explanations: learning theory Flashcards
how did Dollard & Miller (1950) suggest attachment is explained (learning theory)?
they suggested that attachment is a set of learned behaviours. the basis for the learning of attachments is the provision of food. an infant will initially form an attachment with whoever feeds it.
what is classical conditioning?
learning through association
what is operant conditioning?
behaviour is shaped and maintained through consequences
what is the role of classical conditioning in the explanation of attachments?
for babies, the caregiver starts as a neutral stimulus. food serves as an unconditioned stimulus because it gives the unconditioned response of pleasure. every time the baby is fed, the caregiver is there. the baby starts to associate the caregiver with food until the sight of her alone produces the response of pleasure. the neutral stimulus has become a conditioned stimulus, to which the baby produces the conditioned response of pleasure. thus an attachment is formed.
what is the role of operant conditioning in the explanation of attachment?
babies also find that certain behaviours (e.g. crying, smiling) bring desirable responses from others, and through the process of operant conditioning learn to repeat these in order to get the things that they want- they are positively reinforced. the mother offering food as a behavioural response is negatively reinforced because the baby’s crying stops. this two-way reinforcement strengthens the attachment
AO3: how is ‘contradictory evidence from animal studies’ a limitation to the learning theory of attachment?
Harlow’s research into the formation of attachments in infant rhesus monkeys can be used to challenge the learning theory of attachment.
he found that monkeys chose the cloth monkey over the wire one even though the wire monkey dispensed food. the monkeys would go to the wire monkey, get food, then go back to the cloth monkey (contact comfort).
this suggests that they’ve oversimplified the role of food in the development of attachments.
however, this doesnt rule out the role of classical conditioning completely as a child could still form an attachment to the parent by classical conditioning. this is done by associating the mum with contact comfort.
AO3: how is ‘contradictory evidence from human studies’ a limitation to the learning theory of attachment?
Schaffer and Emerson’s research into the formation of attachments in 60 glaswegian infants can be used to challenge the learning theory of attachment.
they found that a child’s attachment was wasn’t always the primary caregiver. (the person who feeds them and changes there nappy)
this suggests that they’ve emphasised the role of food in the development of attachments and the early stages of an infants life.
AO3: how is ‘it is reductionist’ a limitation to the learning theory of attachment?
behaviourism is often critisized for being over-simplistic.
it reduces the complexities of human behaviour to over-simple ideas such as stimulus, response and reinforcement.
if you ask most parents, they will argue that there bond is much more than that
