Ktangen

Social learning theory is an extension of behaviorism and a preview of existentialism. It is a collection of people or a movement, rather than a specific individual. But all of the theorists share an interest in how learning, social influence and behavior interact.

Behaviorism explained behavior in terms of environmental control. Pavlov’s classical conditioning maintained that behavior is the result of environmental stimuli. Something occurs in the environment (a bell rings) and we respond (salivate). Skinner’s operant conditioning emphasized the importance of the environmental reaction to behavior. We act and the environment reacts with rewards and punishments. Together, Pavlov and Skinner provide a chicken-and-egg solution to behavior. It doesn’t matter which came first-environment-behavior or behavior-environment-either deterministic explanation is fine.

Social learning theory was an extension of behaviorism. It helped bridge the gap between environment control and cognitive processing. Dollard-Miller, Bandura, and Rotter all maintained that learning is more person-driven than behaviorism would suggest. From their point of view, the environment does function as the behaviorists believed but it also provides opportunities to learn that don’t require associationism (Pavlov) or reinforcement (Skinner). Social learning theory rejected the simplistic explanations of complex behavior (like aggression, goal setting and internal conflicts) but kept the emphasis on experimental methods.

Dollard & Miller

For Dollard & Miller, learning combines four processes: drive, cue, response and reinforcement. Drive is the engine. The cue tells you when, where and how to respond. Your response is any behavior or sequence of behaviors you perform. And reinforcement is the consequence of drive being reduced (similar to Skinner’s negative reinforcement). If your behavior isn’t reinforced, that behavior will be extinguished (disappear). But the process doesn’t stop there. You keep trying different responses until one of them satisfies the drive.

Bandura

Although trained in behaviorism, Bandura maintained that it would take too long for people to learn everything by associating stimuli or being rewarded. We are much more capable than that. According to Bandura, people primarily learn by watching others.

Rotter

Rotter’s point is that we don’t behave randomly. Even in novel situations, we apply our knowledge of the past to the current conditions. Behavior is always changing in response to the environment but the rules we use to determine what we’ll do are relatively stable. We have two basic rules: (a) the bigger the reward the better, and (b) safer is better. Our behavior is a combination of these rules. We try to maximize our rewards on the basis of value and expectation. We calculate that it’s better to have a low paying job we know we can get than to try for a high-paying job we think we’re unlikely to get.

Mind Map

Notes

Dollard & Miller

Psychoanalytic learning theory
Combined Clark Hull & Sigmund Freud
They met at Yale, Institute of Human Relations
Interdisciplinary between psych, psychiatry, soc and anthro
Experimental Analysis of Behavior
Knowledge comes from experience;
continually check current needs against past experience
Clark Hull drive reduction
Habits = learned associations between S and R
makes them occur together frequently
temporary structures (habits can appear and disappear)
Drives = strong internal stimulus, produces discomfort
2 types
- Primary (physiological processes)
- Secondary (learned); elaborations of primary drives
Reinforcer = anything that increases likelihood of particular response
Pimary reinforcers (reduce primary drives)
Secondary reinforces (originally neutral but acquire reward value)
Hierarchy of response = some responses used more than others
4 units of learning process
- 1. Drive = preexisting need
- 2. Cue = stimulus that tell person when, where and how to respond
- 3. Response = behavior
- 4. Reinforcement = drive reduction
  - if not reinforced, extinction of that response
  - try different responses until one satisfies need
Terms
- Thoughts = cue-producing responses in the brain.
- Reasoning = internal chains of drive, cue, response and reinforcement
- Frustration = occurs when one is unable to reduce a drive; blocked
- Conflict = incompatible responses are occurring at the same time
Types:
approach-approach
approach-avoidance
avoidance-avoidance
double approach-avoidance
2 main determinants of unconscious behavior
1. unaware of certain drives or cues; unlabeled
2. cues or responses once conscious; repressed because ineffective
repression is learned like all other behavior
Defense mechanisms are learned responses
identification = imitating behavior
displacement = stimulus generalization
4 critical training states
feeding
cleanliness
sex training
control of anger-aggression
Differences from Freud
Freud thought anxiety, conflict & repression were inevitable
D&M say they are learned
Neurosis = stupidity-misery syndrome
strong, unconscious, unlabeled emotional conflict
can’t discriminate effectively
Therapy
pragmatic
action oriented
composed of
unlearning old, ineffective habits
substituting new, more adaptive and productive responses
aims to reduce such fears so reasoning and planning can occur
2 phases
- Talking Phase (problem analysis)
  habits are identified so patient can unlearn them
  providing labels – Rumpelstiltskin (lose power when confronted with his name)
- Performance Phase (acquire new responses)
  Training in suppression (conscious, deliberate stopping of a thought or action)
  Deliberately exposed to new cues that will evoke different responses

