Learning Theory of Attachment

• Dollard & Miller


  Said that caregiver-infant attachment can be explained by learning theory - it's sometimes called 'cupboard love' as it emphasises the importance of the attachment figure as a provider of food
• classical conditioning

  Learning to associate 2 stimuli together so we start to respond to one in the same way we respond to the other
• Explain classical conditioning linking it to attachment

  Food provided by mother (UCS) brings the baby comfort (UCR) - the baby then learns to associate the mother (CS) with comfort (CR)
• Operant conditioning

  Learning from the consequences of behaviour
• Positive reinforcement in terms of attachment

  Baby cries —> gets a reward of food
• Negative reinforcement in terms of attachment

  Baby cries and mum feeds & cuddles —> mum gets reward as baby stops crying
• Reinforcement is a ________ process

  2 way
• Explain attachment as a secondary drive

  Hunger is a primary drive and the baby gets attached to the person who feeds them —> secondary drive
• 2 weaknesses of the learning theory of attachment

  - lack of support from studies conducted on animals - Lorenz's geese imprinted on the first large moving object they saw regardless of whether it was associated with food

  
  

  - lack of support from studies conducted on humans - Schaffer & Emerson found that babies tend to form their main attachment to their mother regardless of whether she was the person who usually fed them
• 1 strength of the learning theory of attachment

  Elements of conditioning could be involved in some aspects of attachment - a baby may associate feeling warm and comfortable with the presence of a particular adult which may influence who they form their main attachment to