Explanations - Learning Theory Flashcards
What does learning theory focus on?
Focus on that we learn behaviour and that attachment is learnt through the importance of the caregiver being the provider of food.
What is classical conditioning?
Learning Through Association —> neutral stimulus is consistently paired with an unconditioned stimulus so that it eventually takes on the properties of this stimulus — and is able to produce an unconditioned response.
What is operant conditioning?
Learning through consequences / reinforcement
What acts as an unconditioned stimulus?
Food -
What’s does unconditioned and conditioned mean?
Conditioned = learned
Unconditioned = unlearned
Who’s the neutral stimulus ?
Caregiver / can be anything in the room with the infant wen being fed they Associate this with food
Before conditioning
Unconditioned stimulus (food) - gives unconditioned response (pleasure)
Caregiver starts neutral stimulus - produces a neutral response
During conditioning
As the mother is present every time the infant is fed they become associated with pleasure from food
So US becomes accossiated with NS ( ie food and caregiver)
Caregiver becomes conditioned stimulus
After conditioning
Once conditioning has taken place when in the presence of the mother the child will experience conditioned response of pleasure
Who found operant conditioning
Miller and Dollar expanded it but first found by skinner
Positive reinforcement
When a baby is made more likely when receiving a pleasurable stimulus
Negative reinforcement
When a behaviour is made more likely when removing an unpleasant stimulus
Parents feeding behaviour is negatively reinforced by the baby stoping its crying behaviour when fed
What is a primary and secondary drive?
Primary drive - an instinctive based on biological needs
Secondary drive - learnt and ultimately will lead to primary drive?
Attachment primary or secondary drive?
Secondary
Learnt by acossiation between the caregiver and the primary drive off hunger
SEERS suggestion on secondary drive as attachment
As caregivers provide the food the primary drive of hunger becomes generalised to them
What’s the social learning theory explanation?
Children observe their parents behaviour and imitate
There is deliberate guidance from the parents about relationships and how to behave, and reward appropriate attachment behaviours with hugs and kisses
Operant conditioning - MS
According to operant conditioning food satisfies the infant’s hunger and makes it feel comfortable again (drive reduction). Food is therefore a primary reinforcer. The mother is associated with food and becomes a secondary reinforcer. The infant becomes attached to the mother because she is a source of reward.
strengths
Some elements of conditioning could still be involved
Many aspects of human development are affected by conditioning → may have a plausible role in attachment but not feeding
E.g associations between primary caregiver and the provision of comfort and social interaction could be what part of attachment builds on
Has face validity → it makes intuitive sense babies cry more when they learn crying gains attention and food
Has some explanatory power
Infants do learn by association and reinforcement, but food may not be the main reinforcer.
weakness
Counter evidence from animal research
Harlow’s attached to soft surrogate not wire that dispensed food
Lorenz imprinted before they were fed → attachment regardless of food
Attachment does not occur due to feeding - contact comfort is more important
Learning theory is based on animal research
learning theorists themselves believe animals = humans
Is it legitimate to generalise results from animals studies to human - attachment to complex to be explained by conditioning - lack validity / reductionist
Not just food it is the attention and responsiveness that provides rewards for the infant from the caregiver ( additional reinforcers)
Perhaps babies are imitating responsiveness perhaps isn’t learnt
Counter evidence from human research
Research with human infants shows feeding not an important factor → E.G in Schaffer and Emerson showed primary attachment was not those who fed them
Shows feeding is not the key element to attachment → so there is no unconditioned stimulus or primary drive involved → other factors more important
Ignores other factors associated with forming attachments
Research suggests quality of attachment is due to reciprocity and interactional synchrony + caregivers who are sensitive and respond to infant signals
Drive theory is largely ignored today
Can only explain a limited number of behaviours - we do a number of things to avoid discomfort.
Secondary reinforcer may not directly reduce discomfort , but they do in some way
