Attachment: Learning theory Flashcards
What did Dollard & Miller state?
- Attachment between caregiver & infant is through learning theory
What is the type of love that is associated with learning theory according to Dollard & Miller?
- What is it about?
cupboard love
- caregiver provider of food
- babies loves who feeds them
Learning behaviour is acquired through what conditions?
Classical conditioning
Operant conditioning
What is classical conditioning?
Learning to associate 2 stimuli together so that we respond to them in the same way.
What is operant conditioning?
Learning to repeat a behaviour based on its consequence.
The baby cries = caregiver responds with feeding
so if the baby wants feeding what happens?
- what conditioning is this
crying is reinforced in the babies mind
- operant conditioning
Food is unconditioned stimulus
Being fed by caregiver = pleasurable
What happens after?
The baby understands that caregiver and being fed occur at the same time so,
caregiver becomes a conditioned stimulus
In operant conditioning, when the baby cries, what behaviour does the caregiver show?
Social suppressor behaviour
- by suppressing the behaviour they don’t like (crying)
What does the social suppressor behaviour of the caregiver result in?
The parent receives POSITIVE REINFORCEMENT when the baby stops crying.
What drive is hunger?
Primary drive
What did Sears et al state?
Attachment is the secondary drive as an association with the satisfaction of the primary drive
