LEARNING THEORY

• what is the learning theory ?

  learning theory says that children form an attachment through the use of food and the attachment figure as someone who is a provider of food
• who proposed the learning theory ?

  John dollard and neal miller 1950
• what did john dolard and neal miller describe the learning theory as ?

  Cupboard love approach
• what does classical conditioning mean ?

  Learning through association.
• describe classical conditioning through a caregiver feeding their kid ?

  The caregiver acts as a neutral stimulus and the food they provide is an unconditioned stimulus which gives them a pleasure response ( unconditioned response ). When the baby sees this person there is an expectation of food so they associate the stimuli together with the neutral stimulus ( caregiver ) becoming a conditioned stimulus with the caregiver providing a conditioned response of pleasure from the food. The baby wants this feeling of pleasure so they also want the person forming an attachment
• what is operant conditioning ?

  Learning through consequences.
• Describe operant conditioning through a baby crying.

  crying leads to a response from the caregiver and it the caregiver provides comfort then crying is reinforced with the baby crying to recieve social suppressing behaviour from the parent

  whereas for the parent crying is a bad thing and so when it stops it acts as a negative reinforcement as they dont want to hear the baby cry so they provide it comfort to avoid that negative consequence

  mutual reinforcement creates and strengthens an attachment
• what type of drive is hunger seen as ?

  primary drive

  its an innate biological motivator so we eat to reduce the hunger drive
• which psychologist believed attachment to be a secondary drive as a result of association with food ?

  Robert seals et al
• what did robert seals et al believe ?

  since caregivers provide food they become associated with the primary drive of hunger so an attachment is formed as a seconday drive by association of the hunger and pleasure they provide by appeasing this hunger
• whats a strength of the learning theory ?

  Point: One limitation of learning theory explanations for attachment is lack of support from animal studies.

  Evidence: Lorenz's geese imprinted on the first moving object they saw regardless of whether it was associated with food.

  Explain: Similarly, Harlow's monkeys also showed that they preferred a soft surrogate 'mother' over a wire one with milk.

  Link: Therefore, this indicates that factors other than food association are crucial in attachment formation.
• whats a limitation of the learning theory ?

  Point: A further limitation of learning theory explanations is lack of support from studies of human babies.

  Evidence: Schaffer and Emerson (1964) found that babies formed their main attachment to their mother regardless of feeding.

  Explain: In addition, Isabella (1989) discovered that interactional synchrony predicted attachment quality, unrelated to feeding.

  Link: Thus, this indicates that human attachment is influenced by factors beyond mere feeding, contrary to learning theory predictions.
• whats a strength of the learning theory ?

  Point: One strength of learning theory is that elements of conditioning could be involved in some aspects of attachment.

  Evidence: Babies may associate feeling warm and comfortable with the presence of a particular adult, influencing their choice of attachment figure.

  Explain: This suggests that while food association might not be central, conditioning processes could still contribute to attachment development.

  Link: Therefore, learning theory may offer valuable insights into certain aspects of attachment formation, despite its limitations.
• whats a limitation of the learning theory ?

  Point: Both classical and operant conditioning explanations see the baby playing a relatively passive role in attachment development.

  Evidence: Feldman and Eidelman (2007) shows that babies actively engage in interactions that contribute to attachment. 

  Explain: This challenges the notion of passivity in attachment formation.

  Link: Hence, conditioning may not provide a comprehensive explanation for attachment processes, given the active role of babies in shaping their attachments.
• what theory do some argue is better then the learning theory in explaining attachment ?

  Dale hay and Jo vespo said

  social learning theory as it shows how parents act as models by demonstrating attachment behaviours to their children like hugging and then they also show reinforcment by praising the child when they show this behaviour

  therefore this shows how the social learning theoy shows forming an attachment is a 2 way process highlighting reciprocity