ETHOLOGICAL V. SOCIAL-LEARNING EXPLANATIONS OF ATTACHMENT
Question: "Compare and contrast the ethological and social- learning views of how attachment develops." (Source: Perry & Bussy, pp. 41-45)
Ethologists emphasize the inherent survival value of a reciprocal, instinctive mechanism which keeps the infants of any species close to adults and which inspires devotion toward the infant on the part of the caregiver. While ethologists acknowledge a greater interaction between cognition and instinct in species higher on the phylogenetic ladder, such as humans, they view attachment as an essentially. instinctive behavior elicited by specific environmental stimuli including hormonal and behavioral triggers. Ethologists postulate that without an attachment object from whom to seek support and reassurance, infants would remain seriously frightened of unfamiliar settings.
Social learning theorists, on the other hand, stress the importance of interpersonal stimulation, or nurturing, most regularly provided by parental figures. The infant is conditioned by the positive reinforcement received from parental attention, while the parent is conditioned to continue providing such attention by the smiles and other responses or autonomic behaviors of the baby. By continually pairing a neutral stimulus (e.g., the mother) with a primary reward, the formerly neutral stimulus will be sought out for its own sake.
Bell & Ainsworth (1972) blend ethological and social learning theory by contending that contingent caregiver responsiveness ingrains in the infant a sense of security and empowerment by teaching that the caregiver is accessible and will come if signaled. Under this view, contingent responsiveness does not serve simply to reinforce the behavior it follows, but teaches the infant basic lessons about his or her effects on other people; in .turn influencing how the child behaves. REFERENCE Bell, S.M. & Ainsworth, M.D.S. (1972). Infant crying and maternal responsiveness, Child Development, 43, 1171-1190.
Thomas S. Rue, MA, NCC
December 29, 1991Psychological and Quantitative Foundations 7P:109
The University of Iowa - College of Education
Socialization of the School Age Child - Assignment #4
Thomas Rue 1991-1993.
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