The psychology of personality and learning

Personality: Nature v. nurture, Freud, birth order, parenting styles; Learning: Classical and operant conditioning and observational learning

nature assumption + example

• genetics determine behavior, personality traits, abilities

• parents’ disciplinary actions don’t matter

• genes + peers > parents in child development

• if the parents were switched around (but environment the same), children would still develop into the same types of adults

• ex. if parent has BPD you probably also have it + brain development is universal

nurture assumption + example

• environment/upbringing/life experiences determine behavior

• we need to be “nurtured” into acting a certain way

• if you take a dozen healthy babies you can guarantee that you can bring them up to be whatever profession regardless of their genetic talents/advantages

• ex. if parent was neglectful, child will be mistrusting of others + culture

which plays a bigger role? nature or nurture? why?

• nature

• twins raised apart are as alike in personality as twins raised together (genetics are the same but environments are different)

• birth order and age gap also has an impact, which is an argument in favor of nature

• universal human behaviors regardless of culture: fearing strangers, preferring those similar to us, social cues/facial expressions, organizing hierarchies…

freud’s definition of the unconscious

• a “well” that keeps unaccaptable thoughts/wishes/feelings/memories hidden away so deep that we are unaware of them

• nothing is ever accidental; “accidental” things are our unconscious slipping out into our speech/actions

what is the free association exercise and why does it work

• show word/picture to patient and they reply with the 1st thing that comes to mind w/o thinking

• purpose: find hidden thoughts and release them

• it works because the pressure of going fast unlocks the unconscious by taking away the time needed for the conscious to take over

why do psychologists use an iceberg to explain freud’s theory of how the mind works?

• icebergs hide most of their mass beneath the surface

• kinda like the mind being beneath the conscious and controlled by the unconscious

id

• devil on shoulder

• stores unconscious energy

• strives to satisfy our basic instincts to survive/reproduce/act aggressively

• operates on the pleasure principle → seeking immediate gratification

  • ex. babies crying/drug abusers to get satisfaction NOW

ego

• referee between the id and superego

• conscious mind

• tries to satisfy id’s impulses in realistic ways → reality principle

  • ex. id wants to eat all the cookies, superego wants to eat 0 cookies and have a salad, ego says to just have 2 cookies to eat in moderation

superego

• angel on shoulder

• voice of moral compass (aka conscience)

• focuses on how you should behave

• judges actions: creates (+) feelings of pride, (-) feelings of guilt

freudian slip

• slip of the tongue

• ex. i collected three orgasms—i mean organisms

dreams (according to freud)

considered the “royal road to the unconscious”

things that reveal unconscious desires

• free association

• freudian slip

• dreams

freudian psychosexual stages concept

• believed that personality forms during life’s few years

• in each stage, the ID’s pleasure-seeking energies focus on an erogenous zone

• a conflict at a certain stage will lead to conflict later in life

• ex. if a child is orally deprived (weaned too early), they will become stalled at this stage and fixate on it, causing them to smoke/overeat as an adult

list of freudian psychosexual stages

• oral

• anal

• phallic

• latency

• genital

oral

• age: 0 to 18 months

• erogenous zone: mouth

• erogenous activities: sucking, biting, chewing

anal

• age: 18 to 36 months

• erogenous zone: anus

• erogenous activities: bowel and bladder control

phallic

• age: 3 to 6 years

• erogenous zone: genitals

• erogenous activities: masturbation

latency

• age: 6 years to puberty

• erogenous zone: N/A

• erogenous activities: repression of sexual feelings

genital

• age: puberty+

• erogenous zone/activities: maturation of sexual orientation

freud’s controversial theories

• oedipus complex

• electra complex

oedipus complex

• takes place in the phallic stage

• boys develop:

  • sexual desires for their mother

  • jealousy/hatred for their father

• learn to cope with feelings by repressing them and try to become like father

electra complex

• penis envy: girls feel inferior to boys because they don’t have a penis

• tend to blame their mother and attach to father

only child

• family situation

  • birth is a miracle

  • parents have no previous exp.

