Learning theory & animal studies

• Who suggested the learning theory?

  Dollard and Miller
• What is learning theory also known as?


  Cupboard love
• Why is learning theory also known as cupboard love?


  It focusses on the importance of a caregiver being seen as a provider of food
• What is classical conditioning?


  Where an infant forms an attachment with the person who feeds them
• How does classical conditioning work?


  The infant associates the PCG with the pleasure of being fed, so will maintain proximity
• What happens before conditioning?


  The infant has a primary drive for food (an unconditioned stimulus) which produces an unconditioned response (pleasure)
• What is the PAF before conditioning?


  A neutral stimulus as she does not provide any innate pleasure
• What happens during conditioning?


  The PAF is always present during feeding, the infant assosicates her with pleasure from food
• What happens after conditioning?


  Infant now associates the PAF with pleasure and will maintain proximity - developing separation anxiety
• What is the PAF after conditioning?


  A conditioned stimulus - the pleasure associated with her becomes a conditioned response
• What is operant conditioning?


  Learning to repeat a behaviour or not based on its consequences
• What can operant conditioning explain?


  Why babies cry for comfort, an important behaviour in building attachment
• What does crying lead to?


  A response from the caregiver (eg feeding).
• What happens when the caregiver provides the correct response?


  Crying is reinforced and baby will direct it towards them looking for comfort
• What type of process is reinforcement?


  Two-way
• What is the caregiver avoiding the unpleasant consequence (crying)?

  Negative reinforcement
• What is drive reduction?


  Hunger can be thought of as a primary drive and biological motivator (motivated to eat to reduce hunger)
• What did Sears et al (1957) suggest?


  Because the caregiver provides food, the primary drive of hunger becomes associated with them
• What did Sears et al suggest about attachment?


  It is a secondary drive, learned through developing an association between the caregiver and the satisfaction of a primary drive
• Who experimented on baby monkeys?

  Harlow
• What did Harlows experiment involve?


  16 baby monkeys reared in isolation
• How did Harlows experiment work?


  The monkeys were placed in a cage with two mock mother monkeys, a clock mock and a wire mock
• What were the two conditions of Harlows experiment?


  One - wire mother dispenses milk

  Two - cloth mother dispenses milk

  In the second experiment, milk was only dispensed by the wire mother
• What did Harlow study?


  The behaviour of the monkey when it was deliberately frightened and time spent with each mock mother
• What did learning theory predict about Harlows monkeys?


  The baby monkey would spend the most time with the wire mother as pleasure is associated with food
• What were the findings of Harlows experiments?


  The baby monkeys sought comfort from the cloth mother when frightened regardless of who dispensed the food

  Demonstrates contact comfort is more important than food in attachment behaviour
• What were the conclusions of Harlows experiment?


  Evidence against learning theory - attachments are not formed through an association between the PAG and food

  Evidence for the importance of contact comfort - Attachments can be partly explained through contact comfort or sensitive responsiveness
• What were the long term effects of Harlows study?


  The monkeys experienced maternal deprivation and became aggressive, less sociable and bred less often
• What did the long term effects of his study help Harlow to figure out?


  There is a critical period for attachment, the mother had to be introduced within 90 days or attachment would be impossible and irreversible damage would happen
• What is a limitation of Harlows study? (AO3)


  Harm
• Evidence that Harlows study caused harm?


  Rhesus monkeys are similar enough to humans to learn from, meaning their suffering is comparable to human suffering
• How did Harlows study cause harm?


  The monkeys suffered isolation and lack of attachments with Harlow being aware of this, naming the mock mothers 'iron maidens' after the medieval torture device
• How can Harlows study be justified?


  It has made contributions to understanding attachments and how to care for human infants
• What did Lorenz study?


  Attachment in geese
• How was Lorenz's study set up?


  Randomly dividing 12 goose eggs into 2 conditions before mixing them together to see who they would follow
• What were the two conditions of Lorenz's study?


  One - hatched in the presence of their mother in a natural environment

  Two - hatched in the presence of Lorenz in an incubator
• What were the findings of Lorenz's experiment?


  The goslings follow whoever they were hatched in the presence of, despite being mixed up
• What process did Lorenz conclude from his study?


  Imprinting - birds follow the first animal they see moving after hatching
• Imprinting occurs immediately after hatching, so it must be?


  Innate
• When did Lorenz suggest imprinting occurred?


  During a critical period (20 hours for geese), if prevented, attachment behaviour is unlikely to occur