Learning Theory

Question 1

Cupboard love

Answer 1

The belief that children love whoever feeds them.

Question 2

Classical conditioning explanation (with diagram)

Answer 2

Before:
Neutral stimulus (mother) ➡️ no response
During:
UCS (food) ➡️ UCR (happy baby)
NS (mother) + UCS (food) ➡️ UCR (happy baby)
After:
CS (mother) ➡️ CR (happy baby)

Question 3

Positive reinforcement explanation

Answer 3

Baby performs an action (crying) for comfort or food and the caregiver responds with comfort which causes pleasure.

Question 4

Negative reinforcement example

Answer 4

Child cries when hungry or uncomfortable, the caregiver responds by giving comfort or food which removed discomfort or hunger.

Question 5

Primary and secondary reinforcers

Answer 5

Food becomes the primary reinforcer, the person supplying the food becomes the secondary reinforcer, as they are associated with avoiding discomfort.

Question 6

— counter evidence from animal studies (ao3)

Answer 6

Lorenz’s geese imprinted on the first moving thing they saw and Harlow’s monkeys attached to a soft surrogate mother without milk, compared to a mesh wire one with food. This proves that attachment was not as a result of food.

Question 7

— counter evidence from Schaffer and Emerson e.g Isabella et al. (Ao3)

Answer 7

Isabella et al found that international synchrony (not related to food), predicted attachment quality.

Question 8

+ some elements of conditioning could be involved (ao3)

Answer 8

A baby’s choice of primary attachment figure may be determined by the fact that a caregiver becomes associated with warmth and comfort but conditioning is important in choice of attachment figures, not actual attachment formation.