Unit 2: Individuality and Personality · III. Bandura’s Social Cogni=ve Theory A. Whereas Skinner emphasized reinforcement in his descripons of how personality develops, another

Unit2:IndividualityandPersonality

Part7:LearningTheories

Objec=ves:

1. DescribeSkinner’sconcept/theoryofpersonality.

2. ExplainBandura’ssocialcogni?vetheoryofpersonality.

I.Introduc=on

A.  Behavioristslooktotheenvironmenttoseewhatisreinforcingbehavior.Behaviorists,suchasJohnWatson,B.F.Skinner,andAlbertBandurabelieveourpersonali=esdevelopasaresultofwhatwelearnfromourenvironments.Howwebehaveisdirectlyimpactedbythereinforcementwereceiveforexhibi=ngatargetbehavior.

I.Introduc=on(con’t)

B.  JohnWatsonbelievedthatthepropersubjectmaPerofpsychologyshouldonlybebehaviorthatisobservable.

Watson’sbeliefsledtothestudyofbehaviorandwhatisknowntodayasbehaviorism.

I.Introduc=on(con’t)

C.  Behaviorists,followersofbehaviorism,believethatasindividualsdifferintheirlearningexperiences,theyacquiredifferentbehaviorsand,hencedifferentpersonali=es.

II.B.F.SkinnerandBehaviorism

A.  Althoughhisbehaviorismwasnotproposedasatheoryofpersonality,B.F.Skinnerhadamajorimpactonpersonalitytheory.

II.B.F.SkinnerandBehaviorism(con’t)

B.  Skinnerfocusedonwhateventsinaperson’senvironmentcausethemtoactinaspecificway.UnlikeFreud,hewasnotasconcernedwiththeunderstandingofabehaviorratherthanpredic=ngandcontrollingit.

II.B.F.SkinnerandBehaviorism(con’t)

C.  Skinnerfocusedonwhathecalled“con=ngenciesofreinforcement”ortherewardsandpunishmentsthatfollowabehavior.Skinnerwouldthenproposepossiblehypothesesthatwouldexplainaspecificbehavior.Throughsystema=ctes=ngoftheserewardsorpunishments,hewouldiden=fywhichofthesewasthetruereinforcerthatcausedthebehaviorandthenchangeittochangethebehavior.

III.Bandura’sSocialCogni=veTheory

A.  WhereasSkinneremphasizedreinforcementinhisdescrip=onsofhowpersonalitydevelops,anotherbehaviorist,AlbertBandura,claimedthereismoretodevelopingapersonalitythanreinforcementalone.

III.Bandura’sSocialCogni=veTheory(con’t)

B.  Bandurabelievedthatpersonali=esdevelopalsobeobservingandimita=ng.Inwhathecalledobserva=onallearning,apersonlearnsanewbehaviorbywatchingtheac=onsofsomeoneelse.

III.Bandura’sSocialCogni=veTheory(con’t)

C.  Bandurabelievedthatayoungchild’sbehaviorandpersonalitydevelopbyexposuretoeverydaymodels.Inhisview,peopleareabletodirecttheirownbehaviorbytheirchoiceofmodels.Modelsthataremosteffec=vearethosethataremostsimilartoandmostadmiredbytheobserver.

III.Bandura’sSocialCogni=veTheory(con’t)

D.  Accordingtosocialcogni=vetheory,yourpersonalityisshapedbyaninterac=onbetweenthreethings:

1.  You(theindividual)–yourbeliefs,expecta=ons,emo=onal

make-upandgenes.2.  Anindividual'sbehavior3.  Theenvironmentinwhichabehavioroccurs.

Theinterac=onofthesethreethingsiscalledreciprocaldeterminism.

Bandura’sSocialCogni=veTheory

III.Bandura’sSocialCogni=veTheory(con’t)

E.  Onestrongviewonbehavioristheindividual’sviewoftheirchancestosucceed.Banduracalledthisself-efficacy.

Example:Twostudentswiththesameintelligenceandskillsprepareforadifficultmathexam.Thefirststudentisconfidentintheirmathability,test-takingabili=esandhasastrongself-esteem.Theotherstudentdoesnotpossessthesethings.Whoismorelikelytoscorehigher?Thefirststudentbecausetheyareconfidentintheirabilitytoaccomplishtheirgoals…inthiscasepassingthetest.Thisconfidenceintheirskillsandabilityisself-efficacy.

IV.Conclusion

A.  Psychoanaly=ctheoriesstresschildhoodexperiences,irra=onalthoughts,andunconsciousforces.Incontrast,learningtheoriesfocusonbehavior,somethingthatcanbeobserved,tested,andmeasured.

B.  Cri=csoflearningtheoriesarguethattheydonot

explainpersonalitynorgiveenoughaPen=ontotheinfluenceofsuchthingsasgene=cfactors,emo=onalinfluences,andchildhoodexperiencesontheforma=onofpersonality.

IV.Conclusion

C.  Accordingtothelearningtheories,wehavedifferentpersonali=esbecausewehavedifferentexperiencesinlife.Differentbehaviorshavebeenreinforcedindifferentways,andwehaveuseddifferentmodelsformodelingourbehavior.Differentpersonali=esaddtothediversityoflife.