Explanations of attachment- Learning theory
- Created by: MollyL20
- Created on: 02-11-20 17:32
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- Explanations of attachment
- John Dollard and Neal Miller (1950) proposed that the caregiver-infant attachment can be explained by the learning theory
- Thier approach is sometimes called a cupboard love approach because it emphasises the importance of the caregiver as a provider of food
- Classical conditioning
- Involves learning to associate two stimuli together so that we begin to respond to one in the same way as the other
- Food serves as a unconditioned stimulus, being fed gives us pleasure, we don't have to learn that, it is an unconditioned response
- A caregiver starts as a neutral stimulus, when food get provided by the same person overtime, they become associated with food meaning this neural stimulus has become a conditioned stimulus
- Once conditioning has taken place, the sight of caregiver produces a conditioned response of pleasure
- Operant conditioning
- Operant conditioning involves learning to repeat behaviour, depending on its consequences
- Positive behaviour, positive consequence, Negative behaviour, negative consequence
- This explains why babies cry for comfort, crying lead to a response from the caregiver
- When the caregiver provides the correct response, crying has been reinforced the baby directs crying for comfort towards the caregiver who responds with comforting 'social suppressor behaviour'
- This reinforcement is a two way process, at the same time the baby is reinforced for crying, the caregiver receives negative reinforcement because the crying stops. This interplay of mutual reinforcement strengthens an attachment
- When the caregiver provides the correct response, crying has been reinforced the baby directs crying for comfort towards the caregiver who responds with comforting 'social suppressor behaviour'
- Attachment as a secondary drive
- Learning theory draws on the concept of drive reduction
- Hunger can be thought as a primary drive, we are motivated to eat to reduce the hunger drive
- Sears et al (1957) suggested that, as caregivers provide food, the primary drive becomes generalised to them
- Attachment is therefore a secondary drive learned by association between the caregiver and the satisfaction of a primary drive
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