Shannon Rufus

Classical Conditioning (Association)#

1
Food (UCS) → Pleasure (UCR)
2
                    +
3
Mother (CS) → Food (UCS) → Pleasure (UCR)
4
                ↓
5
         Mother (CS) → Pleasure (CR)

• Mother becomes associated with food (pleasure)
• Infant learns to associate mother with feeling good
• Mother becomes a source of comfort herself

Operant Conditioning (Reward/Punishment)#

1
Hungry baby → discomfort (unpleasant state) ──→
2
Cries → Mother appears → Feeds → Comfort (reward)
3
                ↓
4
        Baby learns: Crying = Mother comes = Reward

• Crying is reinforced by relief from discomfort
• Mother is negatively reinforced (crying stops = she feels better)

NOTE

Negative reinforcement = removing something unpleasant to increase behaviour (not punishment!)

Evaluating Learning Theory#

Strength: Harlow’s monkey study (1959) actually contradicted learning theory…

Harlow (1959) - Rhesus monkeys:

• Baby monkeys could choose between:
  • Wire mother with milk bottle
  • Cloth (terry cloth) mother without milk
• Finding: Monkeys spent most time with cloth mother
• Only went to wire mother when hungry
• When frightened, they ran to cloth mother for comfort

1
    ╔═════════════════════╗
2
    ║  Wire Monkey  Cloth ║
3
    ║     [●]        [#]  ║
4
    ║     Milk       Warm ║
5
    ║   (Contact)   (Comfort)║
6
    ║                      ║
7
    ║  Baby chooses        ║
8
    ║  → CLOTH for comfort ║
9
    ║  → WIRE only for food║
10
    ╚═════════════════════╝

Conclusion: Contact comfort is more important than food for attachment!

Weakness:

• Schaffer & Emerson (1964) found infants were most attached to the person who was most interactive, not just who fed them
• Only 50% attached to mother by 18 months (by 40 weeks)
• Many infants formed multiple attachments before mother
• Contradicts learning theory’s emphasis on food

Key Concepts#

1. Innate biological mechanisms:

• Babies are born with innate “releaser” behaviours:
  • Crying
  • Smiling
  • Crawling
  • Looking
• These elicit caregiving behaviours from adults

2. Critical Period (or Sensitive Period):

• 2½ years is the critical period for attachment formation
• If no attachment formed by this time, it’s difficult or impossible later
• Lorenz (1935) - Goslings imprinted on first moving object (him!)

1
    ═════════════════════════════════════
2
    Birth                2½ years
3
    ═════════════════════════════════════
4
       ↑                    ↑
5
    Form attachment      If no attachment
6
    begins               formed → difficult/impossible

3. Social Releasers:

• Innate behaviours that trigger caregiving
• Babies: Crying, smiling, large forehead, big eyes
• Adults: Responding with picking up, soothing, feeding

4. Internal Working Model (IWM):

• Mental template of what relationships are like
• Formed through primary attachment
• Influences all future relationships
• If secure IWM → expect positive relationships
• If insecure IWM → expect rejection/difficulty

TIP

Your IWM is like a “relationship blueprint” - it guides how you interact with others throughout life!

5. Monotropy:

• Infants have an innate tendency to become attached to ONE primary person
• Usually the mother (or main caregiver)
• This bond is unique and different from all others
• Forms the basis for all other relationships

Evidence for Bowlby’s Theory#

Lorenz (1935) - Imprinting in Geese:

• Goslings followed first moving object (Lorenz)
• Imprinting is innate, occurs in critical period
• Affects later behaviour (mate preference)

1
    Goslings → First moving object = Lorenz
2
               ↓
3
         Imprinted on Lorenz
4
               ↓
5
      Followed him everywhere
6
               ↓
7
         As adults, preferred humans

Harlow (1958) - Baby monkeys:

• Preferred cloth mother over wire mother
• Showed contact comfort is innate need
• Supports Bowlby’s idea that attachment is about more than food

Bowlby’s “44 Thieves” study (1944):

• 88 adolescent thieves
• 14 “affectionless psychopaths” (no empathy, no guilt)
• 12/14 had experienced prolonged maternal separation before age 2
• Control group (non-thieves): Only 2/44 had early separation
• Conclusion: Early maternal deprivation leads to emotional problems

Evaluating Bowlby’s Theory#

Strengths:

• Supported by animal studies (Lorenz, Harlow)
• Explains individual differences in relationships
• Practical applications - hospital visiting hours, childcare policies
• Supported by Ainsworth’s research on attachment types

Weaknesses:

• Monotropy is too simplistic - many babies form multiple attachments (Schaffer & Emerson)
• Father’s role - may be equally important (Grossman, 2002)
• Critical period - some children recover from deprivation (Rutter, Romanian orphans)
• Cultural bias - based on Western ideas of family (research shows different patterns)

Type A - Insecure-Avoidant (15%)#

Behaviours:

• No separation anxiety when parent leaves
• Avoids stranger when alone, but OK when parent present
• Shows little response to parent’s return (ignores them)
• No contact-seeking
• Treating stranger and parent similarly

1
Parent leaves:    🤷 (doesn't care)
2
Parent returns:   🤷 (ignores, avoids)
3
Stranger:         ↔ (mixed response)
4
Exploration:      ✓ (explores freely)

Explanation: Caregiver may have been rejecting or emotionally unavailable

Type B - Secure (65-70%)#

Behaviours:

• Moderate separation anxiety when parent leaves
• Seeks comfort from parent on return (positive reunion)
• Uses parent as secure base for exploration
• Prefers parent to stranger
• Stranger anxiety present but calmed by parent

1
Parent leaves:    😢 (upset)
2
Parent returns:   ❤️ (seeks comfort, then plays)
3
Stranger:         😟 (wary with parent)
4
Exploration:      ✓ (explores from "secure base")

Explanation: Caregiver is sensitive and responsive to infant’s needs

Type C - Insecure-Resistant/Ambivalent (15%)#

Behaviours:

• High separation anxiety when parent leaves
• Ambivalent on return - seeks contact BUT resists it
• Not easily comforted
• Shows anger/resistance toward caregiver
• Little exploration - too anxious

1
Parent leaves:    😭 (very distressed)
2
Parent returns:   😤😢 (wants contact but rejects it)
3
Stranger:         😰 (very wary)
4
Exploration:      ✗ (little exploration)

Explanation: Caregiver is inconsistent - sometimes responsive, sometimes not