Learning and Cognitive Perspectives chap 13

Learning Perspective

The theoretical viewpoint that focuses on how behavior changes as a result of experience and learning. behaviorist/social learning theory’s.
Personality isn’t traits, unconscious conflicts, or anything that cannot be directly observed.

John B watson

An influential psychologist known for his work on behaviorism and the effects of learning.

Behaviorism

A theoretical view of personality that emphasizes observable behaviors and how they are influenced by rewards and punishments in the environment.

Classical Conditioning

A type of learning where a neutral stimulus becomes associated with a meaningful stimulus to elicit a specific response. Requires a reflex - An existing connection between a stimulus and a response, such that the first causes the second.

Habituation

The decrease in response to a repeated stimulus over time. The simplest kind of learning. Involves Desensitization.

Generalization

Responding in a similar way to stimuli that are somewhat different.

Discrimination

Responding differently to different stimuli.

Extinction

The reduction of a conditioned response by repeatedly presenting the conditioned stimulus without the unconditioned stimulus.

Social Learning Theory

The perspective that emphasizes learning through modeling, imitation, and social interactions. Rotter/Bandura

Observational Learning

Learning by observing others and modeling their behavior. Requires attention, retention, production and performance.

Memory

The cognitive process of encoding, storing, and retrieving information.

Priming

Activating specific elements in memory to make associated concepts more accessible. Subliminal (below consciousness) & Supraliminal (above consciousness).

Connectionism

An approach to understanding cognition based on interconnected neural pathways for information processing. Activation is excitatory (+)or inhibitory (-)

Dual-Process Models

Models that propose two different modes of cognition - one effortful and one automatic, with behavior influenced by both rational and experiential systems.

Cognitive-experiential self-theory

A theory by Epstein that includes the rational system and the experiential system, suggesting behavior is influenced by both but can vary in engagement levels.

excitatory activation.

can enhance the accessibility of certain concepts or memories, making them more likely to be brought into consciousness.

inhibitory activation

can suppress the activation of certain nodes, making associated concepts less accessible

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

Operant conditioning

skinner : A learning process where behavior is strengthened or weakened by consequences like rewards or punishments, shaping future actions.
Negative/positive as subtraction/addition, not bad/good.

Positive reinforcement/punishment

Adding something to increase behavior/decrease behavior

Negative reinforcement/punishment

Taking something away to increase behavior/decrease behavior

continious reinforcment

a type of operant conditioning where a behavior is reinforced every time it occurs, leading to rapid learning and high response rates.

partial reinforcment

conditioning method where a response is only reinforced part of the time. It's more resistant to extinction than continuous reinforcement.

Shortcomings of Classic Behaviorism

•It ignores motivation, thought, and cognition •It is based on research using animals, ignoring aspects that may be more important for humans •It ignores the social dimension of learning •It treats the organism as passive

Rotters Model of social learning

Theory proposing that behavior is influenced by reinforcement and expectations of outcomes. Involves internal and external locus of control. Primarily concerns decision making and the role of expectations.

Expectancy value theory:

Behavioral decisions are determined not just by the presence or size of reinforcements, but also by beliefs about the likely results of behavior

Specific expectancies:

The belief that a certain behavior 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

Internal locus of control:

those with high generalized expectancies and thus tend to think that what they do affects what happens to them

External locus of control

Those with low generalized expectancies and tend to think that what they do will not make much difference

Bandura’s Model of Social Learning

Theory proposing that individuals learn by observing others' behaviors and the consequences of those actions. People learn by their environments. Believed efficacy expectations should be key target for therapeutic interventions and that increases in self-efficacy can increase motivation and performance.

efficacy expectations

refer to an individual's belief in their ability to successfully execute a specific task or behavior

The Cognitive Perspective of Personality

two assumptions • We integrate and organize bits of information • Life involves elaborate decisions that may be conscious or unconscious • Includes concepts such as memory, decision making, and mental representations

Semantic memory

Memory organized according to meaning

Episodic memory

Memory organized according to sequences of event

Script

A memory structure used to represent a highly stereotyped category of even

Mischel's theory of personality

emphasizes the importance of five cognitive-social learning person variables: competencies, encoding strategies and personal constructs, expectancies, subjective values, and self-regulatory systems and plans. Involved in understanding how individuals perceive and interact with their environment, shaping their behavior and personality traits. Laid the foundation for the Cognitive-Affective Processing System (CAPS)

Cognitive-Affective Processing System (CAPS)

theoretical framework that conceptualizes personality as a complex system comprising interconnected cognitive processes and emotional tendencies.Emotion plays an important role in cognition.

• Personality schemas are structured as "if... then..." contingencies.

• Hedges are cognitive mechanisms used in uncertain situations.

• used for understanding both self and others.

• Individual differences in personality arise from variations in schema accessibility and if... then... contingencies.

• Behavior signature reflects the unique profile of if... then... relations in an individual.

• Understanding how individuals construe situations is essential for predicting their behavior.