Zusammenfassung der Ressource
3.5 Learning Theory
- Dollard and Miller (1950) proposed that attachment can
be described by learning theory. Children love whoever
feeds them.
- Operant Conditioning
- Learning from consequence of behaviour. If a behaviour produces an
unpleasant consequence, less likely to be repeated. It is a reinforcement, if
a baby cries it is more likely to receive comfort, so repeats this.
- Reinforcement is a two way process. Baby is
reinforced for crying but caregiver receives negative
reinforcement because crying stops.
- Classical Conditioning
- Learning to associate two stimuli together. An unconditioned
stimulus (e.g. food) comes in contact with a neutral stimulus
(caregiver). Over time as caregiver provides food, baby learns to
associate them with food. Caregiver becomes a conditioned stimulus
and produces a conditioned response, pleasure of eating.
- Evaluation
- Strengths:
- Elements of conditioning involved in attachments. Baby
may associate feeling of warmth with particular adult so
may influence their choice of particular attachment.
- Weaknesses:
- Lack of support from human studies.
Schaffer and Emerson found that
babies form main attachment to
mother regardless of who fed them.
- Lack of support from
animal studies. Factors
other than food associated
involved in attachment.
- As caregivers provide food, primary drive of hunger
associated with them and attachment becomes a
secondary drive associated between caregiver and
satisfaction of primary drive.