explanations of attachment : learning theory Flashcards
who came up with the learning theory explanation for attachment?
Dollard and Miller (1950)
what is cupboard love theory?
attachment happens because children learn to love and attach to the caregiver that feeds them
classical conditioning
before : UCS : food, UCR: infant is happy, NS:caregiver
during : UCS: food and caregiver, UCR: happiness
after: CS: caregiver, CR: happiness
operant conditioning:
baby cries, caregiver responds (positive reinforcement), caregiver responds to stop crying (negative reinforcement)
what is drive reduction theory?
drives are unpleasant states that need reducing, hunger and thirst are primary drives, humans find a way to reduce drives, i.e. being fed. secondary drives are learned when they become associated with primary drives, such as caregiver.
-AO3 - conflicting research,
research by schaffer and emerson (babies tend to attach to mothers even if they arent who regularly feeds them) and isabella et al (high levels of interactional synchrony relate to better attachments).contradicts the idea of cupboard love. suggests other factors are significant with caregiver infant attachments
-AO3 - counter evidence from animal research
Lorenz’ geese attached to the first thing they saw regardless of food, Harlows monkeys preferred comfort from soft wire mother over the one that provided food. disproves the idea that association with food is the main reason for attachment
+AO3 - some conditioning involved
caregivers may satisfy needs in other ways, like comfort and warmth,still through conditioning. suggests that learning theory may be useful in understanding the development of attachments
- AO3 - CA infants active role
both conditioning explanations see the baby playing a relatively passive role in attachment development, when research has shown that this is not the case and babies are very active in attachment development. suggests conditioning may not be an adequate explanation of any aspect of attachment.
