Explanations of attachment: Learning theory Flashcards
what is classical conditioning?
learning to associate two stimuli together so that we begin to respond to one in the same way we respond to the other.
what is an unconditioned stimulus in terms of attachment?
food is an unconditional stimulus
what is the unconditioned response in terms of attachment?
pleasure. as the UC is food, this leads to a UR of pleasure
what is the neutral stimulus?
the caregiver
what does the NS create?
a neutral response.
NS= caregiver
why does the neutral stimulus create a conditioned stimulus?
The NS is the caregiver which produces food for the baby, so the baby learns to associate the caregiver (NS) with food and therefore this creates a conditioned stimulus. Therefore, the caregiver produces a conditioned response of pleasure.
what does operant conditioning involve?
learning to repeat behaviour or not depending on its consequences.
if a behaviour is likely to produce a pleasant consequences, it will be repeated. THis is called reinforcement.
how does operant conditioning explain why babies cry for comfort?
As crying leads to a response from the caregiver (feeding.) As long as the caregiver produces the right response, crying will be reinforced in order to continue receiving the desired response.
How is reinforcement a two way process between baby and caregiver?
as the baby directs for comfort to the CG who responds with comforting ‘social suppressor’ behaviour. So reinforcement is a two way process.
How does the CG recieve negative reinforcement?
at the same time as the baby is crying, the caregiver receives negative reinforcement because the crying stops something unpleasant reinforcing.
