2.  Agree with behaviorists: we learn many of our behaviors through conditioning, or by observing others and modeling  BUT, social-cognitivists focus is on how we interact with our environment  NOT just how the environment shapes us  Major research conducted by Albert Bandura (‘86)

3. Reciprocal Determinism (Bandura): = The interacting influences between personality and environmental factors. 3 ways: 1. Different people choose different environments ▪ We choose what shows to watch which then influence our beliefs 2. Our personalities shape how we interpret and react to events ▪ An anxious person may perceive an event as more threatening 3. Our personalities help create situations to which we react ▪ If we expect someone to be angry, they treat us coldly

4. Behavior Environmental Factors Personal Factors

5.  In other words…  We are the PRODUCTS and the ARCHITECTS of our environment  Example:

6. Internal locus of control: = Perception that one controls one’s own fate  Achieve more, independent, healthier External locus of control: = Chance or outside forces beyond one’s control determine one’s fate  “Learned helplessness”

7. SELIGMAN ET AL (‘75, ‘91)  Dogs are repeatedly shocked without the opportunity to escape  When placed in a later situation where they could escape, dogs cowered and did not step over hurdle  In the real world: situations of diminished control  e.g. nursing home, factories, concentration camps, prisons

8.  Research has shown:  Optimists tend to be met with more success and have better health then pessimists ▪ e.g. a hopeful attitude, effort, good study habits will lead to improved grades (vs. “the teacher is bad”)  Excessive optimism can blind us to real risks (realism) ▪ e.g. concern over bombing a test will lead to better results “Success requires enough optimism to provide hope and enough pessimism to prevent complacency”

9.  Social-cognitivists believe the best means of predicting someone’s behavior is NOT a personality test, or an interviewer’s intuition  (i.e. trait, humanistic, & psychoanalytic perspectives  Rather, it is the person’s past behavior in similar situations  Therefore, explore the effect of different situations on people’s behavior and attitudes  Example: assessing candidates for spy missions

11. Learned Helplessness and Learning Disabilities  Visit the website: www.ldac-acta.cawww.ldac-acta.ca  Scan the website and look for the following information: 1. What is a learning disability? 2. Who is affected? 3. What does it look like? (behavior) 4. How does it impact self-esteem and self-concept?  Compile your research into a thought-web  Read handout  Think of ways to prevent Learned Helplessness for LDs, and add to thought-web