Behavioural/Social Learning Perspective Flashcards
Behaviourism: background
Ivan Pavlov: classical conditioning
Edward Thorndike: law of effect
John Watson: put behaviourism on the map; personality = ‘habit systems’
B. F. Skinner: radical behaviourism
Learned helplessness: Seligman
A state in which people conclude that unpleasant or adverse stimuli cannot be controlled
A view of the world that becomes so ingrained that they cease trying to remedy the aversive circumstances, even if they actually can exert some influence
Generalisation: conditioning concept
When we generalise the conditioned response to other situations. If the generalised response is met with reinforcement, the behaviour is likely to persist.
Discrimination: conditioning concept
Knowing which behaviours will likely be rewarded and which behaviours which will likely not be rewarded
Shaping: conditioning concept
Rewarding behaviour which approximates the desired behaviour to try and achieve the desired goal
Social learning theory: Rotter
Expectancy value theory: importance of beliefs about what the results of your behaviour are likely to be
Observed people in therapy:
Different people, given identical conditions for learning, learn different things
Some people respond predictably to reinforcement, others less so, and some respond unpredictably
Some people see a direct and strong connection between their behaviour and the rewards and punishments received
Rotter’s basic formula for predicting behaviour
Behaviour potential = expectancy + reinforcement value
B = E + RV
Behaviour potential (BP)
The likelihood that a given behaviour will occur in a particular situation
Expectancy and reinforcement value determines the strength of the behaviour potential
Expectancy (E)
Estimations about what you expect to happen when you decide to do something
Rotter argues that the more often people are reinforced for a certain behaviour, the stronger their expectancy that the behaviour will be reinforced in the future
Reinforcement value (RV)
The degree to which we prefer one reinforcer over another
Locus of control
People differ in the extent to which they think there is a cause-and-effect link between their behaviour and reinforcers
Internal: everything is my fault
External: everything is something else’s (external forces) fault
Bandura’s social cognitive theory
Bandura emphasises the social nature of learning
Whilst we strive to achieve for external rewards, we are also directed by the goals we establish for ourselves. This is referred to as self-regulation
Self-efficacy: Bandura
The belief in your ability to perform a particular behaviour to achieve a certain outcome
Measures of self-efficacy need to be associated with particular tasks, because self-efficacy is situation dependent.
Bandura suggests that seperate scales should be used to assess each self-efficacy domain
i.e. Children’s self-efficacy scale, teacher self-efficacy scale, parental self-efficacy scale
Outcome expectations
The extent to which their actions will effect an outcome
Eg if you play the piano every day you will eventually be able to master a piece
Efficacy expectations
The extent to which someone feels they can bring about an outcome
Eg if they don’t believe they can devote everyday to the piano, they won’t believe they will master the piece
Bandura saw this as a better predictor of behaviour
Bandura: observational learning
We can learn by observing or reading or just hearing about other people’s actions.
Bandura identified 3 factors which are important for modelling to occur:
1. Characteristics of the model
2. Attributes of the observer
3. Consequences
Bandura: modelling
Modelling of aggression may occur via observational aggression within the home or via observing aggression on TV
Modelling and gender role acquisition:
Children model same-sex characters more
Children are usually reinforced for engaging in gender specific behaviours
Application: behaviour modification - classical conditioning
Systematic desensitisation (ie to treat phobias) Replacing the old association of feared stimulus and response by a new association of stimulus
Aversion therapy (ie to treat alcoholism)
Application: behaviour modification - operant conditioning
Contingency management (token economy) (eg patients are rewarded for making their bed, get a token to use later on an activity)
Biofeedback: requires special equipment that provides information about somatic processes eg tending muscles when anxious
Cognitive-behavioural therapy
Application: increasing self-efficacy
Some people respond to treatment more favourably than others
Self-efficacy can improve treatment outcomes
Self-efficacy can be increased via:
1. Enactive mastery experiences
2. Vicarious experiences
3. Verbal persuasion
4. Physiological and affective states
Guided mastery throughout the treatment process: situation arranged by therapist that guarantees successful experience to client
Increasing self-efficacy: enactive mastery experiences
Successful attempts to achieve the outcome in the past
Increasing self-efficacy: vicarious experiences
Seeing other people perform a behaviour without adverse affect can lead us to believe that we can do it too
Increasing self-efficacy: verbal persuasion
Telling someone they can do something
Increasing self-efficacy: physiological and affective states
Paying attention to how you feel physically when performing an anxiety-inducing task can make it worse or better depending on if you are calm or sweating/shaking etc.
