UTS FINALS

Chapter 12 - LEARNING TO BE A BETTER STUDENT 


What is learning?

  •  Behaviorists define learning as a relatively permanent change in behavior as a result of practice or experience

  • Is the acquisition of knowledge skills and attitudes through experience

  • Start at birth and continues throughout


What happens in the brain during learning?

  • Development and learning are powerful agents of change which induce structural and functionality in the neural systems of the brain

  • What is the process of neuroplasticity?

    • Ability of the brain to change throughout one’s life

    • Where does it occur: cerebral cortex

    • Two ways: 

      • Increase in the number of synapses between neurons

      • Change in the function and structure of the Neurons

  • The basic building block of the nervous system: Neurons

  • Acetylcholine, glutamate, dopamine, and norepinephrine are associated with memory and learning

  • The overall number of neurons and synapses declines with age

  • Doctor Michael Merzenich

    • Learning new knowledge and skills every day keeps the structures of the brain in constant change which increases its ability to learn


What is Metacognition and self-regulated learning?

  • Metacognition is the awareness of one’s thinking and the strategies one uses to learn

  • Psychologist John Flavell

    • Identifies two components of Metacognition

      • Metacognitive knowledge

  • Knowledge of the cognitive tasks and knowledge of the strategies to complete the cognitive task

  • Metacognitive regulation

  • How an individual monitors and controls his or her cognitive processes

  • Self-regulated Learning (SRL)

  • Zimmerman The process in which students systematically direct themselves toward the attainment of their academic goals

  • Self-directed process where students transform their mental abilities  into academic skills

  • Cyclical process

  • Three Essentials Components

    • Planning

    • Problem-Solving

    • Self-evaluation

How to develop metacognitive and self-regulated learning behaviors?

  • Develop short-term and long-term academic goals

  • Make a self-help plan

  • Monitor academic performance

  • Reflection

Chapter 13: Setting Goals for Success

Who said this statement? 

  • Abraham Maslow

  • “If you plan on being anything less than you are capable of being you will probably be unhappy all the days of your life”

What do goals mean?

  • Is the object towards which behavior is directed usually within a specified period

  • Locke and Latham goals direct attention, effort and action

  • Two Categories:

    • Short-term goals

      • Day, week or year

    • Long-term goals

      • Over a year or more


Factors that may Influence Goals

  • Values give direction to behavior

  • Needs also activate and direct behavior

  • What is the drive-reduction theory?

    • Humans are motivated to satisfy their needs to maintain homeostasis

  • What are the Two Classifications of Needs?

    • Physiological Needs

      • Innate needs of the body such as food and water

    • Psychological Needs

      • Arise from a relationship with other people such as affiliation achievement


What is Abraham Maslow’s Theory?

The theory of the hierarchy of needs

  • How needs motivate behavior

  • The biological or physiological needs are at the bottom

  • The need for self-actualization is at the top

The Motivational Impact of Self-Efficacy and Mindset

  • The motivational impact of goals may be affected by moderators such as

    • Self-efficacy 

    • Mindset

  • How does Psychologist Albert Bandura define self-efficacy?

    • Self-efficacy is a person’s belief that she can successfully perform behaviors that will produce the desired effects

    • Self-efficacy plays a central role in people’s thoughts and motivations

    • Bandura claims Efficacy beliefs influence academic Performance

  • What are the two categories of mindset according to Psychologist Carol Dweck

The two categories are:

  • Fixed Mindset

    • The belief that intelligence or talents are fixed traits and they worry about making mistakes

  • Growth Mindset

    • Mistakes and effort are critical for learning

  • Mindset is related to self-confidence and motivation


What is Goal Setting?

  • Goal setting is the process of improving the work performance of individuals

  • Goals should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Relevant, Time-bound (SMART)

  • Locke and Latham suggest that the most effective performance results are attained when goals are specific and challenging


Chapter 14: Taking Charge if One’s Health


What is stress?

  • Stress refers to the events that are perceived as challenging, damaging or threatening to one’s physical or psychological well-being



What are stressors?

  • Stressors are the events itself that are perceived as challenging

  • Two types of stressors:

    • Eustress

      • Occurs when people experience positive events that require them to adjust

    • Distress

      • Occurs when people experience negative events that make a great deal of demands on them

  • Examples or Factors of Stressors and Responses

    • Major life events

    • Catastrophes such as typhoons

    • Everyday hassles such as traffic, disagreements

    • Frustration

    • Conflict (Four types)

      • Approach-approach Conflict

        • When a person needs to choose between two attractive options

      • Avoidance-avoidance Conflict

        • When a person needs to choose between options that are both unpleasant

      • Approach-avoidance Conflict

        • When a person needs to choose between options that have both positive and negative consequences

      • Multiple Conflict

        • When there are two or more options

        • It is likely to occur during examination season


What is stress response?

