The Learning approach: Behaviourism

• Conditioning involves learning to repeat or not repeat behaviour depending on its consequences.
• If the behaviour produces a pleasant consequence, it is likely to be repeated, meaning the behaviour has been reinforced.
• If the behaviour produces an unpleasant consequence, it is less likely to be repeated, meaning the behaviour has not been reinforced.
• Operant conditioning can explain why babies cry for comfort as crying leads to a response from the caregiver, which is feeding.
• The interplay of reinforcement strengthens as attachment.
• Learning theory draws on the concept of Drive Reduction.
• Hunger can be thought of as a primary drive, it's an innate, biological motivator.
• According to Sears et al., as caregivers provide food, the primary drive of hunger becomes generalised to them.
• Attachment is a secondary drive learned by an association between the caregiver and the satisfaction of a primary drive.
• Animal studies show that young animals do not necessarily attach to those who feed them.
• Lorenz's Geese imprinted before they were fed and maintained these attachments regardless of who fed them.
• Harlow's monkeys attached to a soft surrogate mother rather than the metal wire which dispensed food.
• All Learning theorists believe that animals and humans are equivalent, therefore, this shows that attachment doesn't develop as a result of feeding.
• Research with human infants also shows that feeding does not appear to be a key element to attachment and there is no conditioned stimulus or primary drive involved.