learning theory explanation

Question 1

who explained attachment by learning theory

Answer 1

Dollard and Miller (1950)
cupboards love approach

Question 2

classical conditioning in attachment

Answer 2

• learning to associate 2 stimuli together so that we begin to respond to one in the same way as we already respond to the other
• food is an unconditioned stimulus pleasure from being fed is an unconditioned response
• caregiver is a neutral stimulus but when they provide food over time they become associated with food and when the baby sees the person there is an expectation of food
• neutral stimulus becomes a conditioned stimulus providing a conditioned response of pleasure

Question 3

operant conditioning and attachment

Answer 3

• learning from the consequences of behaviour
• crying leads to a response from the caregiver,eg food
• as long as the caregiver provides the correct response crying is reinforced by the baby
• baby them directs crying for comfort towards the cargiver who responds eith comforting social supressing behaviour
• caregiver receives negative reinforcement because the crying stops so behavoiur of feeding increses

Question 4

attachment as a secondary drive

Answer 4

• hunger is a primary drive (innate biological motivator) we are motivated to eat in order to reduce the hunger drive
• Sears et al (1957) suggests that as caregivers provide food the primary drive of hunger becomes generalized to them
• attachment is a secondary drive learned by an association between the carebier and the satisfaction of a primary drive

Question 5

strength of learn theory

Answer 5

1. some conditioning may be involved
   - unlikely that being associated with food plays a central role in attachment but conditioning may still play a role
   - a baby my associate feeling warm and comfortable with the presence of a particular adult influences the baby’s choice of their main attachment figure

Question 6

limitation of learning theory

Answer 6

1. counter evidence form animal studies
   - lorenz geese imprinted on the first moving object they saw regardless of if they were associated with food
   - harlow’s monkey displayed attachment behaviour towards a soft surrogate mother in preference to a wire one which provides milk
2. counter evidence from studies in humans
   - Schaffer and Emerson (1964) found that babies tend to form their main attachment to their mother regardless of whether she was the one who usually fed them
   - Isabella at al (1989) found that high levels of interactional synchrony predicted the quality of attachment, these factors are not related to feeding