Explanations of Attachment: Learning Theory
- Created by: Harry Tigg
- Created on: 02-04-15 14:16
View mindmap
- Learning Theory
- What is learning theory?
- Proposes that behaviour is learnt rather than innate
- Put forward by behaviourists
- There are two types of conditioning
- Classical
- Operant
- There are two types of conditioning
- The types of conditioning
- Operant
- Learning through rewards
- When you do something producing a pleasant consequence the behaviour is reinforced
- Because of this you are more likely to repeat it in the future
- Dollard and Miller (1950) provide explanation of this
- An infant feels hungry- creates discomfort
- Natural drive to reduce displeasure
- When infant is fed drive is reduced- produces pleasure
- Food= primary reinforcer
- Food supplier i.e parent=secondary reinforcer
- becomes source of reward themselves
- (reinforces behaviour to avoid discomfort)
- Food supplier i.e parent=secondary reinforcer
- Food= primary reinforcer
- When infant is fed drive is reduced- produces pleasure
- Natural drive to reduce displeasure
- An infant feels hungry- creates discomfort
- Dollard and Miller (1950) provide explanation of this
- Because of this you are more likely to repeat it in the future
- If your behaviour results in a negative consequence you become less likely to repeat it
- When you do something producing a pleasant consequence the behaviour is reinforced
- Learning through rewards
- Classical
- Learning through association
- Pavlov's dog is an example of Classical conditioning
- He was researching the salivation levels in dogs when they are fed
- He found that the dogs began salivating as soon as he entered the room with food
- They had learned a conditioned response
- The same principles apply to attachment
- Food produces unconditioned response
- Person supplying food gets associated with pleasure (conditioned stimulus)
- "Feeder" becomes associated with the pleasure that the food originally produced
- Pleasure now a conditioned response
- "Feeder" becomes associated with the pleasure that the food originally produced
- Person supplying food gets associated with pleasure (conditioned stimulus)
- Food produces unconditioned response
- The same principles apply to attachment
- They had learned a conditioned response
- He found that the dogs began salivating as soon as he entered the room with food
- He was researching the salivation levels in dogs when they are fed
- Operant
- Evaluation
- Strengths
- Learning theory provides an adequate explanation of how attachments form
- Weaknesses
- Role of food in attachment: strong evidence to suggest that food has nothing to do with attachment
- Harlow's monkey (1959)
- Created two wire mothers
- Found that the monkeys preferred the soft mother
- Shows that comfort may be more important than food
- Found that the monkeys preferred the soft mother
- One "mother" had food
- One "mother" had a soft blanket attached
- Created two wire mothers
- Harlow's monkey (1959)
- Schaffer and Emerson (1964)
- Studied 60 working class glaswegian infants
- Most infants not attached to person who fed them
- Most attached to person who played with them the most
- Studied 60 working class glaswegian infants
- Role of food in attachment: strong evidence to suggest that food has nothing to do with attachment
- Strengths
- What is learning theory?
Comments
No comments have yet been made