Julian Rotter's theory of social learning

01 октября 2022 г. в 21:23

D. Rotter's Theory is distinguished by several important features:

  • Theory as a construct. Development of a system of concepts that would have predictable utility.
  • Description language. Formulation of concepts that are free from ambiguity and ambiguity.
  • Use of operational definitions that establish real measurement operations for each concept.

Most human behavior is acquired or learned. This happens in an environment that is meaningful to a person and replete with social interactions with other people.

The main feature of this theory is that it involves two types of variables: motivational (reinforcement) and cognitive (expectation). It is also distinguished by the use of the empirical law of effect. Reinforcement is anything that causes movement to or from the target. The theory gives priority to performance rather than acquisition of behavior.

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Basic concept

Four concepts or variables for predicting an individual's behavior:

  • Behavioral potential

Behavioral potential - the range of possible behavioral responses.

For example, the use of soft and hard responses, alternating cooperation and competition, effective wording and intonation richness - all that can give social, psychological and acting training.

This variable characterizes the potential of any behavior under consideration that occurs in a particular situation in connection with the pursuit of a particular reinforcement or set of reinforcements. In this case, behavior is defined broadly and includes motor acts, cognitive activity, verbalizations, emotional responses, and so on.

  • Expectation

Expectation - a person's vision of what is more likely to be expected (received in response) from others for one or another of their actions. This is an individual's assessment of the probability that a particular reinforcement will result from a specific behavior implemented in a particular situation. Expectations are subjective and do not necessarily coincide with actuarial probability calculated in an objective way based on previous reinforcement. The individual's perceptions play a crucial role here.

In particular, it is expectations that determine:

  • the use of strategies to "reduce the loss" or "increase the gain"
  • the attitude to uncertainty or, on the contrary, to confident behavior that forms respect for others
  • the willingness to see in others those who are ready to respond in a friendly way to requests for help.


  • The value of reinforcement

The value of reinforcement is an assessment of the importance of getting one or the other desired result in a situation where you need to choose between them.

"If I do my homework, my parents will be happy with me and I will be able to take a walk later in peace and without trouble. On the other hand, if I go for a walk now, I'll meet the guys and we'll run down the hill together. What's more important to me?"

​The value of reinforcement is shown in many areas - both in analyzing the expectations of others, and in the ability to respond to exactly what a particular person needs in a given situation.

  • The psychological situation itself is an important predictor

Psychological situation - a person's subjective perception of what situation they are in and how important this situation as a whole is to them, as well as its individual components.

What will be a regular situation for one person will be a challenge for another.

To accurately predict behavior in a given situation, it is necessary to understand the psychological significance of this situation in terms of its impact on both the value of reinforcements and expectations.

Expectations in the field of problem solving

In recent years, a large amount of research has focused on generalized expectations in the field of problem solving. These cognitive variables are akin to attitudes, beliefs, or mental attitudes about how to interpret problem situations in order to facilitate their resolution. People differ widely in these cognitions (cognition (from lat. cognitio) - knowledge, cognition, - corresponding to knowledge, cognizable). These studies focused on two types of generalized expectations: internal (internal)/external (external) reinforcement control (locus of control) and interpersonal trust.

  • Internal (internal) reinforcement control: events that occur with people are determined by their own behavior and attitudes (internally).
  • External reinforcement control: events that happen to people are determined by luck, fate, chance, or the will of other people (externally).
  • Interpersonal trust: there are people who rely on others to tell the truth, although there are those who believe otherwise. On the other hand, how people approach the problems they face will depend significantly on the nature of these generalized expectations.
  • Автор Джулиан Роттер
  • Социальное научение
  • Психологические теории

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