Attachment - Learning theory

Question 1

What did learning theorists Dollard and Miller (1950) propose?

Answer 1

That caregiver infant attachment can be explained by learning theory

Question 2

What does the learning theory emphasise?

Answer 2

The importance of the attachment figure as a provider of food

Question 3

What does classical conditioning involve?

Answer 3

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

Question 4

In the cases of attachment, what does food serve as?

Answer 4

An unconditioned stimulus

Question 5

What is being fed?

Answer 5

An unconditioned response

Question 6

What does the caregiver start as?

Answer 6

Neutral stimulus

Question 7

What does the neutral stimulus become when the baby expects food?

Answer 7

Conditioned stimulus

Question 8

What happens when the sight of the caregiver appears?

Answer 8

It produces a conditioned response of pleasure

Question 9

What does operant conditioning involve?

Answer 9

Learning from the consequences of behaviour

Question 10

What happens when the behaviour produces a pleasant consequence?

Answer 10

Behaviour is likely to be repeated so the behaviour is reinforced

Question 11

What happens when the behaviour produces an unpleasant consequence?

Answer 11

Behaviour is less likely to be repeated

Question 12

What does crying lead to?

Answer 12

A response from the caregiver

Question 13

What happens if the caregiver provides the correct response?

Answer 13

Crying is reinforced

Question 14

What does the caregiver respond with when the baby directs crying for comfort towards the caregiver?

Answer 14

Comforting social suppressor behaviour

Question 15

What does the learning theory draw on?

Answer 15

THe concept of drive reduction

Question 16

What is hunger thought of as?

Answer 16

A primary drive

Question 17

What does Sears (1957) suggest?

Answer 17

That as caregivers provide food, the primary drive of hunger becomes generalised to them

Question 18

What is attachment?

Answer 18

A secondary drive learned by an association between the caregiver and the satisfaction of a primary drivr

Question 19

What is one limitation of the learning theory?

Answer 19

Counter-evidence from animal studies

Question 20

What is the evaluation of the learning theory having counter-evidence from animal studies?

Answer 20

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

Question 21

What is another limitation of the learning theory?

Answer 21

Counter-evidence from studies on humans

Question 22

What is the evaluation of the learning theory having counter-evidence from studies on humans?

Answer 22

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

Question 23

What is one strength of the learning theory?

Answer 23

Some conditioning may be involved

Question 24

What is the evaluation of the learning theory involving some conditioning?

Answer 24

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