Transcript (a) behaviourism, (b) classical conditioning, and

Psychology 305A:
Theories of Personality
Lecture 15
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The Learning Perspective
1. What are (a) behaviourism, (b) classical conditioning,
and (c) operant conditioning?
2. Can personality development be explained by the
processes of classical conditioning and operant
conditioning?
3. What is Dollard and Miller’s social-cognitive learning
theory of personality?
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By the end of today’s class, you should be able to:
1. discuss the three principles of the behaviourist view.
2. describe the process of classical conditioning.
3. distinguish between and generate examples of positive
reinforcement, negative reinforcement, and
punishment.
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4. compare the early behaviourist view with contemporary
social-cognitive learning theories of personality.
5. describe Dollard and Miller’s social-cognitive learning
theory of personality.
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What are (a) behaviourism, (b) classical conditioning, and
(c) operant conditioning?
• There are 3 interrelated principles associated with the
behaviourist view on personality:
1. Personality is determined by environmental factors.
Consistent with this view, John Watson, the founder
of behaviourism, maintained that a newborn baby is
a tabula rasa (i.e., blank slate) ready to be written on
by experience.
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Watson (1930) wrote:
“Give me a dozen healthy infants, well-formed, and my
own specified world to bring them up in and I’ll guarantee
to take any one at random and train him to become any
type of specialist I might select—doctor, lawyer, artist …
and yes, even beggarman and thief, regardless of his
talents … tendencies, vocations, and race of his
ancestors.”
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Similarly, Skinner (1983), one of the most famous
behaviourist to date, wrote:
“I do not believe that my life shows a type of personality à
la Freud, an archetypal pattern à la Jung, or a schedule of
development à la Erikson. There have been a few
abiding themes, but they can be traced to environmental
sources … [not to] … traits of character. They became a
part of my life as I lived it; they were not there at the
beginning to determine its course.”
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2. Personality is the sum of observable behaviour.
Thus, personality does not reflect needs, motives,
emotions, cognitions, instincts, unconscious or
conscious experiences, or anything else that cannot be
directly observed.
Watson believed personality is merely the end
product of our habit systems, which are set by the
age of 30.
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3. Observation of overt behaviour is the only method
by which to assess personality.
Watson (1913) wrote:
“Psychology as the behaviourist views it is a purely
objective experimental branch of natural science. Its
… goal is the prediction and control of behaviour.
Introspection forms no essential part of its methods,
nor is the scientific value of its data dependent upon
the readiness with which they lend themselves to
interpretation in terms of consciousness.”
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• Behaviourists have suggested that there are 2 learning
processes that determine behaviour and, thus,
personality:
1. Classical Conditioning
 Learning that occurs by repeatedly pairing a neutral
stimulus with a stimulus that produces a reflexive
response.
 Basic terminology:
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Unconditioned stimulus (US): The stimulus that produces
the reflexive response.
Unconditioned response (UR): The reflex that occurs
automatically in response to the US.
Conditioned stimulus (CS): The neutral stimulus that
gradually acquires the ability to produce the reflexive
response after repeatedly being paired with the US.
Conditioned response (CR): The reflexive response that
gradually occurs in response to the CS.
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 Basic process:
US
UR
Reflexive
Repeatedly
paired
Highly
similar
CS
CR
Learned
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 Example: In experiments with dogs, Pavlov repeatedly
paired the presentation of food with the ringing of a bell.
After several pairings, the bell was able to induce
salivation in the dogs in the absence of any food.
What are the US, UR, CS, and CR in Pavlov’s
experiments?
US: Food
UR: Salivation
CS: Ringing of a bell
CR: Salivation
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Food
Salivation
Reflexive
Repeatedly
paired
Highly
similar
Ringing
of Bell
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Salivation
Learned
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2. Operant Conditioning
 Learning that occurs through reinforcement.
(a) Positive reinforcement (PR): Involves the introduction
of a desired stimulus following a behaviour.
Examples: Praise, social recognition, physical
affection, food, money.
Increases the probability that a behaviour will be
repeated.
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(b) Negative reinforcement (NR): Involves the reduction
or termination of an aversive stimulus following a
behaviour.
Examples: Discontinuation of the criticism of an
overbearing boss after writing a good report,
discontinuation of the negative comments of a loved
one after weight loss.
Increases the probability that a behaviour will be
repeated.
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 NR should not be confused with punishment.
Punishment: Involves the introduction of an aversive
stimulus after a behaviour.
Examples: Spankings, time-outs, groundings.
Decreases the probability that a behaviour will be
repeated.
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 Example: Skinner placed pigeons in a “Skinner box”
containing a lever and a chute for the delivery of food.
As the birds learned that pressing the lever resulted in
the delivery of food, the rate at which they pressed the
lever gradually increased until they did little else.
What is the reinforcement in these experiments? Food
Is this an example of PR or NR? PR
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Can personality development be explained by the processes
of classical conditioning and operant conditioning?
• Early behaviourists argued that personality is merely
the constellation of learned behaviours that are
acquired early in development through classical
conditioning and operant conditioning.
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• Some early learning theorists (e.g., Skinner) suggested
that the term “personality” is superfluous because overt
behaviour can be completely understood in terms of
responses to environmental factors.
• Contemporary learning theorists, however, have argued
that this view is flawed because it discounts drives,
needs, emotions, cognitions, instincts, and other
phenomena that reflect the internal state of the individual.
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• Accordingly, contemporary learning theorists have
elaborated upon conditioning processes, placing greater
emphasis on mental processes and the social aspects of
learning.
• Collectively, contemporary learning theories are
referred to as social-cognitive learning theories.
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What is Dollard and Miller’s social-cognitive learning theory of
personality?
• Dollard and Miller’s social-cognitive learning theory
emphasizes 5 concepts:
1. Drive
2. Cue
3. Response
4. Reinforcement
5. Habit Hierarchy
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 Dollard and Miller argued that learning occurs
when there is a change in the order of responses in a
habit hierarchy.
 According to their theory, each person has unique
habit hierarchies, and these unique habit hierarchies
account for individual differences in personality.
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The Learning Perspective
1. What are (a) behaviourism, (b) classical conditioning,
and (c) operant conditioning?
2. Can personality development be explained by the
processes of classical conditioning and operant
conditioning?
3. What is Dollard and Miller’s social-cognitive learning
theory of personality?
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