Explanations of attchment: Learning theory Flashcards
What is the cupboard love approach in attachment theory?
It suggests that children learn to love whoever feeds them.
What is classical conditioning in the context of attachment?
It involves associating a caregiver with the pleasure of being fed.
What role does a caregiver play in classical conditioning?
Initially a neutral stimulus that becomes associated with food.
What happens when conditioning occurs between a caregiver and a baby?
The sight of the caregiver produces a conditioned response of pleasure.
According to learning theorists, what does the conditioned pleasure response represent?
Love, leading to the formation of an attachment.
What is operant conditioning?
Learning from the consequences of behavior.
What happens if a behavior produces a pleasant consequence?
The behavior is likely to be repeated.
How can operant conditioning explain why babies cry?
Crying leads to a response from the caregiver, reinforcing the behavior.
What is the role of mutual reinforcement in attachment?
The baby is reinforced for crying, and the caregiver experiences negative reinforcement when the crying stops.
What is the concept of drive reduction in learning theory?
It suggests that primary drives, like hunger, motivate behaviors to reduce those drives.
How does hunger relate to attachment according to Robert Sears et al.?
Hunger, as a primary drive, becomes generalized to the caregiver, forming a secondary drive.
Fill in the blank: Attachment can be considered a _______ drive.
secondary
True or False: Operant conditioning suggests that behaviors followed by punishment are likely to be repeated.
False
