ATTACHMENT : Learning theory DOLLARD X MILLER Flashcards
Why is the learning theory aka CUPBOARD LOVE THEORY
it emphasises on the importance of the attahment figure providing food
What is the learning theory put simply
children learn to love whoever feeds themq
What is CLASSICAL CONDITIONING learning theory
learning through association
of unconditioned stimulus and neutral stimulus
to get a conditioned response
What is the unconditioned stimulus in the learnign theory
food
Why does food provide an ucnonditioned repsonse in the learning theory
being fed gives us pleasure which we don’t have to learn
What stimulus does a caregiver start as
neutral stimulus
When/how does the neutral stimulus become a conditioned stimulus
caregiver providing food overtime casues them associated with food
when baby sees adult now expectation of food
What happens once conditioning has taken place
sight of caregiver
produces conditioned response of pleasure
To a learning theorist what is this conditioned pleasure respones
love
to a learning theorist this conditioned repsones is love therefore ?
an attachment formed
caregiver becomes an attachment figure
What is operant conditioning
learning from the consequences of behaviour
if a behaviour produces a pleasant consequence what will happen
it’s likely to be repeated
if a behaviour is likely to be repeated again what do we say has happened
it has been reinforced
if a behaviour produced an unpleasant consequence what happens
less likely to be repeated
Operant conditioning can explain why babies cry for comfort - crying for comfort is an important
an important behaviour for building an attachment
What does crying do
lead to response from caregiver
e,g feeding
Crying is reinforced as long as
caregiver gives the correct response
What does the baby now cry for
comfort
Who does the baby now direct crying for comfort towards and what do they respond with
caregiver
responds w comforting social suppresor behaviour
What kind of process is reinforcement
a two way process
How is reinforcement a two way process
@ same time a baby is reinforced for crying
caregiver recieves negative reinforcement
- escaping from something unpleasant is also reinforcement
What strengthens an attachment in the learning theory
the interplay of mutual reinforcement
what concept does the learning thoery also touch on
drive reduction
Why can hunger be thought of as a primary drive
it is an innate biological, motivator
Why are we motivated to eat
to reduce the hunger drive
What did Sears et al suggest about caregivers providing food
as they provide food, the primary drive of hunger becomes generalised to them
From what Sears et al suggests attachment is therefore a
a secondary drive
learned by an association between the caregiver
and the satisfaction of a primary drive
