Learning theory

• What is classical conditioning?

  learning through association
• What is the unconditioned stimulus?

  food
• What is the unconditioned response?

  baby feels pleasure
• What is the neutral stimulus?

  the mother
• Explanation of classical conditioning as an explanation for forming attachment

  • the food (unconditioned stimulus) naturally gives the infant pleasure - as an innate response (pleasure = unconditioned response)
  • the caregiver (neutral stimulus) gives the infant food and the infant learns to associate the caregiver with the food and the caregiver therefore becomes the 'conditioned stimulus'
  • the caregiver begins to stimulate feelings of pleasure on her own, even without the food
  • conditioned response = pleasure of being fed paired with the caregiver
  • beginning of attachment
• What is operant conditioning?

  learning through trial & error, and reinforcement (positive and negative)
• Explanation of operant conditioning as an explanation for attachment formation

  • the mother rewards the infant crying by feeding it, the infant associates the mother with the reward and repeats any action that brings her close (to gain the reward)
  • food brings a feeling of pleasure to baby, acting as a PRIMARY REINFORCER - by removing discomfort, it reinforces behaviour that caused it
  • food never comes without the mother, so mother becomes a secondary reinforcer (also reducing discomfort)
  • baby repeats any action which brings the care giver close - beginning of attachment
• Evaluation of the Learning theory - Weaknesses

  • extremely reductionist - only considers food as the driving force behind attachment formation and ignores other factors such as sensitive responding and developing reciprocity
  • deterministic - assumes that an infant will attach to whoever feeds it, although there is research that suggests infants form attachments to people who don't feed them - Schaffer and Emerson suggest that it is rather the quality of interaction with the infant that was most important therefore the strongest attachments were with the most sensitive and responsive person
• Evaluation of the Learning theory - Strengths

  • plausible and scientifically reliable explanation for attachment formation
  • seems highly likely that simple association between food and the person providing this can lead to a strong attachment
• Dollard and Miller 


  • believed that attachments form through positive and negative reinforcement
  • an infant experiences hunger and goes into a 'drive state' where they are highly motivated to get food and reduce the discomfort that comes with hunger
  • once the child has food, they experience a feeling of pleasure (POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT)
  • supports learning theory
• Harlow's monkey experiment in relation to learning theory

  • does not support the learning theory
  • monkeys preferred a comforting, soft mother rather than a wire mother that only fed the monkey