Explanations if attachment - learning theory

Learning Theory and Attachment

learning theorists John Dollard and Neal Miller (1950) proposed caregiver-infant attachment can be explained by learning theory. thier approach is sometimes known as a 'cupboard love' approach becasue it emphasises the importance of the caregiver as a food provider.

Classical Conditioning -

food (unconditioned stimulus) ----------- Pleasure (unconditioned response)
mother (neutral stimulus) ---------- No response

food (unconditioned stimulus) + mother (neutral stumulus) ------ pleasure (unconditioned response)

mother (conditioned stimulus) ----- pleasure (conditioned response)

Operant Conditioning -

if the behaviour recieves a pleasant consequnce, it is likely to be repeated - behaviour having been reinforced. This can explain why babies cry for comfort (an important behaviour for creating attachments). crying leads to a response from the caregiver, for example feeding. as long as the caregiver gives the correct response, crying behaviour is reinforced. the baby then directs crying behaviour for comfort towards the caregiver who responds with comforting 'social suppressor' beahviour. This reinforcemtn is a two-way process - the caregiver responds to the babies cries quickly to stop the crying, this is negative reinforcement as the caregiver is escaping from something unpleasant. this interplay of mutual reinforcement strengthens the attachment

Attachment as a secondary drive -

as well as conditioning, learning theory draws on the concept of drive reduction. hunger can be thought of as…