Learning Theory

• Dolland and Miller (1950)

  - Found that infants learn to associate caregiver with feelings of pleasure when fed.

  - Infants are reinforced in behaviors that will produce desired responses.

  - Being fed when they cry.
• Cupboard love


  The ides that we form attachments with the people who feed us
• Classical conditioning (attachment)


  - The food (UCR) provides pleasure (UCR).

  - As the mother (NS) is present every time the baby is fed, the mother becomes associated with the pleasure of being fed (CS).

  - The infant experiences a CR.

  
• Operant conditioning (attachment)


  - Dollard and Miller suggested that a hungry infant feels uncomfortable and this created a drive to reduce the discomfort.

  - Any behaviours resulting in rewards is reinforced.

  - Any behaviours that result in punishments = stamped out.

  - Hungry infant feels uncomfortable and is driven to reduce discomfort.

  - When fed it feels pleasure.

  - The food is a primary reinforcer and it directly satisfies hunger.

  - The caregiver is a secondary reinforcer as he/she is associated with the food.

  - So attachment occurs because the child seeks the person who can supply the reward.
• Sears et al (1957) - Attachment as a secondary drive


  Attachment becomes a secondary drive through its association with hunger.
• Strengths of the learning theory of attachment

  Some conditioning may be involved

  - A baby may associate feeling warm and comfortable with a particular adult.

  - This may influence the baby's choice of their main attachment figure.
• Limitations of the learning theory of attachment

  Counter-evidence from animal studies

  - Lorenz's geese imprinted on the first moving object they saw regardless of whether this object was associated with food.

  - Harlow's monkeys displayed attachment behaviour towards a soft surrogate mother in preference to a wire one which provided milk.

  
  

  Counter-evidence from studies on humans

  - Schaffer and Emerson found that babies tended to form their main attachment to their mother regardless of whether she was the one who usually fed them.

  - Isabella et al found that high levels of interactional synchrony predicted the quality of attachment.