Explanations of attachment: Leaning Theory

Question 1

What is classical conditioning?

Answer 1

Classical conditioning is a type of learning in which an existing involuntary reflex response (UCR) is conditioned to occur in response to a new stimulus (NS).

Question 2

What is operant conditioning?

Answer 2

Operant conditioning is a type of learning in which a new voluntary behaviour is associated with a consequence - reinforcement makes the behaviour more likely to occur, while punishment makes it less likely to occur..

Question 3

What is reinforcement?

Answer 3

A consequence that makes a behaviour more likely to occur.

Question 4

What is reinforcement?

Answer 4

A consequence that makes a behaviour more likely to occur.

Question 5

What is punishment?

Answer 5

A consequence that makes a behaviour less likely to occur

Question 6

What is positive reinforcement?

Answer 6

Receiving something pleasant when a behaviour is performed that increases the have the behaviour is repeated.

Question 7

What is negative reinforcement?

Answer 7

Negative reinforcement is the avoidance of an unpleasant consequence reinforces the behaviour that allows the avoidance of that consequence.

Question 8

What is learning theory?

Answer 8

It is a behaviourist explanation that suggests that babies are not born attached to the caregiver but that attachments develop through classical and/or operant condition.

Question 9

How does the infant learn to attach in learning theory?

Answer 9

The infants learn to attach to the caregiver who provides them with food.

Question 10

Before conditioning what is the unconditioned stimulus?

Answer 10

Food

Question 11

Before conditioning what is the unconditioned response?

Answer 11

Pleasure

Question 12

During conditioning what is the neutral stimulus?

Answer 12

Mother

Question 13

During conditioning what is the unconditioned stimulus?

Answer 13

Food

Question 14

During conditioning what is the unconditioned response?

Answer 14

Pleasure

Question 15

After conditioning what is the conditioned stimulus?

Answer 15

Mother

Question 16

After conditioning what is the conditioned response?

Answer 16

Pleasure

Question 17

Diagram which explains conditioning

Answer 17

Before conditioning:
FOOD (UCS) -> PLEASURE (UCR)

          During conditioning: MOTHER(NS)+FOOD(UCS)->PLEASURE 
                                                (UCR)
           After conditioning: MOTHER(CS) -> PLEASURE(CR)

Question 18

Keywords of classical conditioning in order

Answer 18

Unconditioned stimulus
Unconditioned response
Neutral Stimulus
Unconditioned stimulus
Unconditioned response
Conditioned stimulus
Conditioned response

Question 19

Explain classical conditioning for learning theory?

Answer 19

-The neutral stimuli (the caregiver) is present while the child is eating and so is consistently associated with the unconditioned response of food and will eventually produce the same response as the food in the infant.
- This then results in the infant responding to the caregiver with the same sense of pleasure as they respond to food because they have associated the food (UCS) with the caregiver (NS)

Question 20

Explain operant conditioning for learning theory

Answer 20

• When an infant is hungry there is a drive to reduce the discomfort.
• Once the child is fed this produces a feeling of pleasure which is positive reinforcement.
• Behaviour rewarded with food is repeated and food becomes the primary reinforces as it is associated with a reward and reinforced the behaviour
• The caregiver supplying the food becomes a secondary reinforcer as they become the source of the reward.

Question 21

How does attachment occur in operant conditioning?

Answer 21

The attachment occurs because the child associated the person who supplies the food with rewards and seeks them.

Question 22

What is the caregiver’s perspective in operant conditioning

Answer 22

From the caregiver’s perspective, comforting the infant leads to the crying stopping, so this behaviour will be repeated by the caregiver (this is negative reinforcement, continuing negative behaviour to avoid a negative outcome).

Question 23

What is the first step of operant conditioning?

Answer 23

Infant’s behaviour, crying because they are hungry and are driven to reduce this discomfort

Question 24

What is the second step of operant conditioning?

Answer 24

Caregiver response, feed the baby (positive reinforcement), food acts as the primary reinforcer.

