Essay Questions
Outline and evaluate the learning theory of attachment
The Learning theory states that babies form attachments in the same way any behaviour is acquired: it is learned. There are two different ways of learning, according to the theory: Classical conditioning (learning through association) and Operant conditioning (learning through repetition or punishment).
The first type, Classical conditioning, is a learning process that occurs through associations between an environmental stimulus and a naturally occuring stimulus. If, for example, we were to use an infant and a primary care giver (PCG): * Food is an unconditioned stimulus that produces an unconditioned response (pleasure). * At the start, PCG is a neutral stimulus who produces no response (pleasure.) * However, because the PCG is continually paired with the unconditioned stimulus (food), she becomes associated with it until eventually the PCG alone can produce pleasure. * PCG has now become a conditioned stimulus and the pleasure she brings is a conditioned response.

The second type, Operant conditioning, is a learning process that occurs through rewards and punishment for behaviour. Through this conditioning, an association is made between a behaviour and the consequences for that behaviour. If, for example, we were to use an infant and a PCG: * When hungry, the infant feels uncomfortable and experiences a drive state. * This drive motivates the infant to find some way to lessen the discomfort of being hungry. * When the infant is fed, this satisfies the infant and makes it feel comfortable. * This results in drive reduction, which is rewarding, and the child learns that food is a reward or primary reinforcer. * The person who supplies the food, the PCG, is associated with the food and becomes a secondary reinforcer. * From then on, the infant seeks