Chapter 11 - Rotter's Social Learning Theory

Question 1

What was Rotter’s central unit of investigation of personality?

Answer 1

Interaction of individual with meaningful environment

Social > physical

Question 2

Personality constructs are __________ upon constructs in any other field, as they are ideas of their own.

Answer 2

Not dependent

Question 3

Explanations of _________ events in different terms do not alter _________ of individual’s experience of that event.

Answer 3

Psychological; validity

Question 4

When are personality constructs useful?

Answer 4

Describing feelings, actions, and thoughts of people whose socialization has begun

Question 5

What does it mean that personality has wholeness and unity?

Answer 5

Individuals influence and are influenced by environment

Question 6

Behaviour is ________, and direction of behaviour inferred from effects of ________.

Answer 6

Goal-directed; reinforcement

Question 7

How does expectancy influence behaviour?

Answer 7

Occurrence of behaviour determined by person’s anticipation/expectancy

Question 8

What are 3 important points of Rotter’s expectancy-evaluation theory?

Answer 8

No structural concepts

Importance of reinforcements and complex behaviours

Sense of mastery

Question 9

What happens when a sense of mastery is not developed in early childhood?

Answer 9

Problems in skills and functioning

Question 10

What is need potential?

Answer 10

Probability to act certain way to reach specific need

Question 11

What is behaviour potential?

Answer 11

Probability of certain behaviour occurring in specific situation

Question 12

What is expectancy driven by?

Answer 12

Reinforcements and goals

Question 13

What is specific expectancy?

Answer 13

Probability of attaining certain reinforcements in specific situations

Ex. good mark on certain exam

Question 14

What is generalized expectancy?

Answer 14

Belief of attaining reinforcements cross-situationally

Locus of control

Question 15

What is reinforcement value?

Answer 15

One’s particular interest in one reinforcement over another

Question 16

What is psychological situation?

Answer 16

Existing circumstances, as subjectively perceived by individual

Question 17

What is the difference between goals and needs?

Answer 17

Goals: external

Needs: internal

Question 18

According to Rotter, what are the 6 needs of human beings?

Answer 18

Recognition and status

Dominance

Independence

Protection

Love and affection

Physical comfort

Question 19

What is freedom of movement?

Answer 19

Extent to which individual believes they possess abilities to attain certain reinforcements

Question 20

What is minimum goal?

Answer 20

Level of reinforcement that is barely rewarding

Question 21

What happens when a goal is set too high or low?

Answer 21

Too low = no longer rewarding

Too high = unrealistic standards

Question 22

The relationship between generalized expectancies and maladjustment (personality adjustment) involves…

Answer 22

Correctly assessing one’s expectancies and matching skill set

Question 23

Why is behaviour potential a factor of expectancy and reinforcement value?

Answer 23

The more we expect to be reinforced, the higher the reinforcement value and the more likely to behave accordingly

Question 24

What does it mean that need potential is a function of freedom of movement and need value?

Answer 24

People will engage in related behaviours to fulfill important needs

Question 25

When there is low _________ or _________, behaviours become more ______.

Answer 25

Freedom of movement; need value

Constricted

Question 26

What is locus of control?

Answer 26

Person’s belief of control and attainment

Question 27

People with ______ locus of control are better off than people with ________ locus of control.

Answer 27

Internal; external

Question 28

In terms of critical views on Rotter’s theory, the theory was ______ for all categories.

Answer 28

Good