learning theory

Question 1

what approach does learnthing theory of attachment come from

Answer 1

behaviourist

Question 2

what is needed in this theory to form an attachment

Answer 2

• food is importnat in formation of an attachment
• sometimes called ‘cupboard love’ approach because it suggests that children learn to love (attach to) whoever feeds them

Question 2

according to the learning thwory how is an attachment formed

Answer 2

an attachment is formed/created through classical conditioning (learning by association) and then strengthened through operant conditioning (learning by consequences).

Question 2

hwo is the attachment aquired

Answer 2

• attachment develops through classical conditioning
• sam eprocess of unconditoned stimulues etc however instead of unconditioend you say innate and instead of condiitoned its learner

Question 2

hwo is the attacgment maintained

Answer 2

• operant conditioning
• positive reinforcment - when the baby the cries it then gets fed therefore will repeat this behaviour
• negative reinforcment - the mum will feed the infant to void the negative consequence of crying.
• these work togetehr to strengthen attachment

Question 3

what a primary reinforcer

Answer 3

something (food) that directly supplies a reward to the babues drive (hunger)

Question 4

whats drive redcution

Answer 4

the reward of gettign rid of their discmofrt of hunegr, their drive
* Dollard and Miller argued that a hungry infant feels discomfort, creating a drive (hunger) to reduce this feeling.
* When an infant is fed, the drive of hunger is reduced, which produces a feeling of pleasure as they are comfortable again. This is rewarding (known as drive reduction) and therefore feeding is an example of positive reinforcement.

Question 5

whats a secondary reinfocrer

Answer 5

The mother or caregiver who supplied the food is associated with the food and so becomes a secondary reinforcer.

Question 6

weakness of learnign theory

Answer 6

• not all behaviur explained by conditioning
• A range of animal studies have shown that young animals do not necessarily attach to (or imprint on) those who feed them.
• Research with human infants also suggests that feeding does not appear to be an important factor in human

Question 7

strength of learning theory?

Answer 7

may not provide a complete explanation of attachment, but it has some value - Infants do learn through association and reinforcement, but food may not be the main reinforcer. It may be that attention and responsiveness from a caregiver are important rewards that assist in the formation of attachment, such reinforcers were not part of the learning theory account but may be able to provide some explanation of attachment, and therefore the principles behind the learning theory (classical and operant conditioning) may have some validity in explaining attachment to a certain extent.

odd one xx

Question 8

explain not all behaviur explained by conditioning being a weakness

Answer 8

• not all behaviur explained by conditioning
• Research suggests that the quality of attachment is associated with factors like developing reciprocity and good levels of interactional synchrony (Isabella et al., 1989). The best quality attachments are with sensitive carers who pick up on infant signals and respond appropriately
• suggests that the explanations of attachment may lack validity because they present an oversimplified view of human behaviour
  if purely from feeding there would be no need for reciprocty and interactional synchrony, and wouldnt expect to find relationships between them and the quality of caregiver-infant attachment.

Question 9

explain animal studies not having much supporting evidence being a weakness

Answer 9

• Lorenz’s geese imprinted before they were fed and maintained these attachments regardless of who fed them
• Harlow’s monkeys attached to a soft surrogate in preference to a wire one that dispensed milk.
• suggests that attachment does not develop as a result of feeding
• Therefore, the same must be true of humans because behaviourists believe that humans and non-humans are equivalent.
• lacks validity as it cannot explain these cases.

Question 10

explain human studies not having much supporting evidence being a weakness

Answer 10

• Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) study found that 39% of infants developed a primary attachment to the person who did not feed them.
• problem for the learning theory as they suggest that feeding is not the key element to attachment and so there is no unconditioned stimulus or primary reinforcer involved
• lack validity as it cannot explain these cases.