learning theory Flashcards
what is attachment
a strong emotional tie that develops over time between an infant and their primary caregiver(s)
Attachment is a strong, enduring, emotional and reciprocal bond between two people,
especially an infant and caregiver.
what is the learning theory
- attachment is a learned process (nurture).
- All behaviour is acquired through classical or operant conditioning.
classical conditioning in the learning theory
- the baby has to learn .. to form an attachment with his mother.
- the baby forms an association. between the mother (a neutral. stimulus) and the feeling of pleasure that comes from being fed (an innate unconditioned response).
- At first, the baby simply feels comforted by food
- However each time he is fed, the mother is there too.
- He quickly associates the mother with the pleasure of being fed.
- Before long, the mother stimulates a feeling of pleasure on her own, even without food.
- This means the baby feels happier when the mother is near. It is the beginning of attachment
in the learning theory what happens before classical conditioning and during the process of classical conditioning
before classical conditioning:
- Food = UCS → baby feels pleasure = UCR (to food)
- Mother = NS → baby doesn’t respond (no innate response to mother)
↳ the baby is not born with an attachment to his mother.
however, his mother is there each time he is fed.
The process of conditioning:
- Food = UCS → baby feels pleasure = UCR (to food)
- Mother = NS + Food = UCS → baby feels pleasure = UCR (to food)
- Mother = CS → baby feels pleasure = CR (to mother)
what is the process of operant conditioning in the learning theory
- Baby performs action - cries
- Baby receives reward - food relieves hunger
- The reward reinforces the action, so the baby repeats it
operant conditioning learning theory
- the baby has to learn to form an attachment with his mother.
- the mother rewards the infant by feeding him, so the infant associates any action that brings her close.
- This happens because food brings a feeling of pleasure .. (= reward) to the baby.
- Food is a primary reinforcer : by removing discomfort, it reinforces the behaviour that led to its arrival.
- But food never comes without the mother bringing it, so the mother becomes the secondary reinforcer
- even without bringing food, the presence of the caregiver reduces discomfort and brings a feeling of pleasure.
- The baby will therefore repeat any action e.g. crying, which brings the caregiver close.
what are the strengths for the learning theory
- Although attachments based on feeding are a poor explanation of attachment, perhaps the association/conditioning aspect could have some validity.
- It is credible that the association of the Mother bringing comfort, safety, warmth etc could help form a strong attachment.
- Alternative theory - Bowlby’s Evolutionary Theory
expand on the +ve AO3 point, Bowlby’s evolutionary theory, for the learning theory
- Provides a much more credible explanation for attachment, with much more research support.
- This theory proposes that infants are biologically primed to attach to mothers and there are a series of innate mechanisms which make this happen.
What are the limitations for the learning theory
- Harlow + Harlow
- Lorenz
- Schaffer + Emmerson
expand on the -ve AO3 point, Harlow + Harlow, for the learning theory
Aim:
- To test the learning theory of attachment - do babies attach to mothers via feeding/conditioning?
Procedure:
- In a series of experiments, baby monkeys were exposed to two wire mothers.
- One Provided food- “feeding mother”, another provided comfort (fluffy blanket)- “comfort mother”.
- If learning theory was valid, the monkey should spend most of its time on the feeding mother.
Findings:
- The baby monkeys spent on average 18 hrs a day on the comfort mother and 1 hour on the feeding mother.
- They also ran to the comfort mother when frightened.
Conclusion:
- This study refutes the learning theory of attachment and shows that comfort is much more important.
expand on the -ve AO3 point, Lorenz, for the learning theory
- Lorenz found that baby geese “imprinted” or formed an attachment with the first living object they came into contact with (either Lorenz himself or their Mother).
- Feeding had nothing to do with attachment.
- This refutes the theory.
expand on the -ve AO3 point, Schaffer + Emmerson, for the learning theory
- They discovered that many of the babies they studied had a primary attachment to their mother, even though other carers were doing most of the feeding.
- This refutes the learning theory of attachment.