Bandura, Albert

Observational learning theory
also called modeling or discovery learning
most learning is by watching others
Behaviorism
agree with behaviorism
use of experimental methods
environment causes behavior
disagree with behaviorism
too simplistic to explain complicated issues (e.g. aggression)
Reciprocal Determinism
interaction between environment, behavior, person
Principles
observational learning is more than observing
encoding model (words, labels or images) improves retention
more likely to do modeled behavior if
behavior has functional value
model is similar to observer
value outcome goal
model is admired
Bobo The Clown
Inflatable, egg-shaped punching bag
Film of person punching the clown, shouting “sockeroo!”
Film shown to kindergartners
In play time, children show increased aggression
even without reinforcement
more aggressive if reinforced
more aggressive if model same gender as child
Boys were generally more violent and aggressive than girls.
Concluded reinforcement necessary for learning to occur
Major components of modeling
1. Attention
Colorful and dramatic
Attractive, or prestigious, or competent
Seems like yourself
2. Retention
Convert observation to mental image
Inductive process
Remember
3. Reproduction
Convert mental image to behavior
Deductive process
Must have behavior in repertoire
Better able to do behavior, better able to imitate
Thinking about doing may help doing
4. Motivation
A reason for doing it
Past reinforcement (rewarded)
Promised reinforcement (incentive)
Vicarious reinforcement (seeing others rewarded; expectation)
Motives don’t “cause” learning; cause us to demonstrate what we have learned
Self-efficacy
self-knowledge of personal ability (competence)
Self-regulation
is self-concept or self-esteem
Steps
1. Self-observation = look at self, track own behavior, charting
2. Judgment = compare with a standard (external or internal rules)
3. Self-response = reward self for compliance; punish self?
3 Consequences of Excessive Punishment
a. compensation = superiority complex or delusions of grandeur
b. inactivity = apathy, boredom, depression
c. escape = drugs, alcohol, television, fantasies, suicide
Self-control Therapy
1. Behavioral charts to track behavior
2. Environmental planning = alter environment, remove or avoid cues
3. Self-contracts = specify contingencies; written, witnessed.
Modeling therapy
Improve by watching others
Observe someone productively dealing with the same issues
Fear of snakes
Client watches through a window
Actor successfully approaches snake; models self-soothing behaviors
Client invited to try it; some do it on first viewing
Film of productive behaviors works nearly as well as live viewing

Julian Rotter

Social learning theory
later called social cognitive theory
Probability of a given behavior is a function of
1. expectation (E) = likelihood behavior will elicit reward
2. reinforcement value (RV) = how rewarding is for individual
Personality is changeable collection of thoughts, environment and behavior interactions
Characteristics of Rotter’s approach
Optimistic
People are goal seekers
People try to maximize their reinforcement
Locus of Control
Univariant dimension that varies from internal to external
Generalized expectation of power of behavior to get reward
View of contingent relationship between action and outcome
Cross-situational beliefs
Characteristics
extent individuals believe can control events that affect them
high internal locus of control believe rewards come primarily from action
high external locus of control believes reward come by chance
different beliefs about reward contingency results in different behaviors
internal try to change world, externals go with the flow