The ethological theory of attachment
◦ suggests that the infant's emotional tie to the mother is the foundation of all later relationships.
◦ recognizes the infant's emotional tie to the caregiver as an evolved response that promotes survival.
◦ emphasizes the importance of feeding as the central context in which caregivers and babies build close emotional bonds.
◦ suggests that infants learn to prefer their mother because she functions as both a primary caregiver and a social partner.