The Learning Theory and Attachment

Question 1

How does attachment link to classical conditioning?

Answer 1

• food (UCS) produces pleasure (UCR) and so primary caregiver (NS) becomes associated with the food and therefore the pleasure become a conditioned stimulus producing pleasure

Question 2

How does operant conditioning link to infantile and caregiver attachment?

Answer 2

Infantile:
- Crying is positively reinforced by attention
Caregiver:
- Attention is negatively reinforced by stopping of crying

Question 3

How does the secondary drive link to attachment?

Answer 3

• Satisfaction of the primary hunger drive is associated with the caregiver

Question 4

What Research conflicts with the learning theory?

Answer 4

• Lorenz’s geese imprinted on the first moving object they saw and Harlow’s monkey’s prioritised contact-comfort over food, showing fcatprs other than food are important when forming attachments

Question 5

What makes the learning theory useful regardless of food?

Answer 5

• Even if food is not the central aspect of attachment, the learning theory may still play a role, for example a child may associate it’s attachment figure with warmth or comfort and so this association may cause them to attach

Question 6

What evidence rejects the idea of the learning theory?

Answer 6

• Schaffer and Emerson found babies are likely to form their attachments to their mother regardless of who is feeding them, also Isabella found that interactional synchrony predicted the quality of attachment - not linked to food