  • recieves 200% attention from both parents

  • can become a rival of one parent

  • overprotected/spoiled

• child’s characteristics:

  • likes being the center of adult attention

  • difficulty sharing with peers

  • prefers adult company, uses adult language

oldest child

• family situation

  • dethroned by next child

  • has to learn to share

  • parent expectations usually very high

  • often given responsiblity/has to set an example

• child’s characteristics:

  • may become authoritarian or strict

  • feels power is in their right

  • can become helpful if encouraged

  • may turn to father after birth of second child

second child

• family situation

  • has a pacemaker

  • there’s always someone ahead

• child’s characteristics:

  • more competetive

  • wants to overtake the oldest child

  • can become a rebel/try to outdo everyone

  • competition can deteriorate into rivalry

middle child

• family situation

  • is “sandwiched” in

  • may feel squeezed out of position of priviledge and significance

• child’s characteristics:

  • may be even-tempered

  • “take it or leave it attitude”

  • may have trouble finding a place or become a fighter of injustice

youngest child

• family situation

  • has many mothers and fathers

  • older children try to educate them

  • never dethroned

• child’s characteristics:

  • wants to be bigger than the others

  • may have huge plans that never work out

  • can stay the “baby”

  • frequently spoiled

twin child

• family situation

  • one is usually stronger/more active

  • parents may see one as “older”

• child’s characteristics:

  • can have identity issues

  • stronger one may become the leader of the two

parenting styles

• authoritarian

• authoritative

• permissive/indulgent

• neglectful

authoritarian

• parental behavior

  • impose rules/expect obedience. orders are NOT to be questioned

  • communication is one-way, from parent → child

  • ex. “because i said so,” “as long as you live under my roof, you follow my rules”

• common outcome in children

  • less social skills/self-esteem

  • higher anxiety regarding social comparisons

  • show less intiative and have lower communication skills than authoritative kids

authoritative

• the best parenting style

• parental behavior

  • both demanding and responsive

  • exert control by setting rules and enforcing them, but also by explaining the reasons/encouraging dialogue

  • communication is two-way between parent and child

• common outcome in children

  • children with the highest self-esteem/self-reliance/social competence usually have authoritative parents

permissive/indulgent

• parental behavior

  • highly involved but submits to children’s desires

  • makes very few demands

  • uses little punishment

• common outcome in children

  • children tend to be more aggressive/immature

  • struggle with understanding boundaries

  • show less initiative and have lower communication skills

neglectful

• the worst parenting style

• parental behavior

  • little involvement in child’s life

  • unaware of what the child is doing/how the child feels/thinks

  • communication is rare to non-existent

• common outcome in children

  • same outcomes as authoritarian AND permissive

inferiority complex

• all children experience it but some don’t get over it

• insecurity, low self-esteem

• inability to reach goals

• gives up easily

• experieces depression and anxiety

• ex. baiting you to validate them

superiority complex

• the need to prove superiority to others

• impatient

• always the “best” or trying to “one-up”

• can be born out of inferiority complexes until they find something they can succeed at

• ex. AP kids

learning

• a permanent change in behavior/knowledge that occurs as a result of an experience

• NOT a change due to growth/maturing

examples of learned behaviors

sharing, social norms, walking/driving certain side of the road

3 major types of behavioral learning

• classical conditioning

• operant conditioning

• observational conditioning

classical conditioning

when an originally neutral stimulus (one that doesn’t elicit a specific reflex) produces a conditioned response because of its association with an unconditioned stimulus

stimulus

• anything that can trigger/stimulate a physical/behavioral change

• anything in the environment that one can respond to

• an object/event that elicits a sensory/behavioral response

types of stimuli

• unconditioned stimulus (UCS)

• conditioned stimulus (CS)

unconditioned stimulus (UCS)

• a stimulus that triggers a response automatically

• ex. the smell of food eliciting hunger

conditioned stimulus (CS)

• neutral stimulus + learning → creating a conditioned response

• ex. you always smell food in the kitchen, so whenever you enter the kitchen you get hungry even without the scent of food

unconditioned stimulus (UCS) _______ an unconditioned response (UCR)

• PRODUCES

• this means that UCRs are reflexive and not learned

• ex. someone blows in your eye → you blink

• ex. you hear a loud sound → you jump

• ex. you smell Auntie Anne’s pretzels → you crave a pretzel

• ex. a feather tickles your nose → you sneeze/itch your nose

• ex. cutting an onion → your eyes get wtaery

• ex. stub your toe → you wince, cuss, limp in pain

types of responses

• unconditioned response (UCR or UR)

• conditioned response (CR)

unconditioned response (UCR or UR)

• the response to the unconditioned stimulus (UCS)

