The Learning Perspective
Personality is shaped through learning
- learning: the change of behaviour as a function of experience
Two varieties of the learning perspective
- social learning theories
Behaviourism
the theoretical view of personality that focuses on overt behaviour and the ways in which it can be affected by rewards and punishments in the environment
Habituation
the decrease in response to a stimulus on repeated applications
The simplest kind of learning
habituation
Generalization
responding in a similar way to somewhat different stimuli
Discrimination
responding in a different manner to different stimuli
Extinction
the reduction of a conditioned response by repeating the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus
Emotional conditioning
classical conditioning in which the conditioned response is an emotional reaction
Higher order conditioning
an event in which a former conditioned stimulus now acts as an unconditioned stimulus in a new instance of conditioning
Skinner’s term for the process of learning in which an organism’s behaviour is shaped by the effect of the behaviour on the environment
Operant or Instrumental conditioning
T or F. Continuous rf leads to slower learning
F! Continuous = faster! Partial = more persistent learning!
Vicarious conditioning
Social Learning Theory
Expectancy Value Theory
behavioural decisions are determined not just by the presence or size of rf, but also by beliefs about the likely results of behaviour
Classic behaviourism focuses on the actual rewards/punishments, whereas Rotter…
focuses on the beliefs about reward/punishment
Specific expectancies
the belief that a certain behaviour at a certain time and place will lead to a specific outcome
Generalized expectancies
general beliefs about whether anything you do is likely to make a difference
Two subsets of generalized expectancies
MAY VARY ACROSS DOMAINS
Efficacy expectations should be the key target for therapeutic interventions
Bandura’s Model of Social Learning
- efficacies can create capacities
Observational learning
Observational learning requires: (4)
Does engaging with violent media cause violence?
Learning perspective says yes!
Problems of Learning Approach