Week 3 - Behavioural, Social & Cognitive Approaches to Personality Flashcards
Based on behavioural approach, what are the two learning components that results in the formation of personality?
- Observational learning
- Operant conditioning
What does the behavioural approach suggest?
It suggests that it doesn’t matter our culture, environment, genetics, etc. and we are born a clean slate whereby we “absorb” behaviours into generating our personality
Explain observational learning
- Personality develops as a result of mimicry of others
- Particularly effective among children
Explain the Bobo Doll Experiment
- A video of a person beating up a clown -> Show the video to children -> Children are given a similar/same clown
- The children are most likely to mimic the same behaviour as the adult in the film
- Shows that children do see others’ behaviour as a benchmark for what is okay, what they can do
What are the real-life implications of observational learning?
- Gender roles
- TV source as a source of aggression
- Violent video games
What is the law of effect?
- Behaviours are more likely to be repeated if they lead to rewards/satisfying consequences
- Behaviours are less likely to be repeated if they lead to punishments/unsatisfying consequences
Explain operant conditioning
- Personality develops from conditioning
*Positive Reinforcement -> Rewards = Behaviours likely to be repeated
*Negative Reinforcement -> Punishments = Behaviours unlikely to be repeated
Explain the mechanism of BF Skinner’s experiment
- There is a red light that comes on and if they press the bar, it will shock them -> Rat will associate that if they press the bar when its red, then they’ll get shocked (punishment)
- There is a green light that comes on and if they press the bar, food will be given to them -> Rats will associate that if they press the bar when its green, then they’ll get food (reward)
- The reward/food is a positive reinforcement and rats will have a higher tendency to repeat this behaviour of pressing the bar when its green. Vice versa for shock (punishment)
Explain the operant conditioning in BF Skinner’s experiment
- Negative reinforcement
*Red light - Shock = Do not press lever - Positive reinforcement
*Green light - Food = Press lever
What are the strengths of the behavioural approach?
- Solid foundation in empirical research
- Explains external influences on personality
- Development of useful therapeutic procedures
- Treatments based on conditioning effective
- Most useful approach for certain populations
What are the limitations of the behavioural approach?
- Tends to view human behaviour as simple; We are just the result of operant conditioning and observational learning, doesn’t consider the role of genetics and biology
- Narrow in its description of human personality
- Humans are more complex than the laboratory animals
- Reduction to observable behaviours, which disregards cognition
Explain the biological aspect of anxiety
- Genetics; Inherit aggressive traits
- Brain activation; Right frontal activity
Explain the behavioural aspect of anxiety
- Observational learning; Viewed others being aggressive and mimicked those behaviours
- Conditioning; Anxiety as fear of expecting punishment for behaviour
Explain the social approach to personality
How social processes and interactions, along with the environment, shape personalities
Explain the cognitive approach
How mental representations and cognitive processes shape personalities
Explain reciprocal determinism in the social-cognitive theory
Both external (rewards, punishments) and internal (beliefs, thoughts, expectations) factors influence personality
What are social norms?
Unwritten rules on how to behave
Who created the Stanford Prison Experiment
Philip Zimbardo (1971)
Explain the mechanisms of Stanford Prison Study
- Participants were randomly assigned to be a prisoner or guard
- Guards became aggressive, whilst prisoners became submissive
- Personality changed based on the expectations of that societal role
How do the social norms of gender roles shape personality?
- The social pressure to act either “masculine” or “feminine” based on our assigned gender at birth
- The gender expectations in occupations, capabilities, knowledge/education, etc. differ in men, women, non-binary, etc.
Explain the Semantic Network Model
- Mental links form between objects
- Common properties provide basis for mental link
- Shorter path between concepts = Stronger association in memory
How does “spreading activation” work in the semantic network model?
- Concept is activated in semantic network
- Spreads in any number of directions
- Activating other nearby associations in network
- Nearby activated nodes inform behaviour
- Enables the making of assumptions and stereotypes
Explain the concept of self-schema
- Cognitive representation of oneself that is used to organise and process self-relevant information
- It provides a framework for organising and storing information about our personality
- How we project ourselves doesn’t always align with our self-schema
What are the strengths of the cognitive approach?
- Ideas developed through empirical findings
- Extensive investigation in controlled laboratory
- Fits well within modern psychology
- Therapists from other approaches incorporate aspects of cognitive therapy in their practice
What are the limitations of the cognitive approach?
- Some concepts are too abstract for empirical research
- Not always well-implemented within personality research
- No single model or theory organized to explain personality
Limitations of Animal-based Experiments
- Can only measure observable behaviour in animals; Animals cannot convey their thought processes/cognitions
- Humans are more complex than lab animals
Explain the central executive
- Coordinates and decides on behaviour
- Control attention, memory and decision-making
- “Conductor” of your personality; Your consciousness
What do classical behaviourists say?
- We cannot measure consciousness/cognition
- We cannot prove “central executive” exists
- Personality is a result of interacting with your environment; Behaviour is logically based off of mimicry and learning
- Free will is an illusion; Behaviour is driven by rewards/punishments
Differentiate between classical conditioning and operant conditioning
- Classical conditioning creates associations
- Operant conditioning reinforces via rewards/punishment
Explain the Conditioned Place Preference experiment
- Classical conditioning
- Animals explore 2 unique environments
*1 environment = drug, 1 environment = control (no drug) - Measure where the rat spends time most as their preferred environment
Explain the Elevated Plus Maze experiment
- Rats explore 2 distinct environments: (1) 2ft, (2) 60cm above the ground
- Rat is placed at the centre of 2 runways: (1) bright and open runway, (2) dark and walled runway
- Measure the time in open vs. walled runways
- Walled runways = anxiety/aversion
- Also used to measure the effectiveness of sedative drugs
Explain the Defensive Burying Test experiment
- Rat is placed in a box with woodchip bedding
- Researcher will place foreign objects in the cage or place an electrified metal probe towards the bottom of the cage, and the rat will cover the probe or objects in its bedding
- Variables measured: delay to start burying, time spent burying, number of burying acts
- Measures anxiety/emotionality of rat
What did Albert Bandura say about Mirror Neurons (Social Learning Theory)?
- Mirror Neurons
- We can provide our own reinforcers without direct experience of rewards and punishments (Mimic others’ successful behaviours; observational learning)
Explain the concept of mirror neurons
- They are cells in the brain that activate to mimic others’ behaviours
- Helps us understand/learn new behaviours
- Linked to empathy (imagine urself in their shoes)
- Less mirror neurons in autistic individuals
What did Albert Banduras say about Reciprocal Determinism (Social Learning Theory)?
- Operant conditioning influences personality
- Interacts with observations, beliefs, morals, etc.
Behavioral vs. Social Theories
Behavioral:
- Classical conditioning
- Operant conditioning
Social:
- Social cognitive approach
- Social norms and roles
Intersection between the two:
- Social Learning Theory/Observational Theory
