ROTTER & MISCHEL: COGNITIVE SOCIAL LEARNING THOERY Flashcards
(86 cards)
What is the first assumption of Rotter’s Social Learning Theory?
Humans interact with their meaningful environments. People’s reactions to environmental stimuli depend on the meaning or importance they attach to an event. Reinforcements are influenced by individual cognitive capacity, and behavior results from the interaction of environmental and personal factors.
: How does Rotter’s theory explain the role of reinforcements in behavior?
Reinforcements are not solely dependent on external stimuli but are given meaning by an individual’s cognitive capacity. Personal traits alone do not cause behavior; rather, behavior arises from the interaction of personal and environmental factors.
What is the second assumption of Rotter’s Social Learning Theory?
Human personality is learned. Personality is not fixed at any particular stage of development and can be modified through learning. Although past experiences provide stability, personality remains open to change through new experiences.
How does past experience influence personality according to Rotter?
Personality is shaped by accumulated experiences, but these experiences are not constant. They are influenced by intervening experiences, which then shape present perceptions and learning.
What is the third assumption of Rotter’s Social Learning Theory?
Personality has a basic unity, meaning that people’s personalities maintain relative stability over time. They evaluate new experiences based on past reinforcements, leading to consistency in personality.
What does Rotter mean by “basic unity of personality”?
People develop stable ways of evaluating experiences based on past reinforcement. This consistency in evaluation leads to a relatively stable and unified personality.
What is the fourth assumption of Rotter’s Social Learning Theory?
Motivation is goal-directed. People are not simply driven by the need to reduce tension or seek pleasure; instead, they behave in ways that move them toward their goals.
How does Rotter’s theory challenge traditional motivation theories?
Unlike traditional theories that focus on tension reduction or pleasure-seeking, Rotter argues that people are primarily motivated by their expectations of moving toward goals, even if the process involves stress or discomfort
What is Rotter’s empirical law of effect?
The empirical law of effect states that reinforcement is any action, condition, or event that influences an individual’s movement toward a goal. People are most strongly reinforced by behaviors that bring them closer to anticipated goals.
What is the fifth assumption of Rotter’s Social Learning Theory?
People are capable of anticipating events and use their perceived movement toward anticipated events to evaluate reinforcers.
How does anticipation influence behavior in Rotter’s theory?
People assess reinforcers based on how they perceive their progress toward an anticipated goal. This capacity for anticipation plays a key role in predicting human behavior.
What are the five basic assumptions of Rotter’s Social Learning Theory?
- Humans interact with meaningful environments.
- Personality is learned and can be modified.
- Personality has a basic unity, providing stability.
- Motivation is goal-directed, not just tension reduction.
- People anticipate events and evaluate reinforcers accordingly.
How does Rotter describe human interaction with their environment?
Humans assign meaning to environmental stimuli, and reinforcement depends on cognitive interpretation, not just external factors. Behavior results from the interaction of personal and environmental factors.
What does Rotter say about personality development?
Personality is not fixed; it evolves as long as a person is capable of learning. Past experiences provide stability, but new experiences can reshape personality.
What does Rotter mean by “basic unity” of personality?
People evaluate new experiences based on previous reinforcement, leading to consistency and stability in personality.
How does Rotter explain motivation?
People act based on expectations of achieving goals rather than just reducing tension. Example: College students endure stress to graduate.
What is Rotter’s empirical law of effect?
Reinforcement is any action, condition, or event that moves an individual toward a goal.
What are the four key variables for predicting behavior?
- Behavior Potential (BP)
- Expectancy (E)
- Reinforcement Value (RV)
- Psychological Situation
Behavior Potential (BP)
Likelihood of a specific behavior occurring.
Expectancy (E)
Belief that behavior will lead to reinforcement.
Reinforcement Value (RV)
Preference for a specific reinforcement
Psychological Situation (s)
Perceived cues in a given moment.
What determines behavior potential in a situation?
It depends on expectancy and reinforcement value. Higher expectancy or reinforcement value increases the likelihood of a behavior.
What is expectancy in Rotter’s theory
Expectancy is a person’s belief that a specific reinforcement will follow a particular behavior. It is subjective and influenced by past experiences, fantasies, and beliefs.
