Month: April 2024

Observational learning, also known as social learning or vicarious learning, is a psychological process through which individuals acquire new knowledge, skills, or behaviors by observing others. It plays a significant role in human development, education, and socialization. By observing others, individuals can learn from their actions, outcomes, and the consequences they face. This form of learning can occur consciously or unconsciously and can be applied in various contexts, such as parenting, education, and even everyday life situations.

Let’s dive into a story that illustrates the application of observational learning techniques. Imagine you’re a high school student named Alex, who enjoys playing the guitar. You have a passion for music and aspire to become a skilled guitarist. However, you feel that you’ve hit a plateau in your progress and are in dire need of inspiration and guidance.

One evening, you attend a local music concert featuring a renowned guitarist named Eric. As you watch Eric perform on stage, you are captivated by his skillful techniques, mesmerizing melodies, and the way he effortlessly connects with the audience. Intrigued and motivated, you decide to use observational learning to enhance your own guitar-playing abilities.

After the concert, you approach Eric and express your admiration for his talent. To your surprise, he warmly offers to give you a few pointers. Excitedly, you accept his offer and arrange to meet him for a guitar lesson.

During the lesson, you carefully observe Eric’s every move. You watch his fingers glide across the strings, his precise timing, and his unique playing style. You pay close attention to his body posture, hand positioning, and strumming techniques. In addition, you observe how he interacts with the instrument, using various effects pedals and creating captivating sounds

Armed with your newfound knowledge, you return home and begin to practice, emulating Eric’s techniques. You spend hours honing your skills, imitating his finger placements, and striving to replicate his musicality. Over time, you notice improvements in your own playing. Your fingers become more nimble, your chords sound cleaner, and your melodies flow with greater fluidity.

Through this process of observational learning, you not only acquire technical skills but also develop a deeper understanding of musical expression. You learn to infuse emotion into your playing and experiment with your own unique style, while still drawing inspiration from Eric’s teachings.

Months later, you have an opportunity to perform at a local talent show. As you take the stage, you reflect on your journey and how observational learning has transformed your guitar playing. With each note you play, you captivate the audience, showcasing your own musical voice combined with the techniques you learned through observation.

In this story, you effectively utilized observational learning techniques to enhance your guitar-playing abilities. By closely observing Eric’s skills and emulating his techniques, you expanded your repertoire and developed your own unique style. This narrative highlights the power of observational learning in acquiring new skills and the importance of finding mentors or role models who can inspire and guide us on our journey of personal growth and development.

Anxiety is a feeling of fear, dread, and uneasiness. Anxiety can cause different symptoms like a rapid heartbeat, sweating, the feeling of restless, and tense. Anxiety can come from many different things like being nervous or a reaction to stress. There are many different ways to cope with anxiety like learning about it, being mindful, understanding and learning breathing techniques, exercise, medication, and therapy. People all around the United States deal with anxiety on a daily basis. Like I said, anxiety attacks can be caused by so many things: exhaustion, a lot of change, feeling under pressure, long working hours, being out of work, money problems, housing problems, etc. Anxiety stems from a lot of things and it is not anything to be embarrassed about. There is always a way to overcome anxiety which is a personal journey. Also, there is medication that helps overcome anxiety. How this connects to my life is just like how many people have anxiety. I remember being in a play for school and I had been having anxiety leading up to it. I was so nervous to get onto stage and read my lines, worried if I would mess up. My mom gave me advice to just take a deep breath and relax. She kept reassuring me that I know these lines and I will do okay. That memory was from third grade but even still it is a memory I still remember. Now, being in college I still have anxiety before taking exams or just keeping up with school. Even things like meeting new friends and being worried people will not like me and I will not be accepted. However, in the end, it is always okay and I always seem to work it out. Even though the anxiety in the moment is awful and I can not seem to forget about it, I always feel happier once it is over knowing that in the end it all worked out. 

Finding out that only eleven percent of Americans have issues with depression and mental health came as a shock to me. Based on the Top Hat we did in class, a lot of the class didn’t know anyone with a mental illness, which contrasts with what I would’ve assumed, based on my own experiences. This is because most of my closest friends, hometown, and in college have been diagnosed with depression, and are suffering with it still today.
Major depressive order can be defined as a serious medical illness that negatively affects the way you feel, think, and act. People can feel depressed, in fact, it’s normal to, just like it’s normal to feel anxious. However, for some people, these feelings control their lives. For people who have depression, it means they are constantly in the dark and feeling down to the point where you are unable to live life normally.
While I have been in depressive moods for periods of time, I myself do not have depression. My experience with depression comes from the six of my closest friends, at home and Penn State, who deal with this possessive mental illness everyday. With most of them, their depression has brought them to self harm as well as suicidal thoughts and attempts with some. While it is still there and felt greatly, taking medication, seeing a therapist, and having support from family and friends has helped them tremendously. On top of always being there for them and offering support, just simply having a great group of friends to surround themselves with has been the most beneficial in working towards curing their depression. While this was just a brief lesson on depression and other mental illnesses, it was still interesting to relate it to my experiences. Learning about this topic in class gave me a deeper understanding of my friend’s illnesses, but also my own feelings as well.