• the relationship between the UCS and UCR is reflexive and not learned

conditioned response (CR)

• the response to the previously neutral conditioned stimulus (CS)

• will generally be the same as the unconditioned response (UCR)

applying classical conditioning to the office

• UCS = offering the mint

• UCR = accepting the mint

• CS = sound of reboot

• CR = accepting the mint

applying classical conditioning to pavlov’s dogs

role of timing in classical conditioning

conditioned stimulus needs to be given 0.5 seconds BEFORE the unconditioned stimulus so an association can be formed

applying classical conditioning to the scenario: every time you take a shower, someone flushes the toilet which makes the water turn cold, making you turn cold. now every time you hear a toilet flush, you get cold

UCS = cold water

UCR = you feel cold

CS = sound of toilet flushing

CR = you feel cold

applying classical conditioning to the scenario: it is springtime and the pollen from the flowers causes you to sneeze. now, every spring your nose starts itching at the sight of blooming flowers

UCS = pollen

UCR = sneeze

CS = blooming flowers

CR = nose itches/sneeze

acquisition

• a sign of successful classical conditioning

• when CS triggers the CR without the UCS

• happens once the previously neutral stimulus begins triggering the conditioned response

extinction

the diminishing of a conditioned response (CR)

spontaneous recovery

• the reappearance of an extinguished conditioned response (CR) after a pause in conditioning

• ex. military veterans ducking under table at a loud sound

generalization

• the tendency for stimilar stimuli to the conditioned stimulus (CS) to elicit a similar response to the conditioned response (CR)

• ex. when little albert began thinking all furry things were scary instead of just mice ☹

discrimination

• the learned ability to distinguish between a conditioned stimulus (CS) and similar stimuli

operant conditioning

• associative learning process

• consequences change voluntary behavior

• (+) and (-) reinforcements and punishments

difference between classical and operant conditioning

• classical changes involuntary behavior

• operant changes voluntary behavior

reinforcements ________ the likelihood of repeating the behavior

increase

punishments ________ the likelihood of repeating the behavior

decrease

explain the design and results of thorndike’s experiment

• design

  • made puzzle box and put cats in it

  • only escape was to turn the lever

  • when the cat escapes, they’re rewarded with food

• results

  • trial and error: the 1st escape was totally random

  • 2nd+ escapes are deliberate

  • the cats progressively escape faster and faster bc they expect food

  • proved that positive reinforcements encourage the behvaior

    • consequences → learning

law of effect

actions followed by favorable consequences are more likely to be repeated than actions followed by unfavorable consequences

positive consequence

something is being added

negative consequence

something is being taken away

examples of positive reinforcement

• you get a gas giftcard for safe driving

• you get a gold star for raising your hand

• you get a hug from your mom for washing the dishes

examples of negative reinforcement

• buzzing until a seatbelt is put on

• your mom nags you until you clean your room

• no homework as a reward for good behavior

examples of positive punishment

• you get a speeding ticket for speeding

• you get extra chores for misbehaving

• you get detention for tardiness

examples of negative punishment

• you get your license revoked for unsafe driving

• you lose your recess time for misbehaving

• removing attention

all consequences shape ________

behavior

observational learning

• learning by observing others/imitating their behavior

• ex. babies won’t be afraid of snakes until they see their mom being scared of it

stages of observational learning

• attention

• retention

• production

• motivation

• reinforcement

attention

the learner focuses on the model’s behavior

retention

• the learner retains the model’s behavior in their memory

• verbal description/vivid images helps with that

production

• the learner is capable of performing the behavior

• limits in fine motor skills can impact this

motivation

• the learner is in a situation where the behavior is useful to them

reinforcement

• needed to repeat the behavior

role of positive role models

important to make sure learners are copying good behaviors

bandura’s bobo doll experiment

• set up

  • question: can social behaviors like agression be acquired from observation/imitating

  • set up: 36 boys and 36 girls ages 3–6 years old split into three groups

  • modeling: one group watched an adult act aggressively toward the bobo doll, one group watched an adult quietly play with other toys, one group didn’t watch anything

  • aggression arousal: the researchers let the children play with toys only to take them away (purposely getting them mad)

  • observation: the researchers would then see how the children would react to the frustration

• results

  • children who were in the aggressive group were more likely to take out their anger on the bobo doll (especially boys)

  • children who were in the quiet group were more likely to take out their anger on quiet activities