Perceptions of Control

Page 1

• Perceptions of Control: The focus of the lecture.

Page 2

• Lecture Objectives:

  • Understand three different theories related to how we perceive control:

    • Learned helplessness

    • Locus of control

    • Attributional style

  • Appreciate real world examples of these constructs.

Page 3

• Importance of Understanding Control:

  • Deprivation from learning approaches emphasizes the environment's role in shaping personality and behavior.

  • Learning extends beyond animal studies (e.g., rats and mice) to human behavior.

  • Example: Big Bang theory (Sheldon trains Penny): Video.

Page 4

• Martin Seligman:

  • Focused on learning and its implications for personality.

  • Personality is partly genetic but significantly shaped by:

    • Individual behaviors

    • Life experiences.

Page 5

• Seligman's Perspective:

  • Real-world environments differ from traditional learning scenarios, where behavior is linked to rewards and punishments directly.

  • Individuals can choose to respond or not, thus shaping their environment.

  • Not all events are under our control.

Page 6

• Operant Conditioning - Learning Experiments:

  • Example of dogs in a box trained to avoid shocks by jumping over a hurdle.

Page 7

• Learned Helplessness:

  • Electric shocks were unescapable during trials.

  • Subsequent trials showed dogs’ failure to escape, termed as "learned helplessness" (Seligman, 1975).

Page 8

• Study Findings (Seligman, 1972):

  • 150 dogs' responses to unavoidable shocks showed about 2/3rds were helpless, significantly more than naïve dogs (6%).

  • Results extend beyond dogs to other species, including rats and humans, illustrating generalized passive behavior in inescapable situations.

Page 9

• Impact of Inescapable Experiences:

  • The learning is not about shocks, but about perceived uncontrollability.

  • Affected animals show passivity and learn slower, experience weight loss, and increased stress reactivity.

Page 10

• Real-World Examples of Learned Helplessness:

  • Exercise prompts participants to reflect on experiences demonstrating learned helplessness.

Page 11

• Chaney et al. (1999) Study:

  • Participants: 39 young adults with long-standing asthma; matched controls.

  • Examined before, during, and after treatment performance across various tasks.

Page 12

• Chaney et al. Findings:

  • 21% of asthma group and 5% of controls met depression criteria (statistically significant).

  • Significantly different errors between groups following non-contingent feedback, but not under contingent conditions.

Page 13

• Conclusion from Chaney’s Study:

  • Experience of being inescapably positioned shapes response based on previous experiences.

  • Past experiences tend to lead to maladaptive responses, such as learned helplessness.

  • Even when control exists, internalized perceptions may hinder its exercise.

Page 14

• Locus of Control - Julian Rotter:

  • Focuses on how individuals respond to events shaped by past experiences concerning event controllability, which leads to internalized concepts of control over the environment and outcomes.

Page 15

• Rotter (1972):

  • Emphasizes that behavior is directed toward attaining goals based on perceived rewards and attitudes towards outcomes.

Page 16

• Social Drivers for Behavior:

  • Recognition: Valued for competence.

  • Dominance: Power and control over others.

  • Independence: Self and environment control.

  • Protection: Depend on others for assistance.

  • Love & Affection: Seeking caring relationships.

  • Physical Comfort: Avoid pain and seek well-being.

Page 17

• Possible Behavioral Outcomes:

  • Includes a range of reactions from anger, informing authority figures, ignoring events, to fighting.

Page 18

• Selection of Behavioral Course:

  • Influenced by expectancy (anticipated outcomes) and reinforcement value (valuation of outcomes).

Page 19

• Behavior Potential:

  • Defined as the likelihood of a certain behavior occurring in a given situation; calculated as:

    • Behavior potential = Reinforcement value x Expectancy.

Page 20

• Rotter’s Psychological Situation:

  • Highlights context in influencing behavior, where personal expectations and values interact with situational constraints, shaping behavior.

Page 21

• Locus of Control (Rotter, 1966):

  • Provides insight on how individuals form beliefs about control based on experiences.

  • Generalized expectancies can be classified as external or internal and can vary across life domains.

Page 22

• Extending Learned Helplessness:

  • Indicates potential ongoing impacts of the learned helplessness phenomenon beyond initial experiments.

Page 23

• Response to Learned Helplessness:

  • Seligman emphasizes that perceived control is crucial to addressing learned helplessness.

  • Explanatory style: How individuals interpret their experiences shapes their understanding of control and outcomes.

Page 24

• Attributional Style (Abramson et al., 1978):

  • Personal: Internal vs. external factors for outcomes.

  • Pervasive: Specific vs. global attribution for events.

  • Permanent: Stable vs. unstable interpretations of experiences.

Page 25

• Personality, Self-Esteem, and Depression:

  • Explored through various models:

    • Common cause: Shared factors for personality and depression.

    • Continuum: Depression and self-esteem linked through broader negative affectivity.

    • Vulnerability: Multiple factors contributing to depression onset and maintenance.

    • Scar model: Indicates low self-esteem and pessimistic attribution as consequences rather than causes of depression.

Page 26

• Mixed Model Fit:

  • Vulnerability: Pessimism and low perceived control correlate with increased depressed mood.

  • Scar: Links high depressed mood with low self-esteem and negative attributional style affecting mental health outcomes.

Page 27

• Conclusions:

  • Cognitive processes and explanatory styles shape perceptions of control over actions and outcomes.

  • Long-term exposure to unmanageable situations poses risks to mental health.

  • Locus of control and attributional style are crucial for understanding individuals' control perceptions.

  • References the Serenity Prayer as a philosophical perspective on control.

Page 28

• References:

  • Key studies and articles that informed the lecture, including works from Abramson, Chaney, Ledrich, Rotter, and Seligman.

Perceptions of Control Lecture Summary

• Focus: The lecture centers on understanding control perceptions, emphasizing three theories: learned helplessness, locus of control, and attributional style, alongside real-world examples.

• Importance: The role of the environment in shaping personality and behavior is crucial, extending understanding from animal studies to human behavior.

• Seligman's Insights: Personality is influenced by genetics and shaped by behaviors and experiences. Control is often perceived rather than objective, impacting responses to inescapable situations (e.g., Seligman's dog experiments).

• Learned Helplessness: Demonstrated through studies showing how unescapable shocks lead to passive behavior, impacting learning and stress.

• Chaney et al. Study: Focused on asthmatic participants showed significant depression links and errors related to learned helplessness.

• Locus of Control: Explored by Rotter, emphasizing how past experiences shape perceptions of control over outcomes, influenced by social dynamics.

• Attributional Style: Examines how interpretations of outcomes (internal/external, specific/global, stable/unstable) affect behavior and mental health.

• Conclusions: Cognitive processes significantly influence perceptions of control, linking them to mental health outcomes and indicating the risk of long-term exposure to uncontrollable situations. The Serenity Prayer is referenced as a philosophical framework on control understanding.