  • The manner or way people response to stressors


What are defense mechanisms?

  • Defense mechanisms are unconscious strategies or ways to deal with frustrations, conflict and stress to cope with the pain and deal with anxiety


What are examples of defense mechanisms?

  • Beatnik Reaction

    • A person exhibits behaviors that stand apart from the standards of society and avoids most responsibilities of a good citizen

    • Includes: Smoking, drug use, early sex and dropping out

  • Displacement

    • Destroying things or harming other people;e

  • Compensation

    • A person makes up for or covers up his or her weak areas by being superior in other areas

  • Denial

    • When a person refuses to accept a painful reality

  • Identification

    • Imitating the characteristics of a person he or she admires toe deal with insecurities

  • Intellectualization

    • Avoiding negative emotions by focusing on the intellectual aspect of one’s life

  • Projection, 

    • Attributing one’s own weakness or shortcomings to someone else

  • Rationalization

    • Making up plausible explanations to cover up negative feeling such as guilt

  • Reaction formation

    • Acting opposite to what a person truly feels

  • Regression, 

    • A person reverts to an earlier psychosexual stage and begins to behave like a child

  • Repression

    • Is pushing unacceptable impulses or urges into the unconscious


Physiological and Cognitive Factors of Stress

  • What is the General Adaptation Syndrome

    • Effects of stress are manifested in this mode

    • Developed by Psychologist Hans Selye

    • The body goes three stages of physiological reactions during stressful events

      • Alarm

        • Initial reaction is where the sympathetic nervous system releases hormones such as cortisol, epinephrine, and norepinephrine

      • Resistance

        • The body adapts to the stress but continues to release hormones

      • Exhaustion

        • If stress continues fatigue will occur

        • If stress is not properly dealt with the person will experience exhaustion and may experience psychosomatic illnesses (flu allergies, headache


Cognitive view of stress

  • By Cognitive Psychologist Richard Lazarus

  • The way people think about and appraise a stressor is a major factor in how stressful that particular stressor becomes

  • Two-step process in appraising the degree of threat:

    • Primary Appraisal

      • The individual appraises the severity of the stressor

      • Classifies the stressor as a: threat, challenge, harm or loss

    • Secondary Appraisal

      • If challenged, the stressor may be less stressful

      • If threat, negative emotions may ensue


Stress and the Filipino: Socioeconomic and Cultural Factors of Stess

  • Poverty or receiving lower compensation means higher stress levels

  • Work overload, long hours, and poor physical work environment

  • Housing conditions, traffic and lack of transportation

  • Acculturation for Immigrant Filipino Workers

    • Acculturation is the process of adaptation by immigrants that make behavioral or attitudinal changes

    • Acculturative stress refers to the feelings of tension that accompany the efforts to adapt to the orientation and values of a dominant culture


Sources of Coping and Strength

  • Problem-focused Coping

    • An individual reduces the impact of the problem by looking for the best solutions through his or her own efforts

  • Emotion-focused Coping

    • The individual uses this to reduce the intensity of negative emotions

  • Biofeedback

    • Technique from medical devices and programs that an individual can use to recognize and control the symptoms of stress such as tension headaches

  • Relaxation Techniques

    • Deep breathing and music

  • Meditation and Exercise

  • Social Support System or Network


Need for Self-care and Compassion

  • People who are high in self-compassion treat themselves with kindness, care and understanding

  • Self-compassionate people accept that mistakes and failures are part of being human

  • Self-compassion has been shown to reduce anxiety, stress, and depression

  • Self-compassion has three elements:

    • Self-kindness

    • A sense of common humanity

    • Mindfulness


What is stress management?

  • Stress management is the ability to control stress and develop the skills to prevent its harmful effects


Mental Health and the Philippine Mental Health Act

  • How does the WHO define health?

    • “Health is a state of complete physical, mental, and social well-being that is not merely the absence of disease or infirmity.”

  • How does the WHO define mental health?

    • State of well-being in which an individual realizes his or her own abilities can cope with the normal stresses of life and is able to make a contribution to his or her community

  • Implementation of the Philippine Mental Health Act in 2017

    • Establishes mental health services that will promote mental health and protect the rights of persons with mental health conditions