Explanation - Learning Theory

• Who proposed the learning theory of caregiver-infant attachments?

  Dollard and Miller
• What is the concept of 'cupboard love' in attachment theory?

  Children attach to caregivers for food
• How do infants learn to associate caregivers with pleasure?

  Through classical conditioning with food
• What role does food play in classical conditioning for infants?

  Food is an unconditional stimulus
• What is the unconditioned response when infants are fed?

  Pleasure from being fed
• What happens to a caregiver over time in classical conditioning?

  They become a conditioned stimulus
• What is the conditioned response for a baby seeing their caregiver?

  Pleasure expectation from food
• What does operant conditioning explain about infant behavior?

  Why babies cry for comfort
• What reinforces the behavior of crying in infants?

  Responses from the caregiver
• What is the two-way process in reinforcement between infants and caregivers?

  Infants receive comfort, caregivers escape unpleasantness
• What is a primary drive in the context of attachment?

  Hunger as a biological motivator
• How does attachment become a secondary drive?

  Through association with caregiver satisfaction
• What are the strengths of learning theory in explaining attachment formation?

  • Provides plausible explanations for attachment
  • Real-life associations through classical conditioning
  • Example: Little Albert's fear response
• What is a criticism of the Little Albert study in relation to learning theory?

  It cannot be generalized to the wider population
• What evidence contradicts the learning theory of attachment?

  • Schaffer and Emerson's study (1964)
  • 39% of babies attached to non-caregivers
  • Attachments formed with sensitive, rewarding individuals
• What did Harlow's research (1959) reveal about attachment?

  Monkeys preferred comfort over food source
• What does Harlow's research suggest about 'cupboard love'?

  It is unlikely to explain attachment
• What are the limitations of learning theory in explaining attachment?

  • Ignores factors like reciprocity and synchrony
  • Attachment quality linked to complex interactions
  • Reductionist approach focusing on basic processes
• How does learning theory simplify the understanding of attachment behaviors?

  By focusing on reinforcement and basic processes