Learning Theory Of Attachment (Attachment)

Question 1

What does Dollard and Miller say about attachment and food

Answer 1

Attachment is formed through classical and operant conditioning

Both based on food being at the core of this attachment

Question 2

Explain the stages of how classical conditioning links to attachmemt

Answer 2

Food (unconditioned stimulus) naturally produces a sense of please in a child (unconditioned response)

Person feeds infant initially (neutral stimulus) provides no natural response
-overtime the feeder produces pleasure associated with the food

Pleasure becomes conditioned response and the feeder the conditioned stimulus

Question 3

What happens when conditioning has taken place

Answer 3

Baby associates the caregiver with pleasure and the sight of them elicits this response.
-This conditioned pleasure response is love = attachment figure

Question 4

What is the primary and secondary reinforcer (operant conditioning)

Answer 4

Primary - number one drive e.g food
Secondary - attachment to the caregiver who provides the food

Question 5

How does negative and postive reinforcement link to attachment + food

Answer 5

Negative - caregiver feeds the baby to stop the crying
Positive - caregiver feels please when the infant smiles

Question 6

Explain operant conditioning in attachment

Answer 6

Primary drive for baby is hunger - babies driven to have hunger reduced

Caregiver provides food (primary reinforcer) = reduces drive of hunger (negative reinforcement) - caregiver become secondary reinforcer

Infant wants to be with person who provided food as they are a source of reward (positive reinforcement)

Infant learns crying = maintenance of attention + food - explains how separation anxiety is formed

Caregiver feeds infant = stops crying = avoid discomfort of hearing baby drive = negative reinforcement

Question 7

What does Sears et al suggest about secondary drives

Answer 7

As caregivers provide food, primary drive of hunger is generalised to them

Attachment is a secondary drive learned by an association between the caregiver and the satisfcation of a primary drive

Question 8

What is a strength of social learning

Answer 8

One strength of learning theory is that elements of conditioning could be involved in some aspects of attachment.

Although the idea that food alone forms the basis of attachment has been largely discredited, it is still possible that classical conditioning contributes to attachment formation in more subtle ways.

For instance, a baby may learn to associate feelings of warmth, comfort, and security with the presence of a specific caregiver, even if that caregiver is not the source of food.

This association can influence the baby’s preference for and attachment to that individual.

Therefore, while learning theory may not fully explain attachment, it remains valuable in highlighting how environmental associations and experiences can shape early emotional bonds.

Question 9

What are the limitations of social theory

Answer 9

Lack of support
Point- One limitation of learning theory explanations for attachment is the lack of support from animal studies.

Evidence - For example, Lorenz’s research demonstrated that geese imprint on the first moving object they see, regardless of whether it provides food, suggesting that attachment is not solely based on feeding. Similarly, Harlow’s experiments with monkeys found that infant monkeys consistently chose to cling to a soft, comforting surrogate mother rather than a wire one that dispensed milk.

Explain - These findings indicate that comfort and security are more crucial to attachment than simple associations with food.

Opposing research
Point:
A further limitation of learning theory explanations of attachment is the lack of support from studies involving human infants.

Evidence:
For example, Schaffer and Emerson (1964) found that babies formed their primary attachment to the caregiver who was most responsive to them, not necessarily the one who fed them. Similarly, Isabella et al. (1989) found that high levels of interactional synchrony were associated with stronger attachments.

Explanation:
These findings suggest that factors like sensitivity and emotional responsiveness are more important in forming attachments than feeding. This contradicts learning theory, which argues that attachment develops through classical conditioning based on the association between the caregiver and food.

Link:
Therefore, the learning theory provides an incomplete explanation of attachment, as it fails to consider the importance of emotional and social factors demonstrated in human research.