Learning Theory - Attachment

Question 1

What is learning theory also known as ?

Answer 1

Behaviourist theory

Question 2

What does the learning theory focus on ?

Answer 2

The baby wanting its needs fulfilled

Question 3

What does classical conditioning say we learn through ?

Answer 3

Association

Question 4

What does NS stand for in classical conditioning?
What is it ?

Answer 4

Neutral stimulus

A trigger that has no response

Question 5

What does UCS stand for in classical conditioning ?
What is it ?

Answer 5

Unconditioned stimulus

A trigger that is naturally responded to

Question 6

What does UCR stand for in classical conditioning ?
What is it ?

Answer 6

Unconditioned response

A natural response

Question 7

What does CS stand for in classical conditioning ?

What is it ?

Answer 7

Conditioned stimulus

A thing we have learned to respond to

Question 8

What does CR stand for in classical conditioning ?

What is it ?

Answer 8

Conditioned response

A learned response

Question 9

What does the process of classical conditioning look like ?

Answer 9

NS —-> No response

NS + UCS —-> UCR

CS —-> CR

Question 10

What does extinction mean in classical conditioning ?

Answer 10

The disappearance of a conditioned response in the absence of repeated associations

Question 11

What does spontaneous recovery mean in classical conditioning ?

Answer 11

The appearance of a conditioned response following extinction

Question 12

What is classical conditioning ?

Answer 12

• learning through associations between different things in our environment
• getting food naturally gives the baby pleasure
• the baby’s desire for food is fulfilled whenever it’s mother is around to feed it
• thus an association is formed between mother and food
• whenever the mother is around the baby will feel pleasure I.E.attachment

Question 13

What is operant conditioning?

What did Dollard and Miller (1950) state ?

Answer 13

• claimed that babies feel discomfort when they’re hungry and so have a desire to get food to remove the discomfort
• if they cry their mother will come and feed them so the discomfort is thus removed - negative reinforcement
• mother is thus associated with food and the baby will want to be close to her

Question 14

What are some weaknesses of the learning theory ?

Answer 14

• reductionist approach , tries to explain complex attachment using simple stimulus- response processes
• lots of evidence involved animal research - so the findings aren’t always generalisable
• Schaffer and Emerson’s (1964) findings don’t fully support learning theory - in their study half of the infants didn’t have their mothers as their primary attachment

Question 15

Who devised learning theory of attachment and what is the Basis ?

Answer 15

• Dollard & Mikker emphasised the importance of food in forming attachments
• cupboard love - indicates children only attach to whom ever delivers them food

Question 16

Who is John Bowlby and what did he state ?

Answer 16

• argued that something like imprinting occurs in humans
• he argued over the monotropic theory of attachment is an evolutionary tree

Question 17

What were the claims that John Bowlby stated ?

Answer 17

1) Attachment can be explained by evolution :
- we have evolved a biological need to attach to our main caregiver
- this biological need has developed through natural selection to ensure the survival of the child to maturity

2) We create one special attachment :
- Bowlby idea of monotropy is that we form one main attachment usually our biological mother
- forming this attachment has survival value as staying close to the mother ensures food and protection
- a strong attachment = provides a safe base giving us confidence to explore our environment

3) We create an internal working model of attachment
- states that forming an infant attachment gives us a template for all future relationships - we learn to care and trust others - forms an internal working model for all later attachments
- the model is working model because it can change and develop over time - depending on how the person’s relationship changes
- the PCG provides the foundations for the child’s future relationships - this is called the continuity hypothesis

Question 18

What is the 4th Claim by John Bowlby ?

Answer 18

There is a Critical period for attachment:

• first 3 years of life are the critical period for attachment to develop - otherwise it might never do so
• if the attachment doesn’t develop or is broken it might seriously damage the child’s social and emotional development
• Bowlbys maternal deprivation hypothesis assumes if the relationship between the primary care giver and infant Is disrupted or stopped during the critical period there are long term consequences

Question 19

What are some comments made on Bowlbys theory ?

Answer 19

• there’s evidence for his claim - Harlows study supports the idea that we have evolved a need to attach - suggests that social and emotional development might be damaged if an attachment isn’t formed
• Schaffer and Emerson provided evidence against Bowlbys claims about monotropy - found that rather than one main attachment many children form multiple attachments and may not attach to their mothers
• Harlows study of monkeys raised in isolation also goes against the idea of monotropy - other monkeys who didn’t have a mother but who grew up together didn’t show signs of social and emotional disturbance in later life = didn’t have a primary caregiver but seemed to attach to each other instead
• Bowlbys report in the 1950s led to an increase in stay at home mothering = had a subsequent impact on the economy as fewer women were going to work