AO1

• Learning to associate the stimuli together so we respond to one way the same way we respond to the other in attachment food serves as an unconditioned stimulus being fed gives us pleasure. It is an unconditioned response. The caregiver starts as a neutral stimulus, but they are paired with food over time. The neutral stimulus has become a condition stimulus. Once conditioning has taken place, the site of the caregiver produces the condition response of pleasure. This could. addition, pleasure response is called love to a learning theorist.
• Current conditioning can explain why babies cry for comfort. Crying leads to a response from the caregiver, for example, feeding, as long as the caregiver provides the correct response, crying is reinforced. The baby then directs crying for comfort towards the caregiver who responds with comforting social, suppressive behaviour. This reinforcement is two way. At the same time, the baby is reinforced for kept for crying. The caregiver receives negative reinforcement because the crying stops. The person supplying the food is the secondary reinforcer and attachment occurs because the baby wants the reward of food from them.