-Camryn Beers

As I reflect on my childhood, it becomes evident that observational learning played a pivotal role in shaping my understanding of the world and influencing my behaviors. Delving into Lecture 16 on Cognitive and Observational Learning, I am struck by how the concepts discussed resonate deeply with my early experiences and interactions.

From a young age, I was keenly observant, absorbing nuances from the environment around me like a sponge. Bandura’s insights into observational learning underscore the profound impact of social observation on shaping behaviors. One vivid memory stands out, a reflection of how observational learning subtly guided my childhood development.

In the heart of my neighborhood, there stood a towering oak tree, its branches outstretched like welcoming arms. To me and my friends, it wasn’t just a tree; it was the gateway to endless adventures. One day, as we played beneath its leafy canopy, I observed an older child effortlessly scaling its sturdy trunk, reaching heights I had only dreamed of. Mesmerized by his agility, I watched intently, studying his movements with great attention.

As the older child descended from the tree, a newfound determination was found within me. Emboldened by his example, I resolved to conquer the oak tree myself. With each attempt, I mimicked his actions, carefully replicating his footholds and handholds. Though my initial efforts were met with stumbles and scrapes, I persisted, fueled by the desire to emulate his success.

Through relentless practice and observation, I gradually honed my climbing skills, inching closer to the lofty branches that had once seemed unattainable. With each successful ascent, I felt a surge of pride, a testament to the transformative power of observational learning. What began as a simple act of emulation evolved into a journey of self-discovery, instilling in me a sense of confidence and resilience that would shape my future endeavors.

Bandura’s seminal Bobo doll experiment offers further insight into the profound influence of observational learning on childhood development. In the experiment, children imitated the aggressive behaviors they observed, highlighting the role of role models in shaping societal norms and values. Reflecting on my own childhood, I recognize the myriad ways in which I absorbed behaviors and attitudes from the influential figures in my life, from parents and teachers to peers and media personalities.

Moreover, the prevalence of media in today’s society raises pertinent questions about the impact of screen time on childhood development. While correlational evidence suggests a link between media violence and aggressive behaviors, it underscores the need for mindful consumption and critical evaluation of media content, especially during formative years.

In conclusion, my journey through childhood serves as a testament to the transformative power of observational learning. From scaling oak trees to navigating social dynamics, the insights gleaned from Bandura’s research resonate deeply with my early experiences. As I continue to navigate through life, I remain mindful of the subtle influences that shape my behaviors, striving to cultivate a sense of empathy, resilience, and curiosity in the next generation.

Early on we were all told when to, and when not to do certain things. This method of discipline for a child is commonly known as shaping. Shaping is when reinforcers guide a behavior closer toward a desired behavior. B. F. Skinner created the shaping method to describe how by reinforcing small actions, you can work towards a target behavior. This is especially true in children and animals. Children are very impressionable and look closely at everything we do. While we don’t often know it, children pick up on little actions made by adults and copy them because it is what they see others doing. Another example of shaping is how animals are trained to simply cooperate and do tricks. When a dog is given a treat after performing a good behavior they learn that that’s what is expected of them the next time the reinforcer asks them to do an action. 

About 3 years ago my family decided to get a dog. My dog’s name is Comet and he is a golden retriever. The golden retriever breed is known for wanting to please everyone, they are very loving and caring. When we first got him we hired a personal trainer to help train him to not do little things like, go to the bathroom in the house, jump on people, and simply listen to commands. The method she used for certain skills was giving Comet treats as a reward for completing a good action. She would start by moving his body for him and then giving him a treat, as time went on he learned that when she says a certain command he is to complete the taught action, which will result in him getting a treat. At the end of each session, Comet would have learned a new trick and was shaped by the trainer to know certain commands and the responses connected to those commands.

Harvey, Caroline. “Shaping: Supporting Children in Learning New Behaviors.” Kurtz Psychology, 30 June 2021, www.kurtzpsychology.com/shaping-supporting-children-in-learning-new-behaviors/. Accessed 07 Apr. 2024.

