Explanations of Attachment (Learning theory) (3)

Dollard and Miller

Dollard and Miller proposed that caregiver-infant attachment can be explained by learning theory.

 

Their approach is sometimes called “cupboard love” explanation because it emphasises of food in attachment formation.

-       Children learn to love whoever feeds them.

Classical Conditioning (1)

Learn by building associations

Classical conditioning = Involves learning to associate two stimuli together, the two stimuli are food and the caregiver

Classical Conditioning (2)

Baby learns that caregiver produces a sense of pleasure

• A caregiver starts as a neutral stimulus

• However when the caregiver provides food over time, they become associated with ‘food;

• Once conditioning has taken place the sight of the caregiver produces a CR of pleasure. According 

Classical Conditioning (3)

Unconditioned stimulus (UCS) (Food)  = unconditioned response (UCR) (Pleasure)

 

Neutral stimulus (NS) (Caregiver) = No response (No pleasure)

 

UCS + NS (Food + Caregiver) = UCR (Pleasure)

 

Conditioned stimulus (CS) (Caregiver) = Conditioned response (CR) (Pleasure)

Operant conditions (1)

Operant conditioning involves learning from the consequences of behaviour. Both positive and negative reinforcement lead to pleasant consequences and will be repeated again.

The interplay of positive and negative reinforcement strengthens an attachment.

Operant conditions (2)

Positive reinforcement = when a baby cries, the caregiver responds often with food. Crying is rewarded.

 

Negative reinforcement = At the same time as the baby is being reinforced for crying, the caregiver receives negative reinforcement because the crying stops (negative reinforcement is escaping from something unpleasant, which is reinforcing)

Attachment as a secondary drive (1)

Learning theory draws on the concept of drive reduction

 

Hunger can be thought of as a primary drive, its an innate biological motivator. We are motivated to eat to reduce the hunger drive.

Attachment as a secondary drive (2)

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

Sears = suggested that as caregivers provide food, the primary drive of hunger becomes generalised to the caregiver

A03 - safety conditioning playing a role, attachment figure with feelings of safety

It seems unlikely that food is central to attachment. However safety conditioning may play a role - an attachment figure may become associated with low anxiety/ feelings of safety (Bosmans)

 

The primary attachment figure may become associated with reduced anxiety (classical conditioning) Attachment behaviours are rewarded with anxiety reduction (operant conditioning)

 

This means that learning theory is still useful in understanding the development of attachments.

A03 - lack of support from human studies

Schaffer and Emerson studied mother-baby interactions observing them for 18 months and interviewing the mothers

 

They found that babies tended to form their main attachment to their mother regardless of wether she was the one who usually fed them.

 

This again suggests that babies tended to form their main attachment to their mother regardless of the link with food

A03 - lack of support from animal studies

Lorenz’s Geese imprinted on the first moving object they saw regardless of wether this object was associated with food

 

Harlows monkeys monkeys attached to a soft surrogate in preference to a wire one with milk

 

In both these animal studies, imprinting/attachment did not develop as a result of feeding.

This shows that factors other than feeding are important in attachment formation.