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Learning Theory of Attachment - Coggle Diagram
Learning Theory of Attachment
Dollard and Miller (1950)
Attachment is based on the principles of behaviourism
The infant forms an attachment with the individual who cares for it by forming an association
The infants start to associate these feelings with the person
Operant conditioning
Crying gets the baby food, so therefore crying will be repeated
Being fed also removes negative reinforcement and again makes the crying behaviour more likely to be repeated
Classical conditioning
Food is the unconditioned stimulus as the milk gives pleasure, the caregiver is the neutral stimulus
The caregiver becomes a conditioned stimulus by association
Also known as the cupboard love theory as it states that attachments only form because of the infant’s love of food
AO3
Barnet (1979)
Animal research in explaining human behaviour is outdated and oversimplified
Harlow (1959)
The monkeys spent most of their time on the ‘comfort mother’
Schaffer & Emerson (1964)
Infants were most attached to the person who gave them the most attention
Fox (1977)
Bonds between mothers, babies & metapelites (these are specially trained, full-time carers of newborn infants in a Kibbutz community)
Children were generally more attached to their mothers