A philosopher John Locke wrote ‘at birth the human mind is a tabula rasa [blank slate] upon which experience writes. This is the behaviourist approach pioneered by Watson who we meet in the Approaches section. The assumption of the learning approach is that all behaviour is learned through classical and operant conditioning. WHAT DO YOU THINK?

What is it all about? All behaviour is learned from the environment We are born as “blank slates” (tabula rasa) All we have at birth is the capacity to learn Focus of the approach: observable behaviour

How will I know if I am learning? By the end of the lesson… A Will be able to evaluate learning theory as an explanation of attachment formation C Will be able to outline, using key terms, how classical and operant conditioning explain attachment formation E Will be able to identify key features of learning theory and how it can explain attachment formation

What is learning theory? ◦ Behaviour is learned rather than innate ◦ Put forward by behaviourists ◦ Proposes that children are born as blank slates and become who they are due to their experiences ◦ Behaviourists suggest that all behaviour (including attachment) is learned either through classical or operant conditioning Does this theory side with nature or nurture?

Classical conditioning Learning through association ◦ First proposed by Ivan Pavlov ◦ Who was conducting research on the salivation reflex in dogs

Before Conditioning UCS = Unconditioned Stimulus Food = UCS UCR =Unconditioned Response Dog drools = UCR Bell = NS Neutral Stimulus Dog does not respond No innate response to sound of bell

+ Step 1 Step 2 Step 3 Food = UCS UCS = unconditioned stimulus Bell = NS NS = neutral stimulus Food = UCS UCS = unconditioned stimulus Dog drools = UCR UCR = Unconditioned response Dog drools = UCR UCR = Unconditioned response Bell = CS CS = conditioned stimulus Dog drools = CR CR = Conditioned Response om/watch?v=hhqumf pxuzI

Classical conditioning Learning through association How does this relate to attachment?

+ Food = UCS UCS = unconditioned stimulus Baby is happy = UCR UCR = unconditioned response Food = UCS UCS = unconditioned stimulus Mother = NS NS = neutral stimulus Baby is happy = UCR UCR = unconditioned response Mother = CS CS = conditioned stimulus Baby is happy = CR CR = conditioned response

Food = UCS UCS = unconditioned stimulus Baby is happy = UCR UCR = unconditioned response Mother = NS Neutral Stimulus Neutral response

+ Food = UCS UCS = unconditioned stimulus Baby is happy = UCR UCR = unconditioned response Food = UCS UCS = unconditioned stimulus Mother = NS NS = neutral stimulus Baby is happy = UCR UCR = unconditioned response Mother = CS CS = conditioned stimulus Baby is happy = CR CR = conditioned response The ‘feeder’ eventually produces the pleasure associated with food without the food itself Association between an individual and a sense of pleasure = attachment

Classical Conditioning ◦ Classical conditioning is based upon learning through association: ◦ Imagine: ◦ When a new born baby cries because it is feeling hungry and discomfort [UCS] its cries bring a response in the form of food from caregiver [UCR] ◦ The relief from hunger and discomfort brings pleasure [CS] and over a period of time the baby begins to associate the caregiver [CR] with feelings of pleasure and relief. ◦ Gradually an association [attachment] is formed and the baby associates food and relief of discomfort with the person who brings it – hence Dollard & Miller’s theory of ‘Cupboard Love’ – infants only attach for food

So…. ◦ Baby attaches to mother as she is the provider of food. ◦ Baby has learned through ASSOCIATION that the mother brings pleasure Test your understanding… Use classical conditioning to explain why cats come running when they hear the sound of a cupboard door opening (where their food is kept).

Operant conditioning Learning through rewards/punishment Skinner placed hungry rats in cages (called Skinner boxes) to explore their surroundings When the rat accidently pressed a lever that supplied a pellet of food, it quickly learned to repeat the behaviour to gain the food reward

Operant conditioning Positive reinforcement ◦ Any behaviour that produces a pleasant consequence/reward (positive reinforcement) ◦ Is likely to be repeated Negative reinforcement ◦ Behaviours that ‘switch off’ something unpleasant are also likely to be repeated ◦ Behaviours that lead to an unpleasant outcome (or punishment) are less likely to be repeated

How can attachment be explained using operant conditioning? ◦ According to the principle of operant conditioning attachments are formed by rewards: ◦ Baby cries for food – the caregiver satisfies the infants hunger and the infant learns that this behaviour [crying] produces a reward [ positive reinforcement] so this behaviour will be repeated ◦ When the mother attends to the baby to ‘switch off the crying’ and succeeds then the caregiver is likely to repeat this behaviour and this is known as negative reinforcement ◦ Food is therefore a primary reinforcer. The mother is associated with food and becomes a secondary reinforcer. The infant becomes attached to the mother because she is a source of reward.

Dollard and Miller (1950) ◦ Hungry infant feels uncomfortable which creates a drive to reduce this discomfort ◦ When an infant is fed the discomfort is reduced and feelings of pleasure are produced (which is rewarding) ◦ Food becomes a primary reinforcer – reinforces the behaviour to avoid discomfort ◦ The person who supplies the food is associated with avoiding discomfort – becomes a secondary reinforcer ◦ Attachment occurs because the child seeks the person who can supply the reward ◦ Settling a crying baby through feeding/cuddling acts as negative reinforcement for parent

The learning theory explanation is also known as the ‘cupboard love theory’ of attachment because it suggests that attachment is based on provision of food alone

Evaluation of learning theory Strengths ◦ Learning theory provides an adequate explanation of how attachments form ◦ We do learn through association and reinforcement ◦ Extrapolation Weaknesses ◦ There is a strong body of evidence which suggests that attachment is not based on food ◦ But that the attention and responsiveness from the caregiver are more important rewards ◦ Learning theory is also based on studies with non-human animals – may lack validity due to oversimplifying human behaviour

Research evidence against learning theory Schaffer & Emerson (1964) Attachments not always formed with person who feeds the infant 39% of first attachments in this study were not with the person who carried out physical care Attachments are more likely to be formed to those who play with the baby and offer comfort and this is thought to be more rewarding.

Research evidence against learning theory ◦ One study that does offer contradictory findings is Harlow’s study using rhesus monkeys. Harlow [1958] took baby rhesus monkeys away from their mother and placed them in a cage with 2 ‘wire mothers’. One wire mother had a feeding bottle attached the other wire mother was covered in cloth. ◦ Harlow found that the baby monkeys stayed with the cloth covered mother as their base for up to 22 hours a day returning to her when they were frightened and only visiting the other wire mother to feed. ◦ The findings from Schaffer and Harlow’s studies contradict the learning theory and Dollard et al theory of ‘Cupboard Love’. Findings suggest that food is not the primary factor when forming first attachments; more important is the responsiveness, comfort and warmth of the caregiver as has been found by Woolf, Schaffer and Mehler.

◦ ‘Describe and evaluate the learning theory of attachment’ (12 marks)