ns (caregiver) associated with food become cs, produces pleasure (cr) and feeling of love for caregiver - attachment is formed
operant conditioningskinner
crying reinforced because produces caregiver response, negative reinforcement caregiver response reinforced because crying stops
drive reduction
attachment is a secondary drive learnt by association of caregiver with hunger satisfaction
learning theory strength
elements of conditioning could be involved in some aspects of attachment, unlikely for association with food to be a central role for attachment but conditioning plays a role, useful in understanding development of attachments
learning theorylimitation
lack of support from animal studies, geese was from first moving object, monkeys showed preference for comfort over food, counter-evidence, factors other than association with food are important
learning theory limitation
lack of support from human studies, babies form main attachment to mother regardless of if she fed them (Schaffer and Emerson), interactional synchrony predicted quality of attachment (Isabella), not related to feeding, counter-evidence, food is not main factor
