Explanations Of Attachment: Learning Theory

Question 1

What did Dollard and Miller propose?

Answer 1

That caregiver-infant attachment can be explained by learning theory.

Question 2

What does classical conditioning involve?

Answer 2

Learning to associate two stimuli together so that we begin to respond to one and the same way we already respond to another.

Question 3

In attachment what is food?

Answer 3

The unconditioned stimulus.

Question 4

What is the pleasure we feel from eating?

Answer 4

An unconditioned response.

Question 5

What does a caregiver start as?

Answer 5

A neutral stimulus.

Question 6

When the caregiver provides food over time what do they become?

Answer 6

Associated with food.

Question 7

When the baby sees their caregiver what do they expect?

Answer 7

Food.

Question 8

What does the neutral stimulus (caregiver) become?

Answer 8

A conditioned stimulus.

Question 9

Once conditioning has occurred what does the sight of the caregiver produce?

Answer 9

A conditioned response of pleasure which is love according to a learning theorist.

Question 10

What does operant conditioning involve?

Answer 10

Learning from the consequences of behaviour.

Question 11

What happens if behaviour produces a pleasant consequence?

Answer 11

Behaviour is likely to be repeated again (reinforced).

Question 12

What happens if a behaviour produces an unpleasant consequence (punishment)?

Answer 12

The behaviour is less likely to be repeated.

Question 13

What can operant conditioning explain?

Answer 13

Why babies cry for comfort.

Question 14

How is crying reinforced?

Answer 14

By the caregiver responding correctly.

Question 15

Who does the baby eventually direct crying for comfort towards?

Answer 15

The caregiver who responds with comforting ‘social suppressor’ behaviour.

Question 16

What type of process is reinforcement?

Answer 16

Two-way.

Question 17

Whilst the baby is reinforced for crying what does the caregiver receive?

Answer 17

Negative reinforcement because the crying stops.

Question 18

What does interplay of mutual reinforcement strengthen?

Answer 18

Attachment.

Question 19

What can hunger bee seen as?

Answer 19

A primary drive.

Question 20

What is a primary drive?

Answer 20

An innate, biological motivator.

Question 21

How is hunger a primary drive?

Answer 21

We are motivated to eat to reduce the hunger drive.

Question 22

What did Sears et al suggest?

Answer 22

As caregivers provide food the primary drive of hunger becomes generalised to them.

Question 23

What is attachment and how is it learnt?

Answer 23

A secondary drive learnt by associating the caregiver and the satisfaction of the primary drive.

Question 24

Evaluation: COunter-evidence from animal studies

Answer 24

Lorenz’s geese imprinted tot he first moving object regardless of whether there was food present and Harlow’s monkeys displayed attachment behaviour to the cloth covered surrogate which provided no food over the wired monkey which did provide food. This shows Tener are factors other than association with food important in forming attachments.

Question 25

Evaluation: counter evidence on humans

Answer 25

Schaffer and Emerson found babies tended to form their main attachment to their mother regardless of whether she was the one who usually fed them. This suggests food isn’t the main factor in the formation of human attachments.

Question 26

Evaluation: Some conditioning may be involved

Answer 26

Although it’s unlikely that association with food is a central role in attachment conditioning might still play a role. When a baby associates feeling warm with comfortable in the presence of a particular adult this could influence the babies choice of main attachment figure. Therefore learning theory might still be useful i understanding the development of attachments.

Question 27

Evaluation: Ignores other factors associated with forming attachments

Answer 27

Isabella et al suggests the quality of attachment is associated with factors like developing reciprocity and good levels of interaction synchrony and if learning theory were fully true there would be no reason for these complex interactions.