Social Cognitive and Social Learning Theories of Personality Development

social learning theory

Bandura, Rotter

personality / behavior shaped through observation, modeling, and imitation (not only through direct experience)

social cognitive theory

Bandura, Mischel

personality is shaped by the interaction between personal factors, behaviors, and environment

people actively influence their environment, not just respond to it

Bandura

impact of vicarious learning and modeling

importance of enactive learning

self-efficacy

vicarious learning

SLT

Humans can learn by observing others

Reinforcement is not a necessary condition to learning

More efficient than direct experience

processes governing observational learning

attentional

retention / representational

production

motivational

attentional

proximity / availability

attractiveness of model being observed

retention / representational

symbolic representation in one’s memory

production

reproduce and rehearse modeled behavior

motivational

level determines behavior acquisition

sometimes involves reinforcement, but reinforcement can be internal

modeling

SLT

cognitive processes that represent, store, and eventually allow for the use of observed information

likelihood of imitation depend on characteristics of the model

successful models

characteristics of the observer

value of the behavior being observed (more valuable, more likely to be acquired)

successful models

high status

competent

powerful / prestigious

similar to the observer

behavior is visible and relevant to the observer

characteristics of the observer

lower status

less skill

less power

enactive learning

SCT

learn by doing

action→ observe consequences of behavior→ alter (or maintain) behavior based on punishing (or reinforcing) consequences

self-efficacy

SCT

people’s beliefs in their capability to exercise some measure of control over their own functioning and over environmental events

a person’s judgement about his or her own ability to perform a behavior and achieve certain goals

impacts on self-efficacy

mastery experiences

social modeling

social persuasion

emotional / physical feedback

mastery experiences

difficulty of the task

failure after mastery less likely to erode self-efficacy

social modeling

success or failure of a peer

not as impactful as personal achievement in a task

social persuasion

“coaching”

belief in the persuader

most impactful when combined with successful performance / mastery

emotional / physical feedback

psychotherapeutic techniques to lower arousal to strengthen efficacy

meditation, mindfulness; Yerkes-Dodson Law

predictive variables of self-efficacy

people’s beliefs in their personal efficacy influence what course of action they choose to pursue, how much effort they will invest in activities, how long they will persevere in the face of obstacles and failure experiences, and their resilience following setbacks

most success

high efficacy, high responsiveness

depression

low efficacy, high responsiveness

change course

high efficacy, low responsiveness

apathy, helplessness

low efficacy, low responsiveness

reciprocal determinism

SCT

there is a reciprocal relationship between a person’s:

• environment

• overt behaviors

• person factors (e.g., cognitive, affective, self-efficacy)

our behavior determines our environment and our personal characteristics

our personal characteristics determine our behavior and our environment

our environment determines our behavior and personal characteristics

dysfunctional behavior

Bandura

reciprocal determinism (interaction of person, environment, and behavioral factors)

depression

aggression

bullying

depression

goals set too high

misjudge self and/or performance

exaggerate past mistakes and minimize accomplishments

bullying

moral disengagement of bully (dehumanizing of victim)

bystander effect

bystander effect

low self-efficacy of bystanders

self-regulation

goal of social cognitive therapy

therapeutic principles based on Bandura’s work

fear hierarchy

systematic desensitization

exposure

cognitive mediation (to increase self-efficacy)

Rotter

influenced by Adler and Freud

mentor to graduate student, Walter Mischel

Rotter’s social learning theory

human personality is learned

we learn from past experiences, but as we develop, our understanding of those experiences change

our reaction to our environment depends on the meaning we attach to an event

“need”

need

according to Rotter:

any behavior or set of behaviors that people see as propelling them toward a goal

not states of deprivation, but indicate directions of behavior

6 categories of ___ on which our behavior is predicated

6 categories of need

recognition-status

dominance

independence

protection-dependency

love and affection

physical comfort

Rotter’s prediction of behavior

behavior potential (BP)

expectancy (E)

reinforcement value (RV)

psychological situation

BP=f(E+RV)

behavior potential

possibility a behavior (response) will occur

expectancy

person’s expectation that a specific reinforcement (or set of reinforcements) will occur in a given situation

• based on history

• unrealistic thinking

• lack of information

reinforcement value

the value a person places on a reinforcement (reinforcements increase in value as the need they satisfy becomes stronger)

psychological situation

interaction of the environment and the person’s internal world

internal and external locus of control

reinforcement works because people see that their behavior and the occurrence of the reinforcer are linked

internal-external control scale

internal-external control scale

measures the degree to which people see a casual relationship between their efforts and environmental consequences

• internal→ personal control

• external→ chance, destiny, luck, behavior of other people

internal locus of control

I make things happen

I control my life

I explain personal outcomes as a result of hard work and skill

external locus of control

Things happen to me

My life is controlled by forces outside of me

I explain personal outcomes as a result of luck, change, God, other people, or the situation

fundamental attribution error

disposition vs. situation (Ross)

maladaptive behavior Rotter

unrealistically high goals (people pleasing)

low expectancies of success

past experiences and generalization (stupid)

inappropriate behaviors to meet goals (maladaptive)

inadequate skills to reach goals

therapy for maladaptive behavior

change patient’s orientation toward their goals

• set unrealistic goals

• understand limitations of current skills

• eliminate low expectancies of success

• therapist should be warm and accepting to encourage change and act as a reinforcing agent for behavior change

Mischel

person-situation interaction

objected to the idea of global traits that persist throughout situations

personality is consistently inconsistent

self-regulation and marshmallows

person-situation interaction

behavior is a function of situation

traits are weak predictors of behavior

marshmallow test

correlation with SAT scores, educational achievement, self-concept

delaying gratification and self-control can be strengthened with practice

redirection as a good strategy for delaying gratification