Chapter 12 - Behavioural Perspectives Flashcards
(25 cards)
define behaviourism
Behaviourism is a theoretical orientation based on the premise that scientific psychology should study only observable behaviour.
B.F. Skinner
-American Psychologist
-lived from 1904-1990 (died from Leukemia)
-originally wanted to be a writer
-when he was not successful as a writer, he decided on a career in psych; earned his doctorate in 1931 and then spent most of his career at Harvard
-research on the principles of learning; operant conditioning
-use of rats and pigeons
-defended radical behaviourism and his non-cognitive view of personality (despite criticism from other behaviourists) right to the end of his life, giving a final speech about it 8 days before he died
why did skinner reject internal personality structures like Freud’s id, ego, and superego?
because they can’t be observed; Skinner followed the tradition of Watson’s radical behaviourism, focusing only on observable behaviour.
How can Skinner’s theory explain the consistency that can be seen in individuals’ behaviour?
he argued that people develop stable response tendencies through experience, which create relatively consistent behaviour patterns.
what is personality according to skinner?
a collection of response tendencies tied to various stimulus situations.
how does skinner explain personality development?
through learning—specifically by acquiring response tendencies via operant conditioning.
he views personality development as a continuous, lifelong process influenced by new experiences—not based on stages.
**he did not believe in early childhood determining personality, as he believed personality development was continuous.
what is operant conditioning?
a learning process where behaviour is shaped by consequences like reinforcement, punishment, and extinction.
what happens to a behaviour when it is followed by reinforcement?
the behaviour is strengthened (e.g., making jokes at a party leading to gaining attention increases that behaviour)
what happens to a behaviour when followed by punishment?
the behaviour is weakened (e.g., impulsive decisions that backfire result in reduced impulsivity)
Albert Bandura
-modern theorist who reshaped behaviourism to consider cognitive processes
-known for social cognitive theory (originally called social learning theory) and observational learning
-groundbreaking studies on modelling and aggression (with Richard Walters
-emphasized how a variety of personal factors (aspects of personality) govern behaviour, but recently has emphasized ‘self-efficacy’ the most
why did Bandura and others reject skinner’s approach?
they believed Skinner ignored cognitive processes, which are essential to understanding human behaviour
How does Bandura view learning and personality development?
personality is shaped largely through learning, but people are active agents who process information to maximize outcomes.
reciprocal determinism
reciprocal determinism is the idea that internal mental events, external environmental events, and overt behaviour all influence one another.
**the environment does determine behaviour (as Skinner would argue). However, behaviour also determines the environment (in other words, people can act to alter their environment). Moreover, personal factors (cognitive structures such as beliefs and expectancies) determine and are determined by both behaviour and the environment.
observational learning
learning that occurs by watching others (models), where both classical and operant conditioning can happen vicariously.
define model
a model is a person whose behaviour is observed by another.
**at one time or another, everyone serves as a model for others. Bandura’s key point is that many response tendencies are the product of imitation.
self-efficacy (definition & what happens when self-efficacy is low vs. high)
self-efficacy refers to one’s belief about one’s ability to perform behaviours that should lead to expected outcomes.
**when self-efficacy is high, individuals feel confident that they can execute the responses necessary to earn reinforcers. when self-efficacy is low, individuals worry that the necessary responses may be beyond their abilities
what are some outcomes linked to high self-efficacy?
-reduced procrastination
-greater success in quitting smoking
-greater adherence to an exercise regimen
-more effective weight-loss efforts
-higher quality of life after a heart attack
-lower stress and anxiety with an upcoming oral exam
-reduced symptoms of PTSD in 9/11 survivors
-better study habits
-enhanced athletic performance
-more effective work performance
-better customer care by employees in the service industry
-reduced vulnerability to burnout among teachers
-etc,.
Walter Mischel
-born in Vienna, Austria
-immigrated to the U.S. when he was nine (1939)
-earned his doctorate in psychology; spent many years on the faculty at Stanford (as a colleague of Bandura)
-has since moved to Columbia University
-like Bandura, Mischel is an advocate of social learning theory
-his main contribution to personality theory has been on the extent to which situational factors govern behaviour
Mischel’s view on behaviour and reinforcement
people make responses that they think will lead to reinforcement in the situation at hand.
For example, if you believe that hard work in your job will pay off by leading to raises and promotions, you’ll probably be diligent and industrious. But if you think that hard work in your job is unlikely to be rewarded, you may behave in a lazy and irresponsible manner.
Mischel’s version of social learning theory
-predicts that people will often behave differently in different situations
-found that people exhibit far less consistency across situations than had been widely assumed
-sparked a robust debate about the relative importance of the person as opposed to the situation in determining behaviour
modern view on the person-situation controversy
psychologists now generally agree that both personality traits and situational factors interact to influence behaviour.
Norman Endler
-well-known advocate of an interactional approach to personality
-argued that personality traits interact with situational factors to produce behaviour
-in order to predict how someone will act, you need to know about that person’s standing on relevant personality traits, and you also need information about the nature of the situation they are facing. **(neither factor alone is sufficient to predict how someone will act)
overview of the contributions of behavioural theories
*based on extensive empirical research
-skinner: behaviour shaped by environmental consequences (operant conditioning)
-bandura: added observational learning and cognitive processes
-mischel: emphasized the power of situational factors on behaviour
criticisms of behavioural perspectives
-early behaviourism ignored cognitive processes
-social-cognition theory blurred traditional behaviourist focus on observable behaviour
-overgeneralization from animal research to humans
-humanistic theories reject behaviourism’s mechanistic, non-human view
