Learning TheoryFrom Social to Cognition

Kimberley A. Clow

kclow2@uwo.cahttp://instruct.uwo.ca/psychology/257e-570

Office Hour: Thursdays 2-3pmOffice: S302

Outline

Social & Cognitive Factors• Reciprocal Determinism• Person-Situation Interaction• Goal Directed Behaviourism• Locus of Control• Self-Efficacy• Self-Regulation

Dysfunctional Personalities• Changing Personality

The Effects of Frustration

Frustration-Aggression Hypothesis• Dollard & Miller

Frustration results when a drive or goal is blocked• Look for ways to change the

situation• Aggression is often the method

chosen

• Displaced aggression may arise

Reciprocal Determinism

Person-Situation Interaction

Mischel’s theory centers on the apparent INCONSISTENCY of behaviour• Behaviour is not consistent across situations

• Not all effects of personality

• Everyone does not behave the same in the same situation

• Not all effects of environment

• Consistency Paradox

Goal Directed Behaviourism

Edward Tolman• Purposive Behaviourism

• Behaviour is directed toward a specific goal

Julian Rotter• Behaviour occurs based on

people’s expectancies that their behaviour will be followed by reinforcement in that situation

Generalized Expectancies

Needs• Behaviours that move us toward a goal

Types of Needs• Recognition-Status• Dominance• Independence• Protection-Dependency• Love & Affection• Physical Comfort

Answer ‘Yes’ or ‘No’

1. I need to be kept informed about news events 2. People make a difference in controlling crime. 3. Have you ever had a good-luck charm? 4. Marriage is largely a gamble for most people. 5. It is important for me to vote. 6. My life seems like a series of random events. 7. I earn the respect and honours I receive. 8. Are some people just born lucky? 9. Persistence and hard work usually lead to success

10. Other people usually control my life. 11. Most things that affect my health happen to me

by accident. 12. Do you believe that wishing can make good

things happen? 13. Do you think it's better to be smart than to be

lucky? 14. Do you believe that when bad things are going to

happen they are just going to happen no matter what you try to do to stop them?

15. When I get what I want it’s usually because I worked hard for it.

16. When I make plans I am almost certain to make them work.

17. I prefer games involving some luck over games requiring pure skills.

18. I can learn almost anything if I set my mind to it.

19. My major accomplishments are entirely due to my hard work and ability.

20. I usually don’t set goals because I have a hard time following through on them.

21. Competition discourages excellence.22. Often people get ahead just by being lucky.23. On any sort of exam or competition I like to

know how well I do relatively to every one else.

24. It’s pointless to keep working on something that’s too difficult for me.

Scoring

Internal Control• Yes

• 1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 23

• No• 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 17, 20, 21, 22, 24

External Control• Yes

• 3, 4, 6, 8, 10, 11, 12, 14, 17, 20, 21, 22, 24

• No• 1, 2, 5, 7, 9, 13, 15, 16, 18, 19, 23

Locus of Control

Causal Attributions

Internal External

Stable Skill Task Difficulty

Unstable Effort Luck

Dimensions• Locus of Control• Stability• Controllability

Interpersonal Trust Scale1. In dealing with strangers one is better off to be

cautious until they have provided evidence that they are trustworthy.

2. It is safe to believe that in spite of what people say most people are primarily interested in their own welfarestrongly disagree

3. Many major national sports contests are fixed in one way or another

4. A large share of accident claims filed against insurance companies are phony

5. Fear and social disgrace or punishment rather than conscience prevents most people from breaking the law

Self-Regulation

Beyond Stimulus-Response• Controlling our own behaviour

• Self-Observation– Know thy self!

• Judgment– Don’t set standards too high

• Self-Response– Use self-rewards, not punishments

Related Concepts• Goal Setting

• Self-Efficacy

Social Learning Person Variables

Cognitive Affective Units• All those psychological, social, & physiological aspects

that allow us to interact with our environment with some amount of stability & consistency

Types• Encoding Strategies

• Competencies

• Expectancies & Beliefs

• Goals & Values

• Affective Responses

Summary of Social-Cognitive Factors

Personality develops through an interaction • Internal factors• Behaviour• Environment

Goal Directed Behaviour• Expectancies

Self-Regulatory Capabilities Self-Reflective Capability

• Self-Efficacy

Dysfunctional Personalities

Depression

Phobias

Aggressive Behaviours

Altering Behaviour

Modeling Therapy

Strengths & Weaknesses

Strengths• Add cognition into

behaviourism• Effects of beliefs

• Learning can occur through indirect experience

• Solid theory with research support

• Detailed hypotheses and specific variables

Weaknesses• Does not take traits

or biology into account

• More to a person than the sum of his or her learning