Attachment - Learning theory Flashcards
What did learning theorists Dollard and Miller (1950) propose?
That caregiver infant attachment can be explained by learning theory
What does the learning theory emphasise?
The importance of the attachment figure as a provider of food
What does classical conditioning involve?
Learning to associate 2 stimuli together so that we begin to respond to one in the same way as we already respond to the other
In the cases of attachment, what does food serve as?
An unconditioned stimulus
What is being fed?
An unconditioned response
What does the caregiver start as?
Neutral stimulus
What does the neutral stimulus become when the baby expects food?
Conditioned stimulus
What happens when the sight of the caregiver appears?
It produces a conditioned response of pleasure
What does operant conditioning involve?
Learning from the consequences of behaviour
What happens when the behaviour produces a pleasant consequence?
Behaviour is likely to be repeated so the behaviour is reinforced
What happens when the behaviour produces an unpleasant consequence?
Behaviour is less likely to be repeated
What does crying lead to?
A response from the caregiver
What happens if the caregiver provides the correct response?
Crying is reinforced
What does the caregiver respond with when the baby directs crying for comfort towards the caregiver?
Comforting social suppressor behaviour
What does the learning theory draw on?
THe concept of drive reduction
What is hunger thought of as?
A primary drive
What does Sears (1957) suggest?
That as caregivers provide food, the primary drive of hunger becomes generalised to them
What is attachment?
A secondary drive learned by an association between the caregiver and the satisfaction of a primary drivr
What is one limitation of the learning theory?
Counter-evidence from animal studies
What is the evaluation of the learning theory having counter-evidence from animal studies?
P: Lack of support from studies conducted on animals
E: Lorenz’s geese imprinted on the first moving object they saw regardless of whether this object is associated with food
E: Harlow’s monkey displayed attachment behaviour towarfs a soft surrogate mother
L: Factors other than association with food are important in the formation of attachments
What is another limitation of the learning theory?
Counter-evidence from studies on humans
What is the evaluation of the learning theory having counter-evidence from studies on humans?
P: Lack of support from studies of human babies
E: Schaffer and Emerson (1964) found that babies form an attachment on their mothers regardless of if they offered food
E: Isabella (1989) found that high levels of synchrony predicted the quality of attachment
L: Food is not the main factor
What is one strength of the learning theory?
Some conditioning may be involved
What is the evaluation of the learning theory involving some conditioning?
P: Elements of conditioning may be involved
E: A baby may associate feeling warm with the presence of a particular adult
E: This may influence the baby’s choice of their own attachment figure
L: Useful in understanding the development of attachments
