Learning Theory

Ever Smoked Pot? 69.8% Smoke Pot Almost Every Day? 14.3% Yes 69.8% Smoke Pot Almost Every Day? Yes 14.3% What motivates a person to go from the first group to the second?

Becker’s View Because pot is not physically addicting, the motivation to get high must be learned Getting high takes practice Users and non-users are fundamentally the same – only differ in what they have learned

Necessary Condition, 1 Learn techniques from others Direct: instruction from “mentors” Indirect: watching and imitating If the proper technique is not learned, use will cease

Necessary Condition, 2 Learn to perceive the drug’s effects Dizzy, thirsty, intense hunger, light-headed, rubbery legs, warped sense of time, paranoia Sensations must be connected to the drug If the user does not learn to connect the sensations to the drug, use will cease

Necessary Condition, 3 Learn to perceive the effects as enjoyable Could be getting sick, going crazy, or having a great time If the user does not learn to perceive the effects of the drug as pleasurable, use will cease

Conclusion: Motivation is Learned Motivation is learned in the process of smoking No need to consider other causes, such as stress, need for escape, low-self esteem Bottom line: no learning, no motivation, no pot smoking

A Life of Crime? Could you go out tomorrow and start a life of crime? What kind of crime would get into? How would you get started?

Learning Theory Deviant behavior is learned in intimate social contexts Attitudes, values, norms, techniques, and motives Deviants are the same as everyone else The difference lies in what they have learned, from whom, and in what contexts

Edwin Sutherland’s (1934) Differential Association Theory Deviant behavior is learned… In interaction with other people… Particularly intimate groups (family and peers)

Differential Association Theory 4. Learning includes Techniques Motives/drives Attitudes: neutralizations, rationalizations 5. Deviants learn to define the conventional norms as unfavorable

The Heart of Differential Association Theory 6. Deviance results from an excess of definitions favorable to norm violations over definitions unfavorable to norm violations (a ratio)

Differential Association Theory 7. Differential associations vary in a. Frequency of interaction b. Duration of relationship c. Temporal priority – first come d. Intensity – emotional importance

Differential Association Theory 8. Learning deviance is the same as learning anything else 9. Deviant and non-deviant behavior are the result of learned motivations and values

Refining Differential Association Theory Problem with Diff. Assoc. Theory Learned attitudes -> behavior Too vague, difficult to measure Differential Reinforcement Theory (Burgess, Akers) Behavior is influenced by its consequences Rewards and punishments determine behavior

Distinguishing Features of Diff. Reinforcement Theory Differential Reinforcement Lifetime balance of anticipated or actual rewards and punishments -> probability of behavior Imitation Explains onset of behavior, but not persistence

Summary of Learning Theories Differential Association Theory (Sutherland) Deviance results from an excess of definitions favorable to norm violations over definitions unfavorable to norm violations (a ratio), focus on attitudes Differential Reinforcement Theory (Burgess and Akers) Deviance results from a lifetime balance of anticipated or actual rewards and punishments that promote deviance (a ratio) Imitation explains onset, but not persistence