personality psychology exam #3

skinner-ainsworth/bowlby

skinner’s theory

operant analysis (behaviorism)

order of theories

psychoanalysis → behaviorism → humanism → operant analysis

according to skinner on personality development

reward & punishment is everything

operant behavior (skinner)

behavior operant on environment

law of effect (EL Thorndike) - (skinner)

behavior determined by its consequences

skinner box

skinner: rats press level for food

scientific behaviorism (skinner)

analysis of behavior + the events that produce behavior

functional analysis of behavior (skinner)

identifying environmental factors that determine behavior

skinner’s belief of conditioning

environment → what we do

criticism of skinner

research on lower animals, human env cannot easily be manipulated

set himself to be arbiter of good vs. evil

skinner’s personality study

set of relationships between organism’s behavior & reinforcement or punishment

does behaviorism believe personality can be changed?

yes

operant conditioning (skinner)

association between behavior & consequences to make more or less probable

contingency (skinner)

rule: some event will occur only if other event occurs

three-term contingency (skinner)

three important components in operant-conditioning contingency

1. situational event preceding behavior (skinner)

aspects of three-term contingency

2. behavior itself (skinner)

aspects of three-term contingency

3. consequences following behavior (skinner)

aspects of three-term contingency

discrimination (skinner)

differing responses in certain stimuli vs. not in other stimuli

stimulus control (skinner)

response determined by particular stimuli

prompt of stimulus control (skinner)

antecedent events helping initiate responses

discriminative stimulus (skinner)

presence of stimuli signals response because of previous learned response that it leads to reinforcement

stimulus generalization (skinner)

behavior reinforced in one situation repeated in other similar situations (even if not reinforced)

• ex: washing the dishes by habit even if mom stops reinforcing.

opposite of discrimination

reinforcement (skinner)

behavior increase frequency when followed by positive or negative reinforcement

positive reinforcement (skinner)

increasing frequency of behavior (ex: getting candy for washing dishes, increases frequency)

two types of positive reinforcers (skinner)

1. primary: unconditioned (food, water, etc)

2. secondary: conditioned (praise, money, sweets)

negative reinforcement (skinner)

removal of aversive stimulus (ex: excusing extra work bc student did their homework)

punishment (skinner)

decrease frequency of response by following behavior with consequences

punishers (skinner)

aversive or unpleasant stimuli

positive punishment (skinner)

presence of aversive stimuli following behavior

two types of punishers (skinner)

1. primary: unconditioned (inherently unpleasant and aversive/falling down)

2. secondary: conditioned (criticism, ignoring)

response cost (skinner)

penalty of some kind

time out punishment (skinner)

removal of pleasant stimuli for period of time

two downsides of punishment (skinner)

1. rise to emotional responses incompatible with behavior

2. create strong conflict if inconsistent results

shaping (skinner)

teaching new behavior with reinforcements until goal achieved

successive approximations (skinner)

behaviors increasingly similar to final goal

schedules of reinforcement (skinner)

• continuous reinforcement

• intermittent reinforcement

  • self-control process

continuous reinforcement (skinner)

consistently followed by reinforcer

intermittent reinforcement (skinner)

occasionally or intermittently followed by reinforcement

self-control process (skinner)

individual’s actions to alter conditions that influence behavior

skinner’s beliefs about personality development

personality changes over time bc of unique environments

same set of principles account for all behaviors

focus on environmental determinants vs. internal

assessment techniques (skinner)

focus on environmental factors (controlling influences) to assess behavior

discover cause-effect relationship btwn events

implications for therapy: behavior modification (skinner)

attempts to change behavior through application of learning principles from reinforcement & punishment

watson & baby albert (skinner)

UNETHICAL make albert fear animals SO UNETHICAL

mind & feelings & skinner

denied mind & feelings playing part in behavior

radical behaviorism (skinner)

doesn’t allow for cognitive processes

fault behavior ONLY BC of environment

contributions of behaviorism (skinner)

treats phobias, EDs, OCD, PTSD, self-management in therapy, evidence-based

criticism of behaviorism (skinner)

control + manipulation

symptoms > causes

lack of client insight

bandura’s theory

social-cognitive theory

bandura’s beliefs of behavior

behavior is result of inner processes AND environmental influences

bandura’s emphasis for behavior

cognitive determinants of behavior as cause of behavior

social learning theory (bandura)

behaviorist & cognitive theories

stages of social learning

triadic reciprocal determinism theory

cognitive, behavioral, AND environmental influences (as a connected triangle)

