Explanations For Attachment

Question 1

What is cupboard love

Answer 1

Dollard and miller 1950 suggested that infants learn to love whomever feeds them, their theory places importance on the caregiver as a provider of food

Question 2

What is social suppressor behaviour

Answer 2

When someone responds in a way that stops a person from expressing an emotion

Question 3

What is drive reduction

Answer 3

A theory of motivation that states that behaviour is aimed at reducing drives, eg finding a food to reduce the hunger drive

Question 4

What is the primary drive

Answer 4

An innate biological motivation, e.g hunger

Question 5

What is a secondary drive

Answer 5

A learned drive, formed by the association with the primary drive, eg attachment to a mother figure who provides food

Question 6

What are social releasers

Answer 6

Babies are born with the tendency to display certain innate behaviours which help ensure proximity and contact with the mother or attachment figure

Question 7

What is classical conditioning

Answer 7

Learning by association

Question 8

How can a baby learn to from an attachment by classical conditioning

Answer 8

The baby forms an association between the mother, a neutral stimulus, and the feeling of pleasure that comes from being fed, an innate biological drive. Each time the baby is fed by the mother, he associates the mother with the pleasure of being fed. So not long after, the mother stimulates a feeling of pleasure on her own, without food.

Question 9

What are the limitations of classical conditioning as a reason of forming attachments

Answer 9

Harlows study: feeling of comfort by the cloth mum even though it didn’t provide food
Melzoff and Moore: other factors that influence the forming of attachment, like reciprocity and more

Question 10

What is operant conditioning

Answer 10

Learning through reinforcements/ consequences

Question 11

Explain operant conditioning as a reason of an attachment forming: if a behaviour results…

Answer 11

If a behaviour results in a pleasant outcome we are likely to repeat the behaviour and strengthen it
If a behaviour results in an unpleasant outcome we are likely to not repeat the behaviour and it is weakened

Question 12

What is positive reinforcement in attachment

Answer 12

The behaviour is rewarded by the addition of something pleasant

Question 13

What is negative reinforcement in attachment

Answer 13

The behaviour is rewarded by the ceasing of something that was unpleasant, the behaviour is still strengthened