An infant, Noah, has begun to show a strong attachment to his mother, Clara, particularly during feeding times. According to the learning theory (drive-reduction model) of attachment, which of the following explains how Noah's attachment to Clara is established?
Clara acts as a primary reinforcer because she directly satisfies Noah's innate biological drive for contact comfort and emotional warmth.
Feeding reduces Noah's primary drive of hunger; because Clara provides the food, she becomes associated with drive reduction and acts as a secondary reinforcer.
Noah's crying is an innate social releaser that elicits a maternal response from Clara, classical-conditioning her to associate Noah with drive reduction.
Noah forms a cognitive schema known as an internal working model, which treats Clara as a primary reinforcer to ensure his survival during the critical period.
57 exam-style questions on AQA A Level Psychology Explanations of attachment. Each one has a worked solution and a mark scheme showing where the marks go.