Operant conditioning is learning through rewards for actions. In the process of operant conditioning, the mother rewards the infant by feeding them. The infant associates the mother with the reward and repeats any action that brings her close. This is because being fed brings a feeling of pleasure to the infant. The pleasure is the reward. Food is a primary reinforcer; by removing discomfort, it reinforces the behaviour that led to it. However, food never comes without the mother, so the mother becomes the secondary reinforcer- even without bringing food, the presence of the mother reduces discomfort for the infant and brings a feeling of pleasure. The infant will therefore repeat any action, such as crying, which will bring their mother close.
The learning theory has empirical support, for example, Hay et al shows that attachment is learned from watching and imitating a model. A child who watches their carer will try and copy their behaviour, which helps to form an attachment. However, there is research that does not support the idea of the learning theory, such as that conducted by Harlow. Harlow separated infant monkeys from their mother and raised them in isolation. He created two artificial wire monkeys; one had a feeding bottle attached and the other was wrapped in a soft cloth, but offered no food. The monkeys spent much of their time clinging to the cloth mother, especially in times of distress, showing that they wanted emotional care, which goes against the learning theory.
Another theory of attachment is the evolutionary theory, which was put forward by John Bowlby. Bowlby saw humans as being just like other animals and believed that we have an innate tendency to form an attachment with a caregiver. He thought that this gives us an adaptive advantage: we are more likely to survive. Babies have social releasers which ‘unlock’ the innate tendency of adults to care for them. These social releasers can be physical, such as the typical ‘baby face’ features, or behavioural, such as crying. An infant must form an attachment with their caregiver during a critical period, between birth and 2½ years old. Bowlby said that if this didn’t happen, the child would be damaged for life- socially, emotionally, intellectually and physically.
Empirical support for Bowlby’s theory of attachment comes from Lorenz (1952). He put half a group of gosling eggs in an incubator, so that when they hatched, the first thing that they would see would be him. The goslings imprinted on Lorenz when they hatched and began to follow him around. This shows that imprinting in some animals is innate and must happen within a critical period. For the goslings, this was a few hours after birth. However, some research shows that infants become attached to multiple caregivers, which goes against Bowbly’s idea of monotropy. Shaffer and Emerson’s study found that infants would form attachments to the adults who were most responsive to them. In 39% of cases, this was not the person who spent the most time with them, or the person who fed them.
by
amyjayneaston (student)
