Learning theory

• cupboard love


  The ides that we form attachments with the people who feed us
• Learning Theory


  Proposes the idea that behaviour is learned rather than innate
• classical conditioning


  Learning through association
• Classical conditioning and attachment

  Person who feeds (cs) the infant becomes associated with food

  The feeder eventually produces the pleasure associated with food

  Pleasure now becomes conditioned responses

  The association between an individual and as sense of pleasure is thr attachment bond
• Operant conditioning


  Learning occurs when we are rewarded for doing something e.g money or praise
• Dollard and Miller (1950)

  Proposed that caregiver-infant attachments can be explained through the learning theory. Emphasises importance of caregiver as a provider of food.
• Weakness of learning theory - counter evidence for animal studies

  In both animal studies (Harlow and Lorenz) attachment did not occur as a result of feeding

  This shows that factor other than feeding are importing in forming an attachment
• Weakness - counter evidence for human studies

  Schaffer and Emerson showed that many babies their main attachment was not to who feeds them

  Suggests again that factors are more important in attachment than feeding
• Strength - elements of conditioning could still be involved

  Conditioning may still play a role

  Conditioning may still be an important in choice of attachment figures
• Weakness - conditioning could still be involved

  This point ignores the fact that babies are very active in interactions that produce attachment

  Suggest learning theory may be inappropriate in explaining any aspect of attachment