anticipated outcomes (bandura)

what is anticipated of behaviors

expectation of certain behaviors to have desirable effects, certain to have unwanted effects, and others to be insignificant

bandura vs. skinner

disagreed that reinforcement/punishment fully account for behavior and learning

social element of learning (bandura)

observational learning & modeling

observational learning (bandura)

responses made as result of watching others’ performances

modeling

processes of observational learning

learning through observation, avoids trial & error

factors in modeling

1. personality

2. prior experience

3. model characteristics

4. reward/punishment associated with model

vicarious reinforcement (bandura)

willingness of imitation of model’s behavior after observing reinforcement

four steps of social learning theory

ATTENTION, retention, reproduction, motivation

punishment (bandura)

does not prevent immoral/illegal behavior acquisition & may surface given appropriate circumstances

media & bandura

media is harmful

parental control needed

watch out for modeling of aggression

bobo doll experiment

children reflect adult behaviors, learn through observation

theory of self-efficacy (bandura)

center of social-cognitive theory

self-efficacy (bandura)

one’s belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations and tasks

efficacy expectations (bandura)

beliefs or convictions of individual’s ability to produce certain behaviors (NOT actual skills)

competent functioning (bandura)

requires skills and judgements of self-efficacy

1. mastery experiences (success in new challenges) - (bandura)

factors of efficacy experiences

2. vicarious experiences (learned from models) - (bandura)

factors of efficacy experiences

3. verbal persuasion (role model speaks of capability) - (bandura)

factors of efficacy experiences

4. emotional + physiological states (health & well-being) - (bandura)

factors of efficacy experiences

2 major life areas affected by self-efficacy (bandura)

1. career choice & job performance

2. physical & mental health

personality development (bandura)

social-cognitive experiences modify behavior through development

assessment techniques (bandura)

experimental manipulations of events influencing cognitive functioning and responses

implications for therapy (bandura)

modeling (reduces fears, works on autistic children, self-modeling)

self modeling (bandura)

watching self perform behavior and showing same behavior later on

ainsworth’s theory & assessment

strange situation assessment

attachment theory

strange situation experiment (ainsworth)

asses child’s attachment during separation and after reunion

bowlby’s attachment theory

originally proposed theory

belief that early child experiences play essential role in personality & behavior development

attachment (ainsworth-bowlby)

affectional tie infants form towards caregiver

proximity-seeking behavior of attachment (ainsworth-bowlby)

child seeking contact and maintaining proximity with attachment figure

affectional tie is caused by what? (bowlby)

bowlby: nourishment did not diminish separation anxiety

what influences attachment? (bowlby)

environmental factors, evolutionary factors, emotional connection, seeking care AND comfort

attachment behaviors (ainsworth-bowlby)

proximity-seeking & signaling behavior

ainsworth — method

Strange Situation (ainsworth)

8 episodes — mother leaving, stranger interacting, mother returning; two separations & two reunions

5-types of behavior (ainsworth)

• proximity-seeking behaviors

• proximity-avoiding behaviors

• contact maintaining

• contact-resisting

main styles of attachment (ainsworth)

secure attachment

anxious/ambivalent attachment

avoidant attachment

fearful/avoidant (disorganized) attachment

secure attachment (ainsworth)

upset when caregiver left

happy when caregiver returns

seeks comfort

parent > stranger

ambivalent attachment (ainsworth)

suspicious of strangers

distress when separated

not comforted by return

avoidant attachment (ainsworth)

avoid caregiver

no preference btwn parent or stranger

disorganized attachment

lack of clear attachment behavior

mixed behaviors

confused/apprehensive about caregiver

factors contributing to attachment (ainsworth-bowlby)

consistency of care, responsiveness of parents, presence/absence of neglect/abuse

influence to adult attachments (ainsworth-bowlby)

secure attachment = secure romantic attachment (lasting)

insecure attachment = insecure romantic attachment (temporary)

5 areas of research

1. biological

2. multicultural

3. big 5 traits

4. positive psych

5. personality differences + media analysis

behavioral genetics (area 1: biological contributions)

study of genes and environment in behavioral expresssion

quantitative genetics (area 1: biological contributions)

assessment of contributions of genes + environment to individual traits

temperament

biological individual differences influencing unique behavioral styles of children + their reactions

molecular genetics (area 1: biological contributions)

molecular study of DNA variations that cuase physiological differences in personality/behavior

the evolutionary theory (area 1: biological contributions)

development of behavioral tendencies through evolutionary history