learning theory

• what did Dollard emphasizes the importance of

  the importance of food in attachment formation and classical conditioning plays a role in this formation
• what happened in Dollard study

  • before conditioning:
  • caregiver (NS) - no response
  • food (UCS) - pleasure (UCR)
  • during conditioning:
  • food (UCS) + caregiver (NS) - pleasure (UCR)
  • after conditioning:
  • caregiver (CS) - pleasure (CR)
  • the baby has learned to associate the stimulus of the caregiver with the response of pleasure, this is the basis of attachment love
• what does operant conditioning explain

  why babies cry for comfort which is an important building block for attachment
• why do babies cry

  crying leads to a response from the caregiver (food) as long as the caregiver provides the correct response crying is reinforced with a positive consequence - positive reinforcement
• how does the caregiver receive negative reinforcement from babies crying

  the crying stops when the baby is feed so it is removal of an unpleasant stimulus in the environment, this interplay of positive/negative reinforcement strengthens an attachment
• what is a limitation of the learning theory (PEEL) (animal studies)

  P - animal studies provide evidence against food as the basis of attachment

  E - harlow separated 16 rhesus monkeys from their mothers and locked them in a cage with a wire mother which provided food and a cloth mother which provided contact comfort, harlow observed the monkeys behaviour towards each mother when scared

  E - he found that rhesus monkey heavily preferred the cloth mother which provided contact comfort spending up to 20 hours a day on the cloth mother and only going to the wire mother when food is needed

  L - this suggests that we do not attach to people who feed us but to people who nurture and provide us comfort
• what is a limitation of learning theory (PEEL) (other factors)

  P - learning theory ignores other factors linked with attachment

  E - research has suggested that interactional synchrony and reciprocity are associated with developing attachment

  E - research has also shown that those with the strongest attachment have sensitive caregivers who pick up signals

  L - this suggests it is very hard to link these ideas with food being a primary reason as to why attachments develop
• what is a limitation of learning theory (PEEL) (SLT)

  P - there is also a newer learning explanation based on SLT

  E - parents teach children to love them by modelling attachment behaviour such as hugging

  E - and also by rewarding them with approval when they display their own attachment behaviour such as saying thats a lovely smile

  L - this fits with research on the importance of interactional synchrony and reciprocity
• what is a limitation of learning theory (PEEL) (reductionist)

  P - the learning theory is reductions explanation for attachment

  E - learning theory reduces attachment done to one single simple explanation between pleasure and food

  E - for example, in lorenz study he found that some birds have actinal periods of time where a bird must imprint, additionally this period is innate and something a bird is born with

  L - this suggests that the learning theory is reductionist and ignores other explanations