explanations of attachment

• Learning theory


  A set of theories from the behaviourist approach to psychology, that emphasise the role of learning in the acquisition of behaviour
• Classical conditioning of attachment

  Unconditioned stimulus - Food

  Unconditioned response - Pleasure

  Neutral stimulus - Caregiver

  Unconditioned + neutral stimulus - Food + Caregiver

  Conditioned stimulus - Caregiver

  Conditioned response - Pleasure
• Operant conditioning


  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 an unpleasant consequence (punishment) it is less likely to be repeated
• Attachment as a secondary drive

  Hunger can be thought of as a primary drive - an innate, biological motivator

  Attachment is a secondary drive learned by an association between the caregiver and the satisfaction of a primary drive
• Bowlby rejected learning theory as an explanation for attachment
• Monotropy


  Bowlby's theory that the child's attachment to one particular caregiver is different and more important than others
• Social releasers


  Innate but behaviours like smiling, cooing and gripping that encourage attention from adults and activate adult social interaction
• Critical period


  Bowlby proposed that there is a critical period around six months when the infant attachment system is active, and if an attachment is not formed in this time, a child will find it much harder to form one later
• Internal working model


  A mental representation of their relationship with their primary attachment figure that serves as a model for what relationships are like