individual differences

Question 1

operant conditioning

Answer 1

• rewards and punishment affect people differently. we know this because not everyone stops undesirable behaviour as a result of punishment. many criminals go on to reoffend after being in prison. similarly being rewarded for a behaviour, does not always lead to it being repeated, thus showing that individual differences influence behaviour.

Question 2

social learning theory

Answer 2

• each individual has different life experiences. therefore different behaviours are observed which means that everybody imitates different types of behaviour. slt can explain our differences in personality. aggressiveness for example, can be explained by social learning theory as some people observe aggressive role models whereas others do not.
  furthermore, it can explain gender differences, as boys are more likely to imitate aggression in a male role model.

Question 3

phobias

Answer 3

• clients have a choice of SD or flooding and individual differences can influence the choice they make and whether they complete it. some clients may be more motivated and therefore more willing to tolerate the trauma of flooding. some clients may also be more resilient than others.