learning theory

Question 1

classical conditioning

Answer 1

unconditioned stimulus food -> unconditioned response pleasure
neutral stimulus mother -> no response
unconditioned food + neutral stimulus mother-> unconditioned response pleasure
conditioned stimulus mother -> conditioned response food
- when the baby sees the mother there is an immediate expectation of food . food is the basis of attatchment

Question 2

operant conditioning

Answer 2

repeating a behaviour or not depending on consequences
explains why babies cry for comfort , crying leads to a response from the caregiver ie feeding . as long as the career provides the correct response the crying is reinforced .
baby then directs crying for comfort towards the caregiver who responds with comforting social suppressor behaviour
reinforcement is a two way process , baby is reinforced for crying , career reinforced negatively because the crying stops .
- interplay of mutual reinforcement strengthens an atattchment

Question 3

attatchment as a secondary drive

Answer 3

learning theory draws on the concept of drive reduction
hunger can be thought of as a primary drive , its innate biological motivator . we are motivated to eat to reduce the hunger drive .,
SEARS ET AL 1957 suggested that as caregivers provide food the primary drive of hunger becomes generalised to them
attachment thus is a secondary drive learned by an association between the caregiver and the satisfaction of a primary drive

Question 4

counter evidence from animal research

Answer 4

a limitation
Lorenzo geese imprinted before they were fed and maintained these attachments regardless of who fed them.
Harlows monkeys attached to a soft surrogate in preference to those who dispensed milk
in both animal studies it is clear that attatchemnt does not develop as a result of food, this must be the same for humans as theorists believed that non human animals and humans were equivalent

Question 5

counter evidence from human research

Answer 5

limitation
research with human infants also show that feeding does not appear to be an important factor in forming an attachment
in Schaffer and emersons study many of the babies developed a primary attatchment to their biological mother even though other careers did most the feeding
findings are a problem for learning theory as they show feeding is not the key element to attatchment and so there is not unconditioned stimulus or primary dive involved

Question 6

ignores other facors involved with forming attachments

Answer 6

a limitation
research into early caregiver interaction suggests that the quaolity of the attachment is associated with factors like developing reciprocity and good levels of interactional synchrony ie Isabella et al
in addition studies have shown that the best quality attachments are with sensitive careers that pick uo infant signals and respond apporpiatley
if attachment was solely based off feeding there would be. o purpose for these complex interactions , and would expect to find no quality of relationship

Question 7

some elements of conditioning could still be involved

Answer 7

strength
as a whole learning theory is not a good explanation for infant caregiver attachment
however we do believe many aspects of human development are affected by conditioning
problem with learning theory is it focuses on the idea food is the basis for an attachment to be formed through classical conditioning
it is still credible that association between the primary caregiver and the infant can happen and the provision of comfort is what builds the attacthemnt and social interaction .