explanations of attachment: learning theory Flashcards
What is learning theory?
A set of theories from the behaviourist approach to psychology that emphasise the role of learning in the acquisition of behaviour.
What are the two main types of conditioning involved in learning theory?
- Classical conditioning
- Operant conditioning
Who proposed the learning theory of caregiver-infant attachment?
John Dollard and Neal Miller in 1950
What is the ‘cupboard love’ approach?
An approach that emphasises the importance of the attachment figure as a provider of food.
According to learning theory, why do children learn to love their caregivers?
Because they learn to love whoever feeds them.
What does classical conditioning involve?
Learning to associate two stimuli together.
In attachment, what serves as an unconditioned stimulus?
Food
What is an unconditioned response?
Pleasure from being fed.
What is a neutral stimulus in classical conditioning?
A caregiver, which initially produces no response.
What happens when a neutral stimulus becomes associated with food?
It becomes a conditioned stimulus.
What is the conditioned response when a baby sees the caregiver?
Pleasure
What is operant conditioning?
Learning from the consequences of behaviour.
What happens if a behaviour produces a pleasant consequence?
The behaviour is likely to be repeated (reinforced).
What is the result of a behaviour producing an unpleasant consequence?
The behaviour is less likely to be repeated.
How does crying contribute to building attachment?
Crying leads to a comforting response from the caregiver, such as feeding.
How is crying reinforced?
It leads to comforting responses from the caregiver.
What is the interplay of mutual reinforcement in attachment?
The baby is reinforced for crying, while the caregiver experiences negative reinforcement when the crying stops.
What concept does learning theory draw on besides conditioning?
Drive reduction
What is hunger considered in the context of learning theory?
A primary drive, an innate biological motivator.
What happens when caregivers provide food according to Robert Sears et al. (1957)?
The primary drive of hunger becomes generalised to the caregivers.
What is attachment considered in the context of drive reduction?
A secondary drive learned by association with the satisfaction of a primary drive.
What is one limitation of learning theory explanations for attachment?
Lack of support from studies conducted on animals
Animal studies like Lorenz’s geese and Harlow’s monkeys show that attachment may not be primarily based on food.
What did Lorenz’s geese demonstrate regarding attachment? is this a strength or limitation?
They imprinted on the first moving object they saw regardless of food association
Limitation -> This indicates that attachment can occur without the presence of food.
What behavior did Harlow’s monkeys display when given a choice between a soft surrogate mother and a wire one providing milk?
Attachment behavior towards the soft surrogate mother
This suggests that comfort is more important than food in attachment formation.
What did Schaffer and Emerson (1964) find regarding human baby attachments?
Babies formed their main attachment to their mother regardless of feeding
This implies that feeding is not the primary factor in human attachment formation.
What did Isabella et al. (1989) find about interactional synchrony?
High levels of interactional synchrony predicted the quality of attachment
This indicates that factors unrelated to feeding influence attachment quality.
What role does conditioning play in attachment (according to learning theory)?
Some aspects of attachment may involve conditioning
Conditioning could influence a baby’s choice of attachment figure through associations with pleasure.
What is a counterpoint to learning theory regarding the baby’s role in attachment?
Babies take an active role in interactions that produce attachment
Research shows that babies are not just passive responders to conditioning.
True or False: According to research, conditioning is an adequate explanation of all aspects of attachment.
False
Conditioning may not fully explain the complexities of attachment development.
Fill in the blank: Harlow’s monkeys preferred a _______ surrogate ‘mother’ over a wire one providing milk.
soft
