1. Watson
( )
What do you think?
"Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my own specified world to bring them up and I'll guarantee to take any one at random and train him to become any type of specialist I might select-- doctor, lawyer, merchant-chief, and yes, even beggar-man and thief, regardless of his talents, penchants, tendencies, abilities, vocations, and race of his ancestors."(Watson, 1930)

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

3. Learning explanation of attachment
Lesson Objectives
To EVALUATE the learning explanation of attachment
To APPLY this knowledge and understanding to an exam question
To KNOW & UNDERSTAND how learning theory can be used to explain attachment formation
Thinking/Extension Ladder…

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

5. 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?
Throw a piece of paper at a volunteer – eventually they will learn to duck
Explain this in terms of US, CS and CR

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

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

8. + Step 1 Dog drools = UCR Food = UCS Step 2 Bell = NS Food = UCS
UCR = Unconditioned response
Food = UCS
UCS = unconditioned stimulus
Step 2 +
Bell = NS
NS = neutral stimulus
Food = UCS
UCS = unconditioned stimulus
Dog drools = UCR
UCR = Unconditioned response
Step 3
Bell = CS
CS = conditioned stimulus
Dog drools = CR
CR = Conditioned Response

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

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

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

12. Classical conditioning: a learning theory of attachments
According to learning theory, the baby has to form an attachment with his mother.
By the process of ……. conditioning, the baby forms an ……. between the mother (a …… stimulus) and the feeling of pleasure that comes from being fed (an unconditioned response).
At first, the baby simply feels comforted by ……. However each time he is fed, the …… is there too. He quickly associates the mother with the …… of being fed.
Before long, the mother …… a feeling of …… on her own, even without food.
This means the baby feels …… when the mother is near. It is the beginning of …….
Copy and complete, to summarise.
Students in groups of 3, role play the process of classical conditioning of attachment. One student plays mother, one baby, and one is the narrator who explains what is happening at each stage.
Copy the passage above, and fill the gaps using the words below. Some words will be used more than once.
ASSOCIATION * ATTACHMENT * CLASSICAL * PLEASURE * FOOD HAPPIER * INNATE * LEARN * MOTHER * NEUTRAL * STIMULATES

13. Test your understanding…
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).

14. Learning through rewards/punishment
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

15. Operant conditioning Positive reinforcement Negative reinforcement
Any behaviour that produces a pleasant consequence/reward (positive reinforcement)
Is likely to be repeated
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

16. How can attachment be explained using operant conditioning?

17. 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

18. Operant conditioning: a learning theory of attachments
According to learning theory, the baby has to ……. to form an attachment with his mother.
In the process of ……. conditioning, the mother …… the infant by …… him, so the infant …… the mother with the reward, and …… any action that brings her close.
This happens because food brings a feeling of …… (= reward) to the baby. Food is a primary ……: by removing discomfort, it reinforces the behaviour that led to its arrival.
But food never comes without the …… bringing it, so the mother becomes the …… reinforcer – even without bringing food, the presence of the caregiver reduces discomfort and brings a feeling of pleasure. The baby will therefore repeat any ……, e.g. crying, which brings the caregiver close.
Copy and complete, to summarise.
Students in groups of 3, role play the process of classical conditioning of attachment. One student plays mother, one baby, and one is the narrator who explains what is happening at each stage.
Copy the passage above, and fill the gaps using the words below.
ACTION * ASSOCIATES * FEEDING * LEARN * MOTHER * OPERANT
PLEASURE * REINFORCER * REPEATS * REWARDS * SECONDARY

19. 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

20. Over to you…
Outline key features of learning theory as an explanation for attachment (6 marks)
Don’t forget to PEEL your points
Include key terms e.g. conditioned response etc.
Link the theories to attachment

21. Evaluation of learning theory
Strengths
Weaknesses
Learning theory provides an adequate explanation of how attachments form
We do learn through association and reinforcement
Extrapolation
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
Extrapolation

22. 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.

23. Research evidence against learning theory
Harlow & Harlow (1958)
Rhesus monkeys
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24. Evaluate the learning theory explanation of attachment (6 marks)
Over to you…
Evaluate the learning theory explanation of attachment (6 marks)
Don’t forget to PEEL your points
Include key studies as evidence

25. Learning explanation of attachment
What have we learnt?
To EVALUATE the learning explanation of attachment
To APPLY this knowledge and understanding to an exam question
To KNOW & UNDERSTAND how learning theory can be used to explain attachment formation
As a group write as many tweets as you can, which show you have achieved our learning objectives. Initial your tweet
#LearningTheory
Thinking/Extension Ladder…