Question 25

What is the third step of operant conditioning?

Answer 25

Infants' response -Hunger is decreased (drive reduction) - Comfort (positive reinforcement for the infant) - Stops crying (negative reinforcement for the parent)

Question 26

What is the fourth step of operant conditioning?

Answer 26

Repetition cry - food - drive (reduction/comfort) REPEAT

Question 27

What is the fifth step of operant conditioning?

Answer 27

Secondary reinforcer, Caregiver becomes associated with the primary reinforcer(food) and becomes a separate reinforcer

Question 28

How could drive (hunger) be viewed as negative reinforcement?

Answer 28

The hunger(drive) could also be viewed as negative reinforcing as the child is driven to avoid this discomfort (a negative experience).

Question 29

What is the first step in Social Learning theory in the context of attachment?

Answer 29

Observation - The infant observed the role model.

Question 30

What is the role model doing during the modelling stage in Social Learning theory of attachment?

Answer 30

Modelling - The role model is cuddling an kissing them

Question 31

What is meant by vicarious reinforcement in the learning theory of attachment?

Answer 31

The infant sees the model being positively reinforced (e.g. smiling and laughing), which makes the behaviour more likely to be imitated.

Question 32

What happens during the imitation stage in the Social learning theory of attachment?

Answer 32

The infant imitates the modelled behaviour (e.g. cuddling or showing affection)

Question 33

How does Social Learning Theory explain the formation of attachment?

Answer 33

Attachment forms through observation, modelling, vicarious reinforcement, and imitation of affectionate behaviours shown by caregivers.

Question 34

Define attachment as a second drive

Answer 34

As well as conditioning, learning theory draws on the concept of drive-reduction. Hunger can be though of as a primary drive - it's innate, biological motivator. We are motivated to eat in order to reduce the hungers drive.

Question 35

What did Robert Sears et al. (1957) suggest?

Answer 35

Robert Sears et al. suggested that, as caregivers provide food, the primary drive of hunger becomes generalised to them. Attachment is thus a secondary drive learned by association between the caregiver and the satisfaction of a primary drive.

Question 36

What research evidence from animal studies challenges the learning theory of attachment?

Answer 36

Lorenz and Harlow found that animals form attachments based on comfort and familiarity, not just feeding, undermining the idea that attachment is learned through conditioning.

Question 37

How does Harlow's study undermine learning theory?

Answer 37

Harlow's monkeys preferred a cloth mother over a wire mother that provided food, showing that comfort - not food- is more important for attachment.

Question 38

How does Lorenz's study undermine learning theory?

Answer 38

Lorenz's geese imprinted on the first moving object that they saw suggesting that attachment is innate and occurs without feeding.

Question 39

What human research also challenges the learning theory of attachment?

Answer 39

Schaffer and Emerson found that babies formed attachments to caregivers who were responsive and interacted with them most, not necessarily the ones who fed them.

Question 40

How does the study by Schaffer and Emerson contradict the role of feeding in attachment?

Answer 40

In 39% of cases, the other was not the baby's primary attachment figure, even though she did most of the feeding.

Question 41

What is one strength of learning theory in explaining attachment?

Answer 41

Conditioning may still play a role, for example, through associations between caregivers and comfort or through reinforcement of caregiver attention, rather than just food.

Question 42

What is a counterpoint to learning theory from the baby's role in attachment?

Answer 42

Classical and operant conditioning see the baby as passive, but attachment involves active involvement and mutual interaction from booth caregiver and baby.

Question 43

How does social learning theory improve on traditional learning theory?

Answer 43

Dale Hay and Jo Vespo proposed that attachment develops through modelling and imitation of affectionate behaviour, not just food-related conditioning.

Question 44

What is a strength of Dale Hay and Jo Vespo's social learning theory?

Answer 44

It accounts for the role of reinforcement and observation in learning attachment behaviours, offering a more complete explanation than just feeding