Learning Theory of Attachment

Learning Theory of Attachment

1. Classical Conditioning

   • Attachment via association
     • Not innate
     • Infant associates mother with pleasure
       • Food
   • Stimulus = Food
     • Response = Pleasure
   • Mother is neutral before conditioning
     • Conditioned after learning has taken place
   • Caregiver learns to associate pleasure with looking after the infant

2. Operant Conditioning

   • Positive Reinforcement
     • Behaviour results in a positive outcome
     • Infant associates food with pleasure
       • Social releasers
         • Happiness
         • Giggling
     • Caregiver receives positive reinforcement from the social releasers created by the infant
   • Attachment via reinforcement
   • Negative Reinforcement
     • Subtraction of a negative outcome
     • Infant associates being fed with the subtraction of hunger
       • Learns that food removes hunger
     • Caregiver learns that feeding the infant will take away the crying
       • Associates the quiet infant in the attachment