Learning Theories: Classical And Operant Conditioning
The learning theories was put forward by a group of behaviourists. It states that we are blank sheets and that we come into the world not knowing anything. It also says that we learn all types of behaviours, including how to form attachments. Behaviour is learned either through classical or operant conditioning. We learn to form attachment through food.
Classical conditioning is learning through association between something in the environment (stimulus) and physical reactions (response). In classical conditioning it proclaims that we learn passively and that the response is normally a reflex because it is automatic.
Ivan Pavlov was the first person to describe this type of learning. He used his observation of salivating dogs. However, we can apply this to human attachment. Before learning, or conditioning occurs, the conditioned stimulus (UCS), food produces an innate reflex reaction, known as the unconditioned response (UCR), this being pleasure. The food and pleasure are both unconditioned because no learning has occurred at this stage of the learning process. The infant’s mother, the neutral stimulus (NS) …show more content…
Harlow (1959) research shows that food is not everything and that comfort is more important than food. He tested this statement by carrying an experiment using two surrogate mothers and a baby rhesus monkey. He locked him in a cage with the two mothers. One had a bottle of milk (food) and the second monkey didn’t have any milk but was covered in terrycloth. And when the monkey was scared he moved to the mother he felt the safest and this was the mother with terrycloth. We can conclude that that monkeys have an unlearned need for comfort which is as basic as the need for food. This shows that food isn’t everything and that the learning theories place too much emphasis on
Classical conditioning is learning through association between something in the environment (stimulus) and physical reactions (response). In classical conditioning it proclaims that we learn passively and that the response is normally a reflex because it is automatic.
Ivan Pavlov was the first person to describe this type of learning. He used his observation of salivating dogs. However, we can apply this to human attachment. Before learning, or conditioning occurs, the conditioned stimulus (UCS), food produces an innate reflex reaction, known as the unconditioned response (UCR), this being pleasure. The food and pleasure are both unconditioned because no learning has occurred at this stage of the learning process. The infant’s mother, the neutral stimulus (NS) …show more content…
Harlow (1959) research shows that food is not everything and that comfort is more important than food. He tested this statement by carrying an experiment using two surrogate mothers and a baby rhesus monkey. He locked him in a cage with the two mothers. One had a bottle of milk (food) and the second monkey didn’t have any milk but was covered in terrycloth. And when the monkey was scared he moved to the mother he felt the safest and this was the mother with terrycloth. We can conclude that that monkeys have an unlearned need for comfort which is as basic as the need for food. This shows that food isn’t everything and that the learning theories place too much emphasis on