Psychology: Explanation of Attachments.

What is the learning theory?
-The idea that all behaviours are aquired using principles of CONDITIONS.

What are the two conditions?
1)CLASSICAL CONDITIONING
2)OPERTANT CONDITIONING

What is CLASSICAL CONDITIONING?
-Classical condition is learning by association
-->Ivan Pavlov, and his dogs circa 1905
-Terminology of Classical Conditioning (continued)
Conditioned Stimulus (CS): any stimulus that will, after association with an UCS, cause a conditioned response (CR) when present to a subject by itself
Conditioned Response (CR): any response that occurs upon the presentation of the CS

What is OPERANT CONDITIONING?
Consequences to behavior can be:
nothing happens: extinction
something happens
the “something” can be pleasant
the “something” can be aversive
Consequences include positive and negative reinforcement, time out, and punishment.
-DOLLARD AND MILLER

What was HARLOW AND HARLOWS STUDY?

-Discovered using infant Rhesus monkeys that FOOD ALONE isnt sufficient enough for the formation of attachments.
-->The child needs CONTACT and RESPONSIVE CARE GIVERS

How to evaluate the Learning theory?

-LEARNING THEORY: Infants will be attached to those that offer best PLEASURE, DRIVE REDUCTION.

-Against this: SCHAFFER AND EMERSON: 39% of attachments werent to those who fed/bathed the infant
-HARLOW AND HARLOW: NOT food alone, ALSO we can not generalise from Rhesus monkeys
-BEHAVIOURISM: over-simpifies the complexity of attachements.

What was Bowlbys theory about attachments and SURVIVAL?

-Attachemnts are vital for SURVIAL, PROTECTION, FEEDING
-Infants have an innate tendency to form these bonds
-Attachments: a BIOLOGICAL PROCESS which must take place in a CRITICAL PERIOD
-Attachments help with future development (monotrophy/continuity process)

What is the CRITICAL PERIOD?
Attachments are a biological process
-->if attachments arent formed by 2 1/2, the bond WILL NOT FORM

What is the CONTINUITY PROCESS?
-Relationships with one special attachment (monotrophy) provides an infant with an INTERNAL WORKING MODEL.
-->SECURE CHILDREN: POSITIVE IWM: caregiver sensitivity
-->AVOIDANT CHILDREN: NEGATIVE IWM: rejecting caregiver
-->AMIVALENT CHILDREN: NEGATIVE/EXAGGERATED IWM: inconsistent caregiver

Evaluation of Bowlbys attachment theory?
1)Attachment is INNATE we are all born with this drive
2)Bonds are formed with those that respond sensitively
3)Must occur during the critical period of 2 1/2 years
4)We have to have a special bond (monotrophy)
5)This leads to an INTERNAL WORKING MODEL AND THE CONTINUITY PROCESS
--->It had a large impact on childcare
--->It encouraged research
--->It doesnt show why some children can cope with POOR ATTACHMENT EXPERIENCES.

How does LORENZ study support this?

-Konrad Lorenz studied the behaviour of geese (tend to imprint the first thing that they see)
-->2 groups: 1) Gesse stay with mother 2)Geese placed in incubator
-->GROUP 2: Followed Lorenz as he was the first thing they saw

--->This shows that young animals: likely to follow mother to increase surival rates
--->Characteristics that promote reproduction are selected.