Learning theory

• Learning theory of attachment

  Dollard and Miller
• Importance of food


  • This is called 'cupboard love' because it emphasises the importance of food in developing attachments, children learn to love whoever feeds them
• Role of classical conditioning

  1. Learning to associate two stimuli, UCS(food) leads to UCR(feeling of pleasure), the response is not learnt so it becomes an unconditioned response

  2. Baby learns that mother produces a sense of pleasure, the mother starts as a NS, since she provides food she becomes associated with food so becomes a CS, once conditioning has taken place, the sight of the caregiver produces a CR of pleasure, this is the basis of attachment love
• Role of operant conditioning

  1. Explains why babies cry for comfort (important for attachment), crying leads to a response from the caregiver (feeding), as long as the caregiver provides the correct response, crying is reinforced because it produces a pleasurable consequence

  2. At the same time the baby is reinforced for crying, the caregiver receives negative reinforcement because the crying stops (the is escaping something negative) this interplay strengthens the attachment
• Drive reduction


  Hunger is a primary drive (innate motivator), attachment is a secondary drive learnt by the association between the caregiver and satisfaction from the primary drive
• animal studies provide evidence against food as the basis of attachment
• Lorenz imprinted geese


  • Remained imprinted regardless of who fed them
• Harlow's monkeys


  • Chose comfort over food, attachment didn't form via feeding
• This must be the same for humans because all learning theorists believe that non human animals and humans are equivalent
• human research also shows feeding isn't an important factor
• Schaffer and Emerson


  • For many babies a primary attachment was not who fed them, feeding isn't a key element to attachment
• There are other factors more important than food for attachment
• Learning theory ignores


  Other factors linked with attachment
• Quality of attachment


  • Associated with developing reciprocity and good levels of interactional synchrony
  • Best attachments come from sensitive carers who respond to their infants correctly
• It is hard to reconcile these findings with the idea what attachment forms through feeding
• Strength of learning theory

  Some elements of conditioning could still be involved
• The main problem with learning theory is the idea that feeding provides the unconditioned stimulus or primary drive
• Many aspects of attachment are affected by conditioning so it means it could play a part still but not in relation to feeding