A5. Learning Theory

Question 1

Learning Theory

Answer 1

• children born as blank slates; everything is learned through experience (baby must therefore learn through attachment with mother)
• classical and operate conditioning (SLT and behaviourism) = ‘cupboard love’
• Hunger (primary drive). Attachment is result of [caregiver + primary drive reduction] association (feeling less hungry)

Question 2

Classical Conditioning (Pavlov’s Dogs)

Answer 2

Food = Salivation (uncon. stim. + uncon. resp.)
Bell = No Salivation
Food + Bell = Salivation (uncon. stim. + neu. stimulus = uncon. resp.) [several pairings]
Bell = Salivation (con. stim. = con. resp.

Question 3

Classical Conditioning Applied

Answer 3

• baby forms association between mother (neu. stim.) and pleasure that comes with being fed (innate uncon. resp.)
• baby originally comforted by food (uncon. stim.). However, mother (neu. stim.) is always present during feeding; mother therefore becomes con. stim. and also causes pleasure for child
• baby therefore feels happier when mother is nearer (attachment formation begins)

Question 4

Operant Conditioning (Skinner’s Rats)

Answer 4

• rats starved, placed in a box containing food and a lever
• when rat passed certain line in box, it would be given food; line moved further (more difficult)
• rat learned to pass line to be rewarded
• THEN, rat only given food if it touched a lever. It learned to touch the lever.
• THEN, rat only given food if it pulled the lever. It learned to pull the lever.

Question 5

Operant Conditioning Applied

Answer 5

• child cries, which triggers response from mother (comfort or feed baby)
• more it happens, more it’s reinforced. Therefore, child associates mother with reward
• food is primary reinforcer, mother is secondary reinforcer

Question 6

• Eval: Animal Studies Contradict

Answer 6

• Harlow demonstrated: contact comfort > food
• suggests food has minimal influence (or less influence than comfort) on attachments

Question 7

• Eval: Human Studies Contradict

Answer 7

• Brazleton et al: emphasises importance of intersectional synchrony and reciprocity (universal features)
• attachments form to person who’s most attentive to infant and deals with signals most skilfully (food = irrelevant)