Learning Theory From Social to Cognition Kimberley A. Clow kclow2@uwo.ca http://instruct.uwo.ca/psychology/257e-570 Office Hour: Thursdays 2-3pm Office: S302

Outline Social & Cognitive Factors Dysfunctional Personalities Reciprocal Determinism Person-Situation Interaction Goal Directed Behaviourism Locus of Control Self-Efficacy Self-Regulation Dysfunctional Personalities Changing Personality

The Effects of Frustration Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis Dollard & Miller Frustration results when a drive or goal is blocked Look for ways to change the situation Aggression is often the method chosen Displaced aggression may arise

Reciprocal Determinism

Person-Situation Interaction Mischel’s theory centers on the apparent INCONSISTENCY of behaviour Behaviour is not consistent across situations Not all effects of personality Everyone does not behave the same in the same situation Not all effects of environment Consistency Paradox

Goal Directed Behaviourism Edward Tolman Purposive Behaviourism Behaviour is directed toward a specific goal Julian Rotter Behaviour occurs based on people’s expectancies that their behaviour will be followed by reinforcement in that situation

Generalized Expectancies Needs Behaviours that move us toward a goal Types of Needs Recognition-Status Dominance Independence Protection-Dependency Love & Affection Physical Comfort

Answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’ I need to be kept informed about news events People make a difference in controlling crime. Have you ever had a good-luck charm? Marriage is largely a gamble for most people. It is important for me to vote. My life seems like a series of random events. I earn the respect and honours I receive. Are some people just born lucky? Persistence and hard work usually lead to success

Other people usually control my life. Most things that affect my health happen to me by accident. Do you believe that wishing can make good things happen? Do you think it's better to be smart than to be lucky? Do you believe that when bad things are going to happen they are just going to happen no matter what you try to do to stop them? When I get what I want it’s usually because I worked hard for it. When I make plans I am almost certain to make them work.

I prefer games involving some luck over games requiring pure skills. I can learn almost anything if I set my mind to it. My major accomplishments are entirely due to my hard work and ability. I usually don’t set goals because I have a hard time following through on them. Competition discourages excellence. Often people get ahead just by being lucky. On any sort of exam or competition I like to know how well I do relatively to every one else. It’s pointless to keep working on something that’s too difficult for me.

Scoring Internal Control External Control Yes No Yes No 1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 23 No 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 17, 20, 21, 22, 24 External Control Yes 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 17, 20, 21, 22, 24 No 1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 23

Locus of Control

Causal Attributions Dimensions Locus of Control Stability Controllability Internal External Stable Skill Task Difficulty Unstable Effort Luck

Interpersonal Trust Scale In dealing with strangers one is better off to be cautious until they have provided evidence that they are trustworthy. It is safe to believe that in spite of what people say most people are primarily interested in their own welfare strongly disagree Many major national sports contests are fixed in one way or another A large share of accident claims filed against insurance companies are phony Fear and social disgrace or punishment rather than conscience prevents most people from breaking the law

Self-Regulation Beyond Stimulus-Response Related Concepts Controlling our own behaviour Self-Observation Know thy self! Judgment Don’t set standards too high Self-Response Use self-rewards, not punishments Related Concepts Goal Setting Self-Efficacy

Social Learning Person Variables Cognitive Affective Units All those psychological, social, & physiological aspects that allow us to interact with our environment with some amount of stability & consistency Types Encoding Strategies Competencies Expectancies & Beliefs Goals & Values Affective Responses

Summary of Social-Cognitive Factors Personality develops through an interaction Internal factors Behaviour Environment Goal Directed Behaviour Expectancies Self-Regulatory Capabilities Self-Reflective Capability Self-Efficacy

Dysfunctional Personalities Depression Phobias Aggressive Behaviours

Altering Behaviour Modeling Therapy

Strengths & Weaknesses Does not take traits or biology into account More to a person than the sum of his or her learning Strengths Add cognition into behaviourism Effects of beliefs Learning can occur through indirect experience Solid theory with research support Detailed hypotheses and specific variables