Outline and Evaluate the Learning Theory as an Explanation for Attachment

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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