explanations for attachment: learning theory

Question 1

who proposed the learning theory?

Answer 1

Dolland and Miller

Question 2

What is the classical conditioning explanation?

Answer 2

food is the unconditioned stimulus which produces the unconditioned response of pleasure and the carer is a neutral stimulus, but after a while the carer becomes a conditioned stimulus and pleasure becomes the conditioned response

Question 3

what is the operant conditioning explanation?

Answer 3

when the baby cries for comfort it causes a response from the carer, as long as the response is correct the behavior is reinforced, this also happens the other way around for the carer

Question 4

what does the learning theory suggest attachment is?

Answer 4

a secondary drive of he association between the carer and satisfaction

Question 5

how does Harlow’s research counter this explanation?

Answer 5

for the monkeys contact comfort was more important than food meaning attachment does not form as a result of feeding

Question 6

What counter evidence do Schaffer and Emerson provide?

Answer 6

infants formed primary attachments to their mothers despite being mainly fed by others.

Question 7

Why does Isabella et al critisise this explanation?

Answer 7

it ignore the factors of reciprocity, responsiveness and interactional synchrony in the formation of attachments

Question 8

What is the social learning theory explanation?

Answer 8

parents demonstrate attachment behaviors to their children and when the child displays the behavior it is reinforced