Learning theory: explanations of attachment

• who came up with the learning theory of attachment


  Dollard and Miller
• importance of food


  sometimes called the 'cupboard love' explanation as it emphasises the importance of food in the formation of attachments. children learn to love whoever feeds them
• the role of classical conditioning


  the baby learns that the mother produces a sense of pleasure. the mother becomes associated with food over time and so produces a conditioned response of love
• the role of operant conditioning

  explains why babies cry for comfort. the crying leads to a response from the caregiver, and as long as the crying stops, it is positively reinforced as it provides a pleasurable consequence for the infant.
• the role of negative reinforcement


  while the baby is positively reinforced for crying the caregiver is negatively reinforced because the crying stops (the caregiver is negatively reinforced by removing something unpleasant). the interplay of different reinforcements strengthens an attachment.
• drive reduction


  hunger is a primary drive - an innate biological motivator. we are motivated to eat to reduce the hunger drive.

  attachment is a secondary drive learned by an association between the caregiver and the satisfaction of a fulfilling a primary drive. sears suggested that as caregivers provide food, the hunger drive becomes generalised to them
• limitation of the learning theory of attachment - feeding is not an important factor


  Schaffer and Emerson showed that for many babies a primary attachment was not to the person who fed them. this shows that feeding is not the key element to attachment and so there is no unconditioned stimulus or primary drive involved. the evidence suggests that other factors are more important than food in the formation of attachment.
• strength of the learning theory of attachment - some elements of conditioning could still be involved


  the main issue with learning theory is the idea that feeding provides the unconditioned stimulus, reinforcement or primary drive. however, many aspects of human development are affected by conditioning so it seems plausible that it could still play a role in attachment (but not in relation to feeding). for example, associations between the primary caregiver and provision of comfort and social interaction could be part of what builds attachment.
• limitation of learning theory of attachment - animal studies provide evidence against food as the basis of attachment


  Lorenz's geese maintained attachments regardless of who fed them, and Harlow's monkeys preferred a cloth mother over a wire one that dispensed milk. in both these studies, attachment did not develop as a result of feeding. the same must be true for humans. as, after all, learning theorists believe that animals and humans are equivalent
• Another limitation of the learning theory of attachment is that it ignores other factors linked with attachment. 


  Research shows that quality of attachment is associated with developing reciprocity and good levels of interactional synchrony. Studies also show that the best quality attachments are with sensitive carers who pick up infant signals and respond appropriately. It is very hard to reconcile these findings with the idea that attachment develops primarily through feeding.