Explanations Of Attachment: Learning Theory Flashcards
What did Dollard and Miller propose?
That caregiver-infant attachment can be explained by learning theory.
What does classical conditioning involve?
Learning to associate two stimuli together so that we begin to respond to one and the same way we already respond to another.
In attachment what is food?
The unconditioned stimulus.
What is the pleasure we feel from eating?
An unconditioned response.
What does a caregiver start as?
A neutral stimulus.
When the caregiver provides food over time what do they become?
Associated with food.
When the baby sees their caregiver what do they expect?
Food.
What does the neutral stimulus (caregiver) become?
A conditioned stimulus.
Once conditioning has occurred what does the sight of the caregiver produce?
A conditioned response of pleasure which is love according to a learning theorist.
What does operant conditioning involve?
Learning from the consequences of behaviour.
What happens if behaviour produces a pleasant consequence?
Behaviour is likely to be repeated again (reinforced).
What happens if a behaviour produces an unpleasant consequence (punishment)?
The behaviour is less likely to be repeated.
What can operant conditioning explain?
Why babies cry for comfort.
How is crying reinforced?
By the caregiver responding correctly.
Who does the baby eventually direct crying for comfort towards?
The caregiver who responds with comforting ‘social suppressor’ behaviour.
What type of process is reinforcement?
Two-way.
Whilst the baby is reinforced for crying what does the caregiver receive?
Negative reinforcement because the crying stops.
What does interplay of mutual reinforcement strengthen?
Attachment.
What can hunger bee seen as?
A primary drive.
What is a primary drive?
An innate, biological motivator.
How is hunger a primary drive?
We are motivated to eat to reduce the hunger drive.
What did Sears et al suggest?
As caregivers provide food the primary drive of hunger becomes generalised to them.
What is attachment and how is it learnt?
A secondary drive learnt by associating the caregiver and the satisfaction of the primary drive.
Evaluation: COunter-evidence from animal studies
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.
