Social cognitive Learning theory

Question 1

What did Walter Mischel say about personality traits and what did he propose instead?

Answer 1

• personality “trait” scores = very bad correlation/ reliability
• CAP

Question 2

What is CAP?

Answer 2

Cognitive-Affective Personality

• BEHAVIOUR is best predicted from a comprehensive understanding of the person, the situation and the interaction between person and situation
• since there may be variation in certain “traits” depending on the situation
• behaviour signature
• -> intraindividual profiles for verbal and physical aggression for one person

Question 3

What are behaviour signatures?

Answer 3

People’s pattern of variability is the behavioral signature of their personality, or their stable pattern of behaving differently in various situations.

Question 4

Why do some people thing Walter Mische is making an over generalised statement?

Answer 4

false dichotomy:

• trait assessments can ‘allow for’ person situation interactions
• vis primary + smaller traits

Question 5

What are the distinguishing features of the social cognitive theory?

Answer 5

Emphasis is on…

• social origins of behaviour
• cognitive processes
• people as active agents
• complex behaviour learning (w/ absence of direct rewards
• systematic research
• behaviour as consistently ‘situation specific’

Question 6

Describe classical conditioning

Answer 6

1. CS == a bell or something
2. US == something natural == UR
3. Pair the CS + US == UR
4. Eventually just the CS == CR (UR)

Question 7

Describe operant conditioning

Answer 7

• behaviours are more likely to be repeated when followed by welcomed outcomes (+/- reinforcement)
• behaviours are less likely to be repeated when followed by an unwelcome outcome “punished”

Question 8

What new avenues did Albert Bandura’s social cognitive theory add to the learning theories?

Answer 8

• vicarious conditioning
• observational learning
• competencies + cognitions
• goals + standards

Question 9

What evidence is there for vicarious learning?

Answer 9

Berger - 1962

• people witnessed a tone followed by the appearance of another reacting in pain to an electric shock
• these witnesses later exhibited a conditional emotional response to the tone

Question 10

What evidence is there of observational learning?

Answer 10

Bandura, Ross + Ross, 1961
- og studying if aggression came from frustration
- children watched a woman or man being aggressive or calm with a toy
- boys = more aggressive + more influenced bu male model
- girls = not influenced so much by both genders + did model aggression verbally
= learning happens but behaviour may not necessarily be manifested