Infants become attached to a mother

figure because of food.

According to learning theory this is caused by conditioning.

Conditioning is a basic form of learning.

Learning Theory

There are two ways animals including human beings learn.

Classical conditioning.

An animal including a human being learns to associate or link one thing

to another.

Pavlov demonstrated this basic type of learning in dogs.

Operant conditioning.

Animals including humans don’t just respond to their environment they act on it and these

actions have positive or negative consequences.

Some actions have positive consequences and are rewarded. This behaviour is reinforced.

According to learning theory behaviour that is rewarded is likely to be repeated in the future in

the expectation of a similar reward. The behaviour has ben reinforced.

Human infants learn to make an attachment through classical

conditioning in the following way:

2. Mother is NS

3. Mother provides food and therefore becomes CS and now

produces CR (pleasure)

1. Food (UCS) pleasure (UCR)

Human infants learn to make an attachment through operant

conditioning in the following way:Dollard and Miller

(1950)1. Hungry infant feels

uncomfortable

2. Creates a drive to find food.

3. Being fed reduces discomfort and creates pleasure (a reward)

4. Food becomes a primary reinforcer.

5. Person providing the food becomes a secondary reinforcer.