Learning Theory of Attachment Flashcards
What is classical conditioning?
Learning to associate a neutral stimulus with an unconditioned stimulus so we eventually produce the same response to the previously neutral stimulus as the unconditioned stimulus.
Dollard and Miller proposed learning theory and described it as…
Cupboard love theory.
Give an example of how classical conditioning leads to attachment with a mother, using UCS, UCR, NS, CS and CR.
UCS - Food
UCR - Pleasure
NS - Mother
CS - Mother
CR - Pleasure
Explain how classical conditioning leads to attachment to the mother.
The baby learns to associate feelings of pleasure caused by food with the person who is giving them the food.
This leads to the presence of the caregiver alone causing pleasure in the baby.
What is operant conditioning?
Involves learning through consequences of behaviour.
How frequently will behaviours reoccur in the future if they are rewarded?
They will occur more often in hopes of further reinforcement.
How frequently will behaviours reoccur in the future if they are punished?
Behaviours are less likely to reoccur.
How are caregivers negatively reinforced when babies cry?
They pick up the baby and try to comfort it or feed it if they are crying due to hunger. Therefore, the caregiver escapes unpleasant consequences by feeding/comforting the child to stop the crying.
This means that when the child cries again, they are more likely to feed it or comfort it.
How are babies positively reinforced when they cry?
The babies cry so the caregiver comforts them or feed them.
Food or comfort then acts as a reward.
This means that when the baby wants food/comfort in the future, they will cry again knowing they will be rewarded.
What are primary drives?
Give an example.
Innate biological motivators.
Eg: Hunger
What are secondary drives?
Give an example.
Drives that satisfy the primary drives.
Eg: the caregiver.
Explain the strength of learning theory containing elements of conditioning.
Use the example that babies may associate feelings of warmth with presence of particular adult and how this can influence choice of attachment.
Use another example that babies take an active role in development.
It seems unlikely that association with food plays a central role in attachment, but conditioning may play a role. For example, a baby may associate feelings of warmth with the presence of a particular adult, and this may influence the baby’s choice of their main attachment figure. Some researchers have said that learning theories take a passive role in development, however, others say that babies take an active role in development. This means that learning theory may still be useful in understanding the development of attachments.
Explain the strength that SLT can also be used to explain attachment in babies.
Use the example that parents model attachment behaviours such as hugging, which leads to the child copying this and receiving reinforcement.
Also consider the idea that SLT is 2 way, linking to reciprocity.
Researchers have suggested that parents teach their children to love by modelling attachment behaviours, such as hugging. Parents also reinforce loving behaviours by showing approval when babies display their own attachment behaviours, such as giving attention to their parents. Furthermore, social learning is based around the perspective that there is a two-way interaction between babies and adults, so it fits well with research into the importance of reciprocity. This suggests that SLT is also a valid way of explaining attachment
Explain the limitation that there is counter evidence for learning theories from animal studies.
Use an example from Lorenz’s and how his geese imprinted on the first moving object they saw, regardless of presence of food.
Use another example from Harlow who found that contact comfort was more important than food.
For example, Lorenz’s geese imprinted on the first moving object they saw, regardless of whether this object was associated with food. If we consider Harlow’s monkey research, there is no support for the importance of food, instead, his findings suggest comfort is more important. This shows that factors other than food are more important in the formation of attachments.
Explain the limitation of there being counter evidence for learning theories from human research.
Use examples from Schaffer and Emerson who found that babies tended to form their main attachment to their mother, regardless of whether other people fed them.
Use another example from Isabella who said that high levels of interactional synchrony led to stronger attachments, not food.
For example, Schaffer and Emerson found that babies tended to form their main attachment to their mother regardless of whether she was the only one who fed them. In another study, Isabella found that high levels of interactional synchrony predicted the quality of attachments. Both factors are unrelated to feeding. This suggests that food is not the main factor in formation of human attachments.
