Undergrad
PS51005B: The
Psychology of the Person
Personality III: Social Learning and Humanistic
Approaches
Session Aims
Introduce behaviourism and classical/operant conditioning
Explore the social learning theory and the concept of self-efficacy
Understand humanistic approaches: Maslow and Rogers
Evaluate the strengths and limitations of each approach
Behaviourism Overview
Pavlov – Classical Conditioning
Learning through association
Dogs learned to salivate at a light if it was paired with food
Involuntary reflexive responses
Watson – Behaviourism
Psychology should focus only on observable behaviour
Rejected introspection
Little Albert experiment: fear conditioned via loud noise → generalised fear
Skinner – Operant Conditioning
Learning through consequences
Reinforcement increases behaviour; punishment decreases it
Behaviour shaped by outcomes, not unobservable mental processes