Week 3 - Behavioural, Social & Cognitive Approaches to Personality

Question 1

Based on behavioural approach, what are the two learning components that results in the formation of personality?

Answer 1

• Observational learning
• Operant conditioning

Question 2

What does the behavioural approach suggest?

Answer 2

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

Question 3

Explain observational learning

Answer 3

• Personality develops as a result of mimicry of others
• Particularly effective among children

Question 4

Explain the Bobo Doll Experiment

Answer 4

• 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

Question 5

What are the real-life implications of observational learning?

Answer 5

• Gender roles
• TV source as a source of aggression
• Violent video games

Question 6

What is the law of effect?

Answer 6

• 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

Question 7

Explain operant conditioning

Answer 7

• Personality develops from conditioning
  *Positive Reinforcement -> Rewards = Behaviours likely to be repeated
  *Negative Reinforcement -> Punishments = Behaviours unlikely to be repeated

Question 8

Explain the mechanism of BF Skinner’s experiment

Answer 8

1. 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)
2. 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)
3. 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)

Question 9

Explain the operant conditioning in BF Skinner’s experiment

Answer 9

• Negative reinforcement
  *Red light - Shock = Do not press lever
• Positive reinforcement
  *Green light - Food = Press lever

Question 10

What are the strengths of the behavioural approach?

Answer 10

• 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

Question 11

What are the limitations of the behavioural approach?

Answer 11

• 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

Question 12

Explain the biological aspect of anxiety

Answer 12

• Genetics; Inherit aggressive traits
• Brain activation; Right frontal activity

Question 13

Explain the behavioural aspect of anxiety

Answer 13

• Observational learning; Viewed others being aggressive and mimicked those behaviours
• Conditioning; Anxiety as fear of expecting punishment for behaviour

Question 14

Explain the social approach to personality

Answer 14

How social processes and interactions, along with the environment, shape personalities

Question 15

Explain the cognitive approach

Answer 15

How mental representations and cognitive processes shape personalities

Question 16

Explain reciprocal determinism in the social-cognitive theory

Answer 16

Both external (rewards, punishments) and internal (beliefs, thoughts, expectations) factors influence personality

Question 17

What are social norms?

Answer 17

Unwritten rules on how to behave

Question 18

Who created the Stanford Prison Experiment

Answer 18

Philip Zimbardo (1971)

Question 19

Explain the mechanisms of Stanford Prison Study

Answer 19

• 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

Question 20

How do the social norms of gender roles shape personality?

Answer 20

• 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.

Question 21

Explain the Semantic Network Model

Answer 21

• Mental links form between objects
• Common properties provide basis for mental link
• Shorter path between concepts = Stronger association in memory

Question 22

How does “spreading activation” work in the semantic network model?

Answer 22

1. Concept is activated in semantic network
2. Spreads in any number of directions
3. Activating other nearby associations in network
4. Nearby activated nodes inform behaviour
5. Enables the making of assumptions and stereotypes

Question 23

Explain the concept of self-schema

Answer 23

• 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

Question 24

What are the strengths of the cognitive approach?

Answer 24

• 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

Question 25

What are the limitations of the cognitive approach?

Answer 25

- Some concepts are too abstract for empirical research - Not always well-implemented within personality research - No single model or theory organized to explain personality

Question 26

Limitations of Animal-based Experiments

Answer 26

- Can only measure observable behaviour in animals; Animals cannot convey their thought processes/cognitions - Humans are more complex than lab animals

Question 27

Explain the central executive

Answer 27

- Coordinates and decides on behaviour - Control attention, memory and decision-making - "Conductor" of your personality; Your consciousness

Question 28

What do classical behaviourists say?

Answer 28

- 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

Question 29

Differentiate between classical conditioning and operant conditioning

Answer 29

- Classical conditioning creates associations - Operant conditioning reinforces via rewards/punishment

Question 30

Explain the Conditioned Place Preference experiment

Answer 30

- 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

Question 31

Explain the Elevated Plus Maze experiment

Answer 31

- 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

Question 32

Explain the Defensive Burying Test experiment

Answer 32

- 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

Question 33

What did Albert Bandura say about Mirror Neurons (Social Learning Theory)?

Answer 33

- Mirror Neurons - We can provide our own reinforcers without direct experience of rewards and punishments (Mimic others' successful behaviours; observational learning)

Question 34

Explain the concept of mirror neurons

Answer 34

- 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

Question 35

What did Albert Banduras say about Reciprocal Determinism (Social Learning Theory)?

Answer 35

- Operant conditioning influences personality - Interacts with observations, beliefs, morals, etc.

Question 36

Behavioral vs. Social Theories

Answer 36

Behavioral: - Classical conditioning - Operant conditioning Social: - Social cognitive approach - Social norms and roles Intersection between the two: - Social Learning Theory/Observational Theory