1. Attachment
Use all of the key words below to create a
definition of attachment
Emotional Protecting
Definition:
•An emotional bond between 2 people
Endures bond
•2 way process that endures over time
•Serves the function of protecting the child
2 people child

2. Objectives
Define the term attachment
Identify key words associated with the
Learning Theory of attachment
Provide basic evaluation for the Learning
Theory
Apply exam board assessment objectives
to stimulus material
Write an exam style answer for the
Learning Theory of attachment

3. Explanations of Attachment
You need to know 2 explanations of
attachment
Learning Theory Bowlby’s Theory
Attachment is Attachment is
learned innate

4. A01 The Learning Theory –
Miller & Dollard
Everyone
is born as
a blank
slate
Behaviour is learned and Infant becomes
therefore nurture rather than attached because they
nature ‘learn’ that the caregiver
will meet their
physiological needs
Classical (food)
Association conditioning

5. Classical Conditioning
A01
Learning Babies love food –
through FACT
association
The learning theory
suggests they will love
their feeder as well…
Babies learn to associate the person who feeds them
with the pleasure of being fed
Ivan Pavlov was the first Psychologist to describe learning
through classical conditioning.
All behaviour is learnt through association

6. A01
Pavlov’s Dogs
(You need to be aware of the theory,
not exactly how Pavlov trained his dogs!)
BEFORE CONDITIONING...
Unconditioned stimulus produces Unconditioned response
(UCS) (UCR)
e.g. Dog food e.g. Salivation
DURING CONDITIONING...
Unconditioned stimulus Neutral stimulus Unconditioned response
(UCS) (NS) (UCR)
e.g. Dog food e.g. Door bell e.g. Salivation
AFTER CONDITIONING...
Conditioned stimulus produces Conditioned response
(CS) (CR)
e.g. Door bell e.g. Salivation

7. A01 Attachment through
classical conditioning
BEFORE CONDITIONING...
Unconditioned stimulus produces Unconditioned response
(UCS) (UCR)
e.g. Food e.g. Pleasure
DURING CONDITIONING...
Unconditioned stimulus Neutral stimulus Unconditioned response
(UCS) (NS) (UCR)
e.g. Food e.g. Caregiver e.g. Pleasure
AFTER CONDITIONING...
Conditioned stimulus produces Conditioned response
(CS) (CR)
e.g. Caregiver e.g. Pleasure

8. A02 Learning Theory – Evaluation
Positive
Adequate The learning
Explanation theory makes
sense
There’s evidence to suggest we learn other
behaviours by classical conditioning – why not
attachment?
What other behaviours might we learn through
association?

9. A02 Learning Theory – Evaluation
Negative
Shaffer &
Emerson
Found that the first
(1964) attachments formed
by 39% of babies
were not to the
person who fed and
Why is that changed them – they
negative attached to those
criticism?! who played with them

10. Learning Theory – Evaluation Negative
A02

11. A02 Learning Theory – Evaluation
Negative
Found that rhesus
Harlow (1959) monkey who were
There is a separated from their
HUGE
problem with after birth and
mothers
Harlow’s research – in a cage
were placed
with ‘wire’ mothers went
What is it?
Why is that to the ‘mother’ who
negative offered comfort rather
criticism?! then food

12. Learning Theory – Evaluation Negative
A02

13. A02 Learning Theory – Evaluation
Negative
Lorenz (1952)
Lorenz found that newly
hatched goose (after
seeing Lorenz shortly
after hatching) following
him everywhere and he
Why is that became their ‘imprinted
Negative parent’
criticism?!

14. Learning Theory – Evaluation
(top and tail)
e.g. Harlow found that rhesus
monkey who were separated
e.g. We acquire many from their mothers after birth
other behaviours through and were placed in a cage with
learning, such as phobias ‘wire’ mothers went to the
‘mother’ who offered comfort
rather then food
e.g. Shaffer & Emerson found
e.g. Lorenz found that newly
that the first attachments
hatched goose (after seeing
formed by 39% of babies
Lorenz shortly after hatching)
were not to the person
following him everywhere and
who fed and changed them
he became their ‘imprinted
– they attached to those
parent’
who played with them

15. Exam style questions
Have a go at answering the following
question –
Why? So you know how to answer in the
exam!
1. Outline the behavioural explanation of
attachment formation.
(4 marks)

16. Exam style questions
Have a go at marking the following question –
Why? So you can view the answer from the examiners perspective!
2. Outline two weaknesses of the learning theory explanation of
attachment.
(2 + 2 marks)
2
One weakness of the learning theory of attachment is that it doesn’t
explain why babies attached to people who do not feed them. For
example, Shaffer and Emerson found that 39% of babies attached
with those who played with them and not who fed them. This is a
weakness because it demonstrates that food is not the only reason
that babies will form an attachment, going against the learning
theory.
0
A second point is that the theory makes sense. For example, we learn
lots of behaviours through association so it makes sense that
children might learn to attach. This is a strength as it adds validity
to the learning theory explanation of attachment

17. In pairs write at least 15 key
Key words words that link to the Learning
Theory of Attachment
Glossary
• Attachment – A 2 way emotional bond between 2 people that endures
• Learning Theory – Attachment is learned (Miller & Dollard)
• Classical conditioning – Learning through association
• UCS – Unconditioned stimulus
• NS – Neutral stimulus
• UCR – Unconditioned response
• CR – Conditioned response
• CS – Conditioned stimulus
• Harlow – Monkeys given ‘wire mothers’
• Lorenz – Geese (imprinting theory)
• Shaffer & Emerson – 39% don’t attach to person who feeds

18. Objectives
Define the term attachment
Identify key words associated with the
Learning Theory of attachment
Provide basic evaluation for the Learning
Theory
Apply exam board assessment objectives
to stimulus material
Write an exam style answer for the
Learning Theory of attachment