Explanations of Attachment

Learning Theory Links Attachment to Pleasure:

Learning theory is also known as the behaviourist theory and focuses on the baby wanting its needs fulfilled. Conditioning is given as an explanation for how attachments form

• Classical conditioning: is about learning associations between different things in our environment. Getting food naturally gives the baby pleasure. The baby’s desire for food is fulfilled whenever its mother is around to feed it. So an association is formed between mother and food. So, whenever its mother is around, the baby will feel pleasure- i.e ‘attachment’

• Operant conditioning: Dollard and Miller (1950) claimed that babies feel discomfort when hungry and so desire to get food to remove the discomfort. They find that if they cry, their mother will come and feed them- so the discomfort is removed (this is ‘negative reinforcement’. The mother is therefore associated with food and the baby will want to be close to her. This produces ‘attachment behaviour’ (distress when separated from the mother, etc)

Learning Theory has strengths and weaknesses:

Some comments on the learning theory of attachment include:

• The learning theory of attachment has lots of support from scientific research

• But it is reductionist- it tries to explain complex attachment using simple stimulus-response processes

• Lots of the evidence for learning theory uses animal research, so the findings aren’t always generalisable

• Schaffer and Emmerson’s (1964) findings don’t fully support learning theory. In their study, half of the infants didn’t have their mother as the primary attachment

• There are other theories of attachment which also have support, such as Bowlby’s theory

John Bowlby’s monotropic theory of attachment is an evolutionary theory:

Bowlby (1951) argued that something like imprinting occurs in humans. He went on to develop several main claims:

1. Attachment can be explained by evolution:

   • We have evolved a biological need to attach to our main caregiver

   • This biological need has developed through natural selection to ensure the survival of the child to maturity

2. We can create one special attachment:

   • Bowlby’s idea of monotropy is that we form one main attachment- usually to our biological mother. Forming this attachment has survival value, as staying close to the mother ensures food and protection

   • A strong attachment provides a ‘safe base’, giving us confidence to explore our environment

3. We create an internal working model of attachment:

   • Bowlby’s theory also says that forming an infant attachment gives us a ‘template’ for all future relationships- we learn to trust and care for others. This forms an internal working model for all latter attachments

   • The model is a ‘working’ model because it can change and develop over time, depending on how the person’s relationships change

   • The primary caregiver provides the foundations for the child’s future relationships.

   • This is called the continuity hypothesis

4. There is a critical period for attachment:

   • The first 3 years of life are the critical period for attachment to develop- otherwise, it might never do so

   • If the attachment doesn’t develop (e.g. because of separation or death), or if it’s broken, it might seriously damage the child’s social and emotional development

   • Bowlby’s ‘maternal deprivation hypothesis’ assumes that if the relationship between the primary caregiver (often the mother) and infant is disrupted or stopped during the critical period, there are long-term consequences

Comments on Bowlby’s theory:

1. There is some evidence for his claims. Harlow’s study supports the idea that we have evolved a need to attach. It also suggests that social and emotional development might be damaged if an attachment isn’t formed

2. Schaffer and Emmerson (1964) provided evidence against Bowlby’s claims about monotropy. They found that, rather than one main attachment, many children form multiple attachments, and may not attach to their mother

3. Harlow’s study of monkeys raised in isolation also goes against the idea of monotropy. Other monkeys who didn't have a mother, but who grew up together, didn’t show signs of social and emotional disturbance in later life. They didn’t have a primary caregiver but seemed to attach to each other instead

4. There is mixed evidence for claims of a critical period for attachments to develop

5. The effect of attachment not developing, or being broken, may not be as bad as Bowlby claimed

6. Bowlby’s report in the 1950s led to an increase in ‘stay at home’ mothering. This had a subsequent impact on the economy as fewer women were going to work