Attachment - Learning theory

Question 1

Explain the learning theory

Answer 1

Emphasises the importance of the caregiver as a provider of food through classical conditioning

Question 2

Explain the classical conditioning processes

Answer 2

Food UCS -> UCR Pleasure
Mother NS -> NR No pleasure
UCS + NS -> UCR
Mother CS -> CR Pleasure

Question 3

Explain Operant conditioning

Answer 3

When a baby is feeling hungry it cries,
When the mother hears the crying she feeds the baby
The baby has stopped crying as the mother has soothed them
through negative reinforcement

Question 4

Explain attachment as a secondary drive

Answer 4

The confept of drive reduction - Hunger is the primary drive, it is innate but we are motivated to eat to reduce the feeling
Sears suggested that as caregivers provide food the primary drive becomes generalised to them

Question 5

Explain a strength of the learning theory of attachment

Answer 5

✅ Elements of conditioning could be involved in some aspects of attachment - Seems unlikely that food plays a central role. Dollard and Miller’s secondary drive hypothesis explaining how primary drives are essential for survival e.g eating when hungry becomes associated with secondary drives such as emotional closeness

Question 6

Explain 2 weaknesses of the learning theory of attachment

Answer 6

❌ - Lack of evidence to support from animals e.g Lorenz’s geese imprinted on the first large moving object they saw regardless of wether it was associated with food & Harlows monkey’s displayed attachment to the cloth mother rather than food

❌ Both classical and operant conditioning see the baby playing a relatively passive role in the development of attachments by simply responding to associations with comfort and rewards. Fieldmans research shows the babies take an active role