Learning theory of attachment

• Classical conditioning- through association. food is given by care giver, food triggers pleasure, so caregiver is associated with pleasure.

  drive reduction-

  primary drive- desire to eat, secondary drive- attachment (caregiver associated with reduction in primary drive)
• Operant conditioning- though consequence

  if behaviour produces a pleasant consequence, it’s likely to be repeated as it’s reinforced. crying leads to a response from caregiver e.g feeding, so crying is reinforced.

  -reinforcement could be 2 way, baby is rewarded with comfort for crying, and caregiver receives negative reinforcement because crying stops 
• A limitation is the lack of support from studies conducted on animals, Harlows monkeys were given a choice between food and comfort and displayed attachment behaviours towards the comfort wire monkey over the one that provided food. This shows that other factors are important in the formation of attachment.
• another limitation is the lack of support from human studies, Schaffer and Emerson found babies tend to form their main attachment to their mother, regardless of whether she was the one who usually fed them. Isabella found high levels of interactional synchrony predicted the quality of attachment this isn’t related to feeding.
• A strength of this is, there is some conditioning that may be involved. The baby may associate feeling warm and comfortable with the presence of a particular adult, this may influence babies choice of attachment figure, so the learning theory may still be useful in understanding the development of attachment. However, both classical and operant conditioning, see the baby play passive role, they respond to associations with comfort. Research shows babies take an active role in interactions to produce attachment.