Evolutionary theories: attachment is innate
Learning theories: attachment are based on association and rewards
Dollard and Miller (1950)
● Children cry for food and attention.
● “Cupboard love” approach: emphasise importance of the caregiver as a provider of
food.
● Children learn to love whoever feeds them.
Classical conditioning and attachment.
● Objects and people are associated with food because they are present when the
infant is fed.
● The objects are neutral stimuli (ns)
● If any neutral stimulus is regularly associated with an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) it
produces the same response as the UCS.
● The neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus (cs) and produces a
conditioned response (cr).
● The person who feeds the infant moves from being an NS to being a CS.
● Just seeing this person gives the infant a feeling of pleasure (a CR)
● Learning theorists called this newly formed stimulus-response “love”.
Operant conditioning can explain why babies cry for comfort- an important behaviour in
building attachment.
● When a baby cries it elicits a response from the caregiver (e.g feeding)
● When the caregiver gives the correct response the crying is reinforced.
● The crying has been rewarded by feeding (this is an example of positive
reinforcement).
● When the caregiver feeds the baby, the crying stops.
Drive reduction
● The learning theory draws on the concept of drive reduction
● Hunger is a primary drive as it is innate.
● We are motivated to eat in order to reduce the primary motive.
Sears et al (1957)
● Suggested as caregivers provide food, the primary drive of hunger becomes
generalised to them.
● Attachment is thus a secondary drive learned by an association between caregiver
and the satisfaction of the primary drive.
Learning theories: attachment are based on association and rewards
Dollard and Miller (1950)
● Children cry for food and attention.
● “Cupboard love” approach: emphasise importance of the caregiver as a provider of
food.
● Children learn to love whoever feeds them.
Classical conditioning and attachment.
● Objects and people are associated with food because they are present when the
infant is fed.
● The objects are neutral stimuli (ns)
● If any neutral stimulus is regularly associated with an unconditioned stimulus (UCS) it
produces the same response as the UCS.
● The neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus (cs) and produces a
conditioned response (cr).
● The person who feeds the infant moves from being an NS to being a CS.
● Just seeing this person gives the infant a feeling of pleasure (a CR)
● Learning theorists called this newly formed stimulus-response “love”.
Operant conditioning can explain why babies cry for comfort- an important behaviour in
building attachment.
● When a baby cries it elicits a response from the caregiver (e.g feeding)
● When the caregiver gives the correct response the crying is reinforced.
● The crying has been rewarded by feeding (this is an example of positive
reinforcement).
● When the caregiver feeds the baby, the crying stops.
Drive reduction
● The learning theory draws on the concept of drive reduction
● Hunger is a primary drive as it is innate.
● We are motivated to eat in order to reduce the primary motive.
Sears et al (1957)
● Suggested as caregivers provide food, the primary drive of hunger becomes
generalised to them.
● Attachment is thus a secondary drive learned by an association between caregiver
and the satisfaction of the primary drive.
