Module 8: Cognition and the Self Flashcards
Bandura believed that environmental, behavioural, and personal factors are all equal, intertwined predictors of one another. This idea is called:
reciprocal determinism
Bandura used the term ______________ to describe the process of social learning
modelling
According to Bandura, 3 factors impact the strength of the modelling effect:
- Features of the model
- Consequences of model’s behaviour
- Qualities of the observer
Are people lower in self-esteem more likely to be affected by social learning?
No. Self-esteem is not related to the social learning process
What 4 component processes are crucial in a social learning situation?
- Attention
- Retention
- Production
- Motivation
What are two important elements in Bandura’s theory that rely heavily on cognitive processes?
- Self-regulation
- Self-Efficacy
What is the difference between self-esteem and self-efficacy?
Self-esteem
- How we evaluate our own worth or abilities
Self-efficacy
- One’s belief about their ability to achieve their goals as a result of their actions
Does having high or low self-efficacy in certain tasks automatically produce higher or lower self-esteem?
No
According to Walter Mischel’s cognitive-affective processing system (CAPS) theory…
There are individual “if…then…” relationships that contribute to the consistency of variation in an individual’s behaviour and ultimately their personality
The personality variables in Mischel’s CAPS theory are called:
cognitive-affective units
According to Mischel’s CAPS theory, situation is not limited to things in the environment (like those theories put forth by classical behaviourists like Skinner). What does this mean?
This means that the situation is inclusive of a whole set of internal cognitive and motional factors
Aside from CAPS, one of Mischel’s most well-known contributions is his research on:
delayed gratification
According to Mischel, disruptions in one’s ability to delay gratification can contribute to social problems such as…
dropping out of school or criminal activity
Mischel conducted a longitudinal study with marshmallows and children to assess delayed gratification. What did he find?
Delayed gratification group was:
- More effective, assertive, and better equipped in coping with life frustrations
- also achieved higher SAT scores
Bandura and Mischel studied the effect of social learning on self-control. What did they find and what did they speculate from these results?
Finding:
- model’s choice (delayed vs. immediate gratification) affected the child’s choice
- effect was less pronounced when children were read a description of the model’s choice compared to when they witness the model making this choice
Speculation:
- May explain why some children with unstable families develop problems with self-control later on
Herman Witkin studied differences in perceptual style and came to call this topic:
field dependence versus field independence
What does it mean to be field dependent?
You perceive the orientation of objects by relying on environmental cues
What does it mean to be field independent?
You perceive the orientation of objects by relying on bodily cues
What type of students (field dependent versus independent) tend to favour the natural sciences, math, and engineering?
Field independent
What type of students (field dependent versus independent) tend to favour social sciences and education?
Field dependent