Learning theory

• classical conditioning 


  attachment through association (person who gives food)

  apply to classic conditioning
• operant conditioning 


  both desire attachment for positive/ negative reinforcement
• strengths

  • logical idea = face validity
  • babies attach to survive = plausibility
• weaknesses

  • reductionist/ oversimplistic
  • attachment due to food is wrong (harlow)
• Monotropic theory 


  Bowlby
• Monotropy 


  innate tendency to attach to 1 adult female

  first attachment = most special

  leads to internal working model
• strengths of monotropy

  • strong support - Hazen and Shaver love quiz
  • logical
  • children attach for survival
• weaknesses of monotropy

  • focuses only on mother (shaffer and emerson) - may not be primary attachment
  • originated from Lorenz animal research
  • socially sensitive for parents