Chapters 11, 12 Flashcards
- Note the contrasts between social cognitive theory and:
a. Psychoanalytic
b. Trait theory
c. Evolutionary psychology?
a) To social cognitive theorists there is an overemphasis on unconscious forces and influence in early childhood experience. In contrast (SCTs) believe that more emphasis on conscious experience and development throughout life.
b) SCTs question the core of it. Rather than just average tendencies they believe there is variability in it.
c) They question how evolutionary psych cab explain changes from historical period to another; it only explains the overall evolution.
Note the two types of knowledge form the basis of human competencies?
Declarative: Knowledge that can be stated in words.
procedural: cognitive and behavioral capacities that a person may have that can’t be articulated or know the nature of the capacities.
How do competencies relate to Big 5 Traits?
It relates to the big five because it states that each person has differences in variation to perform a task; for example one may be more introverted than an other.
What two implications follow from a focus on competencies?
- Context specificity: psychological structures are relevant to some social situations or contexts but not others.
- psychological change; competencies are acquired through interactions and observations of the social world, people can change and acquire new skills.
What do social-cognitive theorists suggest is the primary determinant of our actions and emotions? What constitutes a person’s expectancies? Note the fact that, like competencies, expectancies are similarly context-dependent (i.e., “the same action might elicit different reactions in different situations” – see examples).
People’s worldviews affect their decisions overall. These thoughts are called beliefs; when directed to the future, expectations range from person to person.
What do social cognitive theorists view as the “essence” of personality?
The essence of social cognitive psych is that personality lies in a different way in which people perceive situations, developed expectations, and display distance behavior patterns
What do social-cognitive theorists highlight in terms of the importance of perceived self-efficacy; how does perceived self-efficacy differ from self-esteem and outcome expectations?
Self-esteem is one’s values of themselves, whereas self-efficacy is people’s appraisals of what they are able to accomplish in a certain situation.
Note ways in which self-efficacy influence how one might approach and experience something like working towards completion of a university undergraduate degree
Someone with high self-efficacy might enjoy more demanding tasks and challenges themselves to study in comparison to low self-efficacy.
Note ways in which goals setting contributes to self-control?
Goals are related to self-control by two aspects. 1) Difficulty and 2) proximity, for example losing 5 pounds in a year vs a month, less self-control for a year since is has less proximity.
Note the relationship between goals and expectancies?
Goals can be reflected on expectancies people who have higher self-efficacy might expect higher results and therefore set higher goals
Similarly, expectancies can be reflected by goals, for sample you want to do amazing in a class and get a low mark on a test that can effect what your goals and expectancies are later on.
What do ‘evaluative standards’ refer to?
A mental stand us a criterion for judging the goodness or worth of a person thing or event.
Note the role of self-evaluative reactions in maintaining behavior in the absence of external reinforcers?
With self-evaluation with the absence of external stimuli, we give ourselves praise or feel guilt and reward ourselves for meeting requirements and punish ourselves for not.
Be familiar with the basic notion of reciprocal determinism?
Reciprocal determinism: addresses issues with personality processes, and personality behaviors, and the environment must be understood as a system of forces that mutually influence one another.
In what ways does the principle of reciprocal determinism contrast with psychoanalytic and Phenomenological explanations of behavior?
The psychoanalysis approach and phenological, they both look at the inner causes for behavior, but SCT says that it’s both, people also choose to behave in certain situations.
What are the two core aspects of the Social cognitive theory?
Social cognitive theory focuses on two core aspects of growth and development: (1) knowledge (beliefs, goals, evaluative standards, etc.) and skill acquisition; and (2) self regulation.
Note the two primary ways by which knowledge and skills are said to be acquired?
Skills and knowledge is acquired through observational learning.
Differentiate between acquisition and performance; what variables influence the likelihood of an acquired behavior/skill being performed?
To acquire is to gain the ability to perform and performance is being able through rewards and punishments.
note the role of vicarious conditioning in the acquisition of emotional response tendencies are acquired?
Viscarous is related to observing someone’s emotional responses and acquiring that response for yourself which can be long-lasting.
Note the study by Bandura and Cervone (1983) which examines ways in which self-efficacy beliefs and self-evaluation influences the effort one puts toward a goal. Under what conditions did participants exert the greatest effort?
There were Goals, feedback, control, and feedback and goals, and the condition with the best results was feedback and goals in place.
Note ways in which performance feedback might interact with self-efficacy judgements to positively influence intrinsic interest for a particular pursuit?
It helps them break dwon their tasks into subgoals, and helping them monitor heir self-performance, and give them feedback which helps increase self-efficacy.
Note the role of modelling and observational learning in the acquiring the ability to delay gratification in pursuit of a more meaningful long-term goal?
When children are exposed to models who have high standards of performance for self-reward, they tend to be great for limiting self-rewards for their success, vice versa low model.
Be familiar with the paradigm Mischel used to study delay of gratification in children. Note the key factor did Mischel identifies as critical in children’s ability to delay gratification in the “marshmallow test”?
Paradigm marshmello test, two rewards for children small reward and large reward, children wait get large eward, children who didn’t wait got the small reward.
Note findings from rcent studies by Protzko (2020) cited on p. 340
Children’s delay ability has gone up and gotten better since the 70s
Note the effects of immersive versus distanced thinking about negative experiences and feelings?
Immersive thinking is where you relive an experience in first person; whereas self-distancing is where to “take a few steps back” and see from the third person.
Overall, self-distancing is better to reduce negative emotional experiences and stress.
What are Competencies?
A structural unit in social-cognitive theory reflecting the individual’s ability to solve problems or perform tasks necessary to achieve goals.
What are Expectancies?
In social-cognitive theory, what the individual anticipates or predicts will occur as the result of specific behaviors in specific situations (anticipated consequences).
What are beliefs?
Your world view and what you believe at the moment.
What is Perceived self-efficacy?
In social-cognitive theory, the perceived ability to cope with specific situations.
What are Evaluative standards?
Criteria for evaluating the goodness or worth of a person or thing. In social-cognitive theory, people’s standards for evaluating their own actions are seen as being involved in the regulation of behavior and the experience of emotions such as pride, shame, and feelings of satisfaction or dissatisfaction with oneself.
What is Acquisition?
The learning of new behaviors viewed by Bandura as independent of reward and contrasted with performance—which is seen as dependent on reward.
What is Context specificity?
The idea that a given personality variable may come into play in some life settings or contexts but not others, with the result that a person’s behavior may vary systematically across contexts.
