Study Notes on Social Behavioral Approach and Classical Conditioning

Introduction to the Social Behavioral Approach to Personality

  • The social behavioral approach is often abbreviated as the behavioral approach.

  • The primary focus is on behavior, encapsulating both behavioral and social psychology.

  • This approach emphasizes that much of personality is learned rather than inherited.

Key Concepts in Behavioral Psychology

  • Learning Mechanisms: Significant mechanisms through which personality is shaped include:

    • Classical Conditioning

    • Operant Conditioning

    • Observational Learning

  • Approximately 50% of personality traits are attributed to hereditary factors, while the other 50% arises from learned behaviors.

Classical Conditioning

  • Definition: Classical conditioning is defined as learning by trigger association.

    • Important to note that the term "trigger" should be included to distinguish it from operant conditioning.

  • Originator of Classical Conditioning:

    • Ivan Pavlov: Recognized for studying the association between stimuli, although J.B. Watson did similar work earlier.

    • Initial Experiment with Dogs: Pavlov conditioned dogs to salivate at the sound of a bell by consistently pairing the bell with the presentation of food.

    • Unconditioned Stimulus (US): The food, which naturally causes a salivary response.

    • Unconditioned Response (UR): Salivation triggered by the food.

    • Conditioned Stimulus (CS): The bell, which initially does not cause salivation but becomes associated with the food.

    • Conditioned Response (CR): Salivation triggered by the bell after conditioning has occurred.

Terminology Review

  • Important terminological distinctions in classical conditioning:

    • Unconditioned Stimulus (US): Naturally evokes a response without prior learning.

    • Unconditioned Response (UR): The natural response to the unconditioned stimulus.

    • Conditioned Stimulus (CS): Initially neutral stimulus that, after association with the unconditioned stimulus, starts to evoke a conditioned response.

    • Conditioned Response (CR): The learned response to the conditioned stimulus.

Example of Classical Conditioning

  • Example: Owen knocks Terry on the head, resulting in a learned response:

    • Unconditioned Stimulus: Knock on the head

    • Unconditioned Response: Crying due to the knock

    • Conditioned Stimulus: Sight of Owen approaching

    • Conditioned Response: Ducking in anticipation of being hit.

Extensions of Classical Conditioning

  • Stimulus Generalization: Tendency to respond to stimuli similar to the conditioned stimulus (e.g., dogs responding to other bells).

  • Stimulus Discrimination: Ability to differentiate between stimuli and respond only to the conditioned stimulus (e.g., dogs only responding to Pavlov's bell).

Applications to Personality

  • Classical conditioning plays a role in shaping attitudes and preferences:

    • Attitudes: Preferences and feelings can be formed through learned experiences.

    • Phobias: Many phobias can develop through classical conditioning—for instance, a child who learns to fear spiders when their parent reacts fearfully to them.

    • Philias: Sexual attractions can also be developed through classical conditioning (an example is a positive association made with a beach ball during a childhood experience).

Example of Attitudes Formed through Conditioning

  • Phyllis's Experience: A case of a girl affected by a negative experience associated with Girl Scouts due to a mean neighbor (Sherry).

    • Resulted in a lasting negative attitude towards Girl Scouts, even when unrelated to Sherry.

Conclusion

  • The session concludes with an invitation to view a video, illustrating classical conditioning concepts, reinforcing the learning material discussed in class.

  • Discussion emphasizes the everyday implications of classical conditioning in shaping personality through learned associations.