Explanations of attachment- Learning

• What is the aim of learning theories in attachment?

  To apply and evaluate learning theories
• What does learning theory suggest about infants at birth?

  Infants are born as 'blank slates'
• According to learning theory, what is attachment a result of?

  Nurture rather than nature
• What is another name for learning theory in attachment?

  'Cupboard love theory'
• Why is it called 'cupboard love theory'?

  Infants attach to caregivers for food
• What study supports the idea of conditioning in attachment?

  Pavlov's dog study
• What did Watson and Rayner's Little Albert study demonstrate?

  Fear can be conditioned through stimuli
• Who proposed that caregiver-infant attachments can be explained by learning theory?

  Dollard and Miller
• What are the definitions of positive and negative reinforcement and punishment?

  • Positive reinforcement: Rewarding behavior to increase it
  • Negative reinforcement: Removing an adverse stimulus to strengthen behavior
  • Punishment: An aversive event that decreases behavior
• What is operant conditioning?

  A method of learning through rewards and punishments
• How does positive reinforcement work in attachment?

  The baby cries and is fed, repeating behavior
• What is negative reinforcement for the caregiver?

  Crying stops when the baby is fed
• What is the concept of drive reduction in attachment?

  • Innate drive to reduce feelings like hunger
  • Caregivers provide food, linking hunger to them
  • Attachment becomes a secondary drive learned through association
• What evidence contradicts the idea that food is the basis of attachment?

  Lorenz's geese and Harlow's monkeys studies
• What did Lorenz's study show about attachment?

  Imprinted geese attached regardless of food source
• What did Harlow's study reveal about attachment preferences?

  Monkeys preferred soft surrogates over wire ones
• What did Schaffer and Emerson's research indicate about attachment figures?

  Primary attachment figures are not always feeders
• What does the learning theory ignore regarding attachment?

  Other factors linked with attachment quality
• What is associated with the quality of attachment?

  Reciprocity and interactional synchrony
• What is a strength of the learning theory in attachment?

  Some elements of conditioning may still apply
• How can social learning theory support attachment development?

  Parents model attachment behaviors for children
• What does Ainsworth's addition to attachment theory emphasize?

  • Quality of attachment depends on sensitivity to needs
  • Sensitivity relates to reciprocity and interactional synchrony
  • Alternative to food being the conditioned stimulus