Learning Theory

Learning Theory introduction.

According to behaviourists, behaviour is learnt, not innate. There two types of conditioning to the learning theory - Classical and Operant. Classical learning through asoiciation while Operant is via positive reinforcement.

Classical conditioning.

Learning can be due to associations being made between different stimuli. 

There will be an unconditional stimulus, such as milk, which will trigger an unconditioned response of the infant being happy from relief of hunger. The mother giving the milk is known as the neutral stimulus - as she doesn't trigger a response. These are innate.The mother then becomes the conditioned stimulus, as she becomes associated with the milk, which triggers a conditioned response of the baby being happy just by her presence. This is the learning aspect of the theory.

Operant conditioning.

Behaviour can be altered by patterns of reinforcement such as a reward.

In this conditioning there is a stimulus such as the child crying due to needing food. This triggers a response of the caregiver providing food and stopping the crying. The reward is then that the the child is happy and has learnt crying will result in relief of hunger.

Evaluation of the theory.

The learning theory has face validity in the aspect that it makes sense. We do learn by associations and are more likely to repeat behaviour that is rewarded. However it's more likely that we make associations with comfort rather than food.

Schaffer and Emmerson's Glasgow babies study found that babies attach most to those who play with them and interacted with them more than those who just fed them. This supports Harlow's monkeys findings and is against the Learning Theory, as it suggests interaction is also important.

Harlow's monkeys 1959. Harlow took away a rhesus monkey from it's mother and placed it in an experimental set up with a cloth mother and a wire mother. The cloth mother offered comfort whereas the wire mother offered food. The monkey was then scared by a loud toy, allowed to explore with each mother present and was generally observed. They found when scared the monkey ran to the cloth mother for protection, when exploring he didn't explore with the wire figure present but did with the cloth figure as he used that as a secure base. Overall the monkey was found to have spent 17/18 hours with the cloth mother and only 1 hour with the wire mother. This does not support the learning theory as it shows comfort is most important for attachment were as learning theory is based on food, it suggests the role of food is exaggerated.

Introduction

Classical conditioning

Operant conditioning

Evaluation