on geese. It is quite likely that humans may have very different attachment methods to geese.

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