Learning Theory of Attachment

Question 1

Who invented the Learning Theory?

Answer 1

Dollard and Miller

Question 2

What year was the Theory published?

Answer 2

1949

Question 3

What does the Theory believe? Attachment is….

Answer 3

Attachment is a set of learned behaviours, i.e. results from experience of the environment, not innate processes

Question 4

What two methods does the theory use to describe how we learn attachments?

Answer 4

Operant and Classical Conditioning

Question 5

Describe a step by step account of classical conditioning

Answer 5

1. Unconditioned Stimulus = food
   Unconditioned Response = pleasure
   2.When the Neutral stimulus, being the caregiver, is presented with the food, over time they become learned to represent the innate feelings of pleasure that the food creates
   3.As a result, the caregiver becomes the conditioned stimulus, evoking the condition response of pleasure
2. Hence an attachment is formed

Question 6

What does Classical condition claim children are born with which enables them to attach?

Answer 6

Children are born with the reflex responses, e.g. responding to food with pleasure

Question 7

‘Children are born with the reflex responses, e.g. responding to food with pleasure’ - what conditioning method does this apply to?

Answer 7

Classical Conditioning

Question 8

What is the main difference between the principles of Operant and classical conditioning?

Answer 8

Classical = learning through association
Operant = leaning through punishment

Question 9

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 9

Learning through punishment and reinforcement

Question 10

What 3 methods are used to establish behaviour control in Operant conditioning?

Answer 10

Positive reinforcement
Punishment
Negative reinforcement
(And also vicarious methods)

Question 11

What is Positive Reinforcement?

Answer 11

Strengthens behaviour through praise or encouragement for example

Question 12

What is Punishment?

Answer 12

Stopping behaviour by adding something negative to the environment

Question 13

What is Negative Reinforcement?

Answer 13

Removal of something from the environment to improve the situation

Question 14

Describe an example of Operant conditioning? (5 stages + what behavioural control it represents)

Answer 14

1.Hungry Infant feels uncomfortable
2.It enters a DRIVE STATE to reduce discomfort
3.Infant cries and it is fed
4.This results in the infant being satisfied (drive state reduction) and the infant learns that food is rewarding
5.As the mother is presented with the food, she symbolises the feelings of pleasure
This is an example of negative reinforcement, as the caregiver’s behaviour removes the negative drive state, therefore encouraging the behaviour, the baby will cry more to be fed

Question 15

What are the scientific names given to the food and the mother in operant conditioning?

Answer 15

Mother = secondary reinforcer
Food = Primary reinforcer

Question 16

What are the Main Predictions of the Learning Theory? (3)

Answer 16

• The child will form attachments on the basis of primary care provision
• Attachment behaviour should increase steadily from birth
• The strongest attachment will be formed with those who provide the most primary care

Question 17

Identify strengths of the Learning Theory

Answer 17

1. There is evidence to suggest that we learn through association and reinforcement
   - However, when it comes to attachment this learning may be due to carer responsiveness

Question 18

Identify Weaknesses of the Learning Theory

Also could be, evaluate the Learning Theory using research [- negatives]

Answer 18

1. A lot of evidence goes against the idea of attachment based on feeding, as demonstrated by Harlow’s research (1959)
2. Schaffer and Emerson (1964) found that fewer than half of the babies in their study had a primary attachment to those who fed, bathed and clothed them; which suggest that attachment does not just occur through association and reinforcement

Question 19

Summarize the Learning Theory

Answer 19

Established by Dollard and Miller and 1949, states that attachment is a series of learned behaviours as a result of experience of the environment; it’s not an innate process. There are two ways in which attachment can be achieved: Classical conditioning, which suggests infants are born with reflex responses, therefore they begin to associate their caregiver with the feelings of pleasure presented by food. Secondly, Operant condition, leaning through punishment, reinforcement and resolving a child’s drive state. Using the same example, the food would be the primary reinforcer and the mother the secondary reinforcer because they are presented with feelings of pleasure - forming an attachment

Question 20

Which 2 researchers did key research into the Learning Theory? (3 people)

Answer 20

Schaffer and Emerson (1964)

Harlow (1959)

Question 21

Describe Harlow’s 1959 study into the Learning theory

Answer 21

He carried out research into the behaviour of rhesus monkeys to show that feeding was not the main source of reinforcement and therefore not the sole basis of attachment
The young rhesus monkey was presented with two wire mothers; one wrapped in soft cloth, the other with food

Question 22

What were the 2 findings that we can conclude from Harlow’s 1959 study into the Learning Theory?

Answer 22

1. The rhesus monkey preferred the cloth mother to the one offering food. This suggests attachment is based on contact comfort rather than feeding
2. Also, they played loud noises to judge which mother the monkey instinctively ran to - it was cloth mother