Learning theory of attachment Flashcards
1
Q
learning theory of attachment
A
- all behaviour is learned rather than being innate or inherited from parents
- learn behaviour through classical conditioning + operant conditioning
2
Q
classical conditioning
A
- infant is born w/ certain reflexes
- food = unconditioned stimulus
- reflex of pleasure = unconditioned response
- person providing the food = neutral stimulus
but over time, they become associated w. the pleasure gained from the food - person = becomes conditioned stimulus
= produced pleasure = conditioned response - this is how attachment bond develops
- reason children feel pleasure in their caregiver’s presence
3
Q
operant conditioning
A
- operant conditioning strengthens attachment
- baby receives positive reinforcement
= for crying when they’re hungry
= caregiver feeds them - caregiver recieves negative reinforcement
= feeds their baby when they cry
= makes the crying stop
4
Q
ad of learning theory
A
- learning theory is plausible + scientific
- founded in already established theory
- likely that association between the provision of needs + the person providing those needs can lead to strong attachments
5
Q
disads of learning theory
A
- Harlow
- play vs food
- how not why
- environmentally reductionist
6
Q
Harlow - disads
A
- Harlow separated infant Rhesus monkeys from their mothers
- put them in cages
- milk was provided either by a wire mesh ‘surrogate mother;
- or one made of soft cloth
- monkeys clung to the soft cloth mother, especially when scared by an aversive stimulus, even if it didn;t provide milk
= suggests comfort is more important than food in determining whom a baby will attach to
7
Q
play vs food - disads
A
- Schaffer + Emerson found that food is not necessary for attachments to form
- discovered that babies are often attached to people who play w/ them rather than who feed them
- in 39% of cases, even though the mother was the one who fed the baby
- baby was more attached to someone else
8
Q
how not why - disads
A
- theory explains how attachments form not why they form
- according to Bowlby’s theory of attachment
- infants form attachment to their caregiver to ensure they’re protected
9
Q
environmentally reductionist - disads
A
- learning theory is environmentally reductionist
- explains a complex human behaviour in an overly simplistic way
- infant caregiver relationship is very varied, sophisticated + complicated bheaviour
- many different tupes
- very unlikely that attachment is merely the result of the caregiver providing the infant w/ food
- also ENVIRONMENTALLY DETERMINISTIC cus it states that early learning determines later attachment behaviours
