attachment 5 - learning theory (dollard and miller) Flashcards
who came up with learning theory?
dollard and miller
what did dollard and miller say about how we become attached to our caregivers and what is this called?
they explained that we ‘learn’ to become attached to our caregivers. they referred to it as ‘cupboard love’ because this tends to be based on who feeds us the most
define classical conditioning
when we associate one stimulus with another
how do babies become attached to their primary care giver through food (eventually forming a conditioned response)
when we are fed (unconditioned stimulus) we experience pleasure (unconditioned response). when the same person gives a baby food they begin to associate that person with food and therefore pleasure. once the baby learns that the primary caregiver is associated with food this is a conditioned response.
define operant conditioning
learning to repeat or avoid certain behaviours based on the consequences that follow
why are we likely to repeat behaviour that we are rewarded for?
because it has been reinforced
what behaviour by the baby and mother builds attachment according to operant conditioning?
when a baby cries the parent shows comfort, this builds attachment
why is hunger a primary drive?
it is a biological motivator
what did sears et al suggest? (about secondary drives)
that as caregivers provide food the primary drive of hunger becomes generalised to them. attachment is therefore a secondary drive.
who suggested that as caregivers provide food the primary drive of hunger becomes generalised to them?
sears et al
describe how animal studies disprove learning theory
animal studies have shown that young animals do not attach to the person who feeds them. lorenz’s geese imprinted before they were even fed and harlow’s monkeys still preferred the soft wire mother to the bare wire one even when it did not dispense milk
how does schaffer’s human research disprove learning theory? (interactional synchrony and reciprocity)
schaffer argued that many babies attach to the mother as a primary caregiver despite other carers doing most of the feeding. this could be due to the amount of interactional synchrony and reciprocity the mother had with the baby rather than the feeding.
