Explanations - Learning Theory

Question 1

What does learning theory focus on?

Answer 1

Focus on that we learn behaviour and that attachment is learnt through the importance of the caregiver being the provider of food.

Question 2

What is classical conditioning?

Answer 2

Learning Through Association —> neutral stimulus is consistently paired with an unconditioned stimulus so that it eventually takes on the properties of this stimulus — and is able to produce an unconditioned response.

Question 3

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 3

Learning through consequences / reinforcement

Question 4

What acts as an unconditioned stimulus?

Answer 4

Food -

Question 5

What’s does unconditioned and conditioned mean?

Answer 5

Conditioned = learned
Unconditioned = unlearned

Question 6

Who’s the neutral stimulus ?

Answer 6

Caregiver / can be anything in the room with the infant wen being fed they Associate this with food

Question 7

Before conditioning

Answer 7

Unconditioned stimulus (food) - gives unconditioned response (pleasure)

Caregiver starts neutral stimulus - produces a neutral response

Question 8

During conditioning

Answer 8

As the mother is present every time the infant is fed they become associated with pleasure from food

So US becomes accossiated with NS ( ie food and caregiver)
Caregiver becomes conditioned stimulus

Question 9

After conditioning

Answer 9

Once conditioning has taken place when in the presence of the mother the child will experience conditioned response of pleasure

Question 10

Who found operant conditioning

Answer 10

Miller and Dollar expanded it but first found by skinner

Question 11

Positive reinforcement

Answer 11

When a baby is made more likely when receiving a pleasurable stimulus

Question 12

Negative reinforcement

Answer 12

When a behaviour is made more likely when removing an unpleasant stimulus

Parents feeding behaviour is negatively reinforced by the baby stoping its crying behaviour when fed

Question 13

What is a primary and secondary drive?

Answer 13

Primary drive - an instinctive based on biological needs
Secondary drive - learnt and ultimately will lead to primary drive?

Question 14

Attachment primary or secondary drive?

Answer 14

Secondary
Learnt by acossiation between the caregiver and the primary drive off hunger

Question 15

SEERS suggestion on secondary drive as attachment

Answer 15

As caregivers provide the food the primary drive of hunger becomes generalised to them

Question 16

What’s the social learning theory explanation?

Answer 16

Children observe their parents behaviour and imitate
There is deliberate guidance from the parents about relationships and how to behave, and reward appropriate attachment behaviours with hugs and kisses

Question 17

Operant conditioning - MS

Answer 17

According to operant conditioning food satisfies the infant’s hunger and makes it feel comfortable again (drive reduction). Food is therefore a primary reinforcer. The mother is associated with food and becomes a secondary reinforcer. The infant becomes attached to the mother because she is a source of reward.

Question 18

strengths

Answer 18

Some elements of conditioning could still be involved
Many aspects of human development are affected by conditioning → may have a plausible role in attachment but not feeding

E.g associations between primary caregiver and the provision of comfort and social interaction could be what part of attachment builds on

Has face validity → it makes intuitive sense babies cry more when they learn crying gains attention and food

Has some explanatory power
Infants do learn by association and reinforcement, but food may not be the main reinforcer.

Question 19

weakness

Answer 19

Counter evidence from animal research

Harlow’s attached to soft surrogate not wire that dispensed food
Lorenz imprinted before they were fed → attachment regardless of food
Attachment does not occur due to feeding - contact comfort is more important

Learning theory is based on animal research
learning theorists themselves believe animals = humans

Is it legitimate to generalise results from animals studies to human - attachment to complex to be explained by conditioning - lack validity / reductionist

Not just food it is the attention and responsiveness that provides rewards for the infant from the caregiver ( additional reinforcers)

Perhaps babies are imitating responsiveness perhaps isn’t learnt

Counter evidence from human research
Research with human infants shows feeding not an important factor → E.G in Schaffer and Emerson showed primary attachment was not those who fed them

Shows feeding is not the key element to attachment → so there is no unconditioned stimulus or primary drive involved → other factors more important

Ignores other factors associated with forming attachments
Research suggests quality of attachment is due to reciprocity and interactional synchrony + caregivers who are sensitive and respond to infant signals

Drive theory is largely ignored today
Can only explain a limited number of behaviours - we do a number of things to avoid discomfort.

Secondary reinforcer may not directly reduce discomfort , but they do in some way