learning by association - learn to associate stimulus with a response
food = sense of pleasure = mother becomes source of pleasure through association with food even if no food is present
operant conditioning
behaviour is associated with a consequence or reward
baby is fed = hunger reduced = rewarding
food is primary reinforcer and person who provides food is secondary reinforcer = infant wants to be close to care giver = attachment is formed
evaluation - positive
uses lab experiments - high control of extraneous variables - can infer cause and effect
evaluation - contradictory evidence
its not feeding that leads to attachment (Harlow's monkey study preferred cloth other wire monkey that fed them)
therefore core idea behind theory is flawed
evaluation - contradictory evidence
Schaffer & Emerson - in about 40% of human infants the adult who fed the person was not the person infant was most attached to - more likely to be attached to adults who were responsive
therefore core idea behind theory is flawed
evaluation - negative
theory is too simple, reduces complex human behaviour - reductionism , ignores all other explanation
