Explanations Of Attachment (learning Approach) NURTURE - Topic 4

Question 1

What is the main assumption behind the learning theory explanation of attachment?

Answer 1

It’s that child,ren learn to become attached to their caregiver because they give therm food. This is sometimes referred to as ‘cupboard love’.

Question 2

What is learning due to?

Answer 2

Association made between two different stimuli (classical conditioning) or behaviour can be altered by patterns of reinforcement (rewards) and punishments (operant conditioning).

Question 3

What is the classical conditioning process for attachment?

Answer 3

Food is an unconditioned stimulus that produces an unconditioned response (pleasure). Initially the caregiver is a neutral stimulus who produces no response. However because the caregiver is continually paired with the unconditioned stimulus (food) , they slowly become associated with it until eventually the caregiver alone can produce pleasure. So then the caregiver now becomes a conditioned stimulus and the pleasure they bring is a conditioned response.

Question 4

What is the operant conditioning process of attachment?

Answer 4

DOLLARD AND MILLER explain operant conditioning in terms of attachment and ‘drive’ reduction theory. A drive is something that motivated a behaviour so a hungry infant will have a drive to reduce the hunger. Therefore attachment happens because the child seeks out the person who supplies the rewards or reinforcement. The food is a PRIMARY REINFORCER as it directly satisfies hunger, and the caregiver is a SECONDARY REINFORCER as they are associated with the primary reinforcer. ATTACHMENT OCCURS BECAUSE THE CHILD SEEKS THE PERSON WHO CAN SUPPLY THE REWARD.

Question 5

What are some evaluations ?

Answer 5

-the basis of the learning theory of attachment is that infants attach because they need food, however Schaffer and Emerson found through their experiment that attachment develops through stages and the baby forms an attachment with the person who interacts and responds to the baby’s signals with the most skill not the ones that feed the a baby, therefore contradicting the learning theory.
-one strength is that elements of conditioning could be involved in some aspects of attachment. It seems unlikely that association with food plays a central role but conditioning still may play role, e.g baby may associate warm and comfort with the presence of a particular adult, influencing the choice of attachment figure.