Operant conditioning of attachment

• What is operant conditioning?

  Learning by consequence. Operant conditioning involves learning from the consequences of behaviour. If a behaviour produces a pleasant consequence, that behaviour is likely to be repeated again (reinforced). If a behaviour produces a negative consequence (punishment) it is less likely to be repeated.
• How is operant conditioning applied to attachment?

  It can explain why babies cry for comfort:

  • Crying leads to a response from the caregiver e.g. feeding
  • If the caregiver gives the correct response, the crying is reinforced
  • The caregiver also receives negative reinforcement because the crying stops - escaping from something unpleasant is reinforcing