Throughout my life I had always wondered why my aunt had to wash her hands five times until she felt satisfied, or turn her light switch on and off all the time. I kept thinking to myself how crazy she was, but in reality she was dealing with Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. OCD is characterized by unreasonable thoughts and fears obsessions that lead to compulsive behaviors. Not just my aunt deals with this disorder but 2.3% of the population deals with it. At first I thought my aunt was just a germaphobe. Whenever I would visit her she would never let me touch any door knobs, or sit on any of her couches unless I was wearing clothes that she would provide me. She also would strongly suggest that we would have to shower right before sleeping in her beds. At first I would definitely take offense to all the things that she was making me do because I consider myself a very clean person, but after a while I realized that she just couldn’t help herself and she needed to follow her compulsions. In my psych 100 class we talked about different psychological disorders and Obsessive Compulsive disorder was one that we went into great detail about and it intrigued me the most out of all the different disorders. Her disorder eventually started interfering with her work and between her family. After many years my aunt has acknowledged her disorder and she has recently started taking medicine that has helped her feel more at ease. Her medicine doesn’t completely stop her compulsions but she says that she is forever grateful and happy that we stood by her during her rough times. I’m grateful that I was able to become more educated on the topic regarding psychological disorders, and I hope that others are able to stop having stigmas about certain ones

 

Maya Bottiglieri 

Blog Post #2

Bipolar Disorder:

Bipolar disorder is both a behavior and brain disorder consisting of pronounced swings of mood and energy. This causes life to be hard to operate and navigate through life. It is also known as a manic-depressive illness in which 5.7 million Americans above the age of 18 are affected yearly. Bipolar disorder tends to begin during the late adolescence period into early adulthood. However, children and elderly are often diagnosed with this illness. Typically, people live with Bipolar disorder without receiving a proper diagnosis and treatment. The symptoms cause high mania or low depressive episodes that are broken up by normal moods. This illness is diagnosed by doctors using guidelines from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM.) With conclusions from family history and course of illness, doctors can diagnose based on symptoms. There are four different types of Bipolar disorder which are diagnosed based on the sequence and intensity of the manic and depressed episodes. 

One of my best friends has recently found out that her mother has been diagnosed with Bipolar disorder. Mrs. Smith was always a cheerful and kind woman who would host all gatherings and special occasions. During her senior year of high school Kacy started to notice her mother have subtle changes in her behavior. Mrs. Smith’s moods became erratic—she would be overjoyed one moment and then depressed the next. Her energy levels fluctuated dramatically, and she battled to sleep at night. Tasks that had once brought her joy now seemed onerous, and she withdrew from social activities she had previously enjoyed. With this change Kacy did research on several mental disorders that would answer her many questions. Bipolar disorder stood out to her and when she attended a regular check-up with her mother, she confided in the doctor to attempt a diagnosis based on the symptoms. Mrs. Smith was soon officially aware of her behavior change and began treatment. She was prescribed medication and attended therapy. Mrs. Smith’s story highlights the possibility of going through life being undiagnosed until later in life. 

 

Works Cited:

“Frequently Asked Questions about Bipolar Disorder.” Frequently Asked Questions about Bipolar Disorder | Brain & Behavior Research Foundation, 30 June 2023, bbrfoundation.org/faq/frequently-asked-questions-about-bipolar-disorder?gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwiMmwBhDmARIsABeQ7xQwXmIulimqyU_syUvBJVud0VPvBguv0wkU2iKoG2wI1t5Bqujkr0MaAogIEALw_wcB. 

 

 Classical conditioning is something we discussed and learned about over the past few weeks of class. Classical conditioning is the process of learning that occurs when a person or animal learns to associate a neutral stimulus (conditioned stimulus, or CS) with a stimulus (the unconditioned stimulus, or US) which will naturally produce a behavior (the unconditioned response, or UR). An example of classical conditioning would be making an association between the doctor’s office and receiving a vaccination; so next time you go to the doctor’s office you become anxious because you are associating it with getting a vaccination. In this case the doctor’s office is the neutral stimulus or conditioned stimulus and the vaccination would be the unconditioned stimulus, resulting in the anxiety response which is known as the unconditioned response. Classical conditioning is seen in people’s everyday lives and has happened to me as well. In my case I have noticed classical conditioning with food. I have always liked sushi and it used to be something I craved all the time. The last time I got sushi it was really good, but later that night I ended up getting sick from it. This resulted in me never wanting or craving sushi at all recently, and any time I think of it I feel sick to my stomach. This is classical conditioned because the previously neutral stimulus (the food) is paired with an unconditioned stimulus (getting sick from the food), and this leads to an unconditioned response (feeling sick). Overall, this is a very common form of classical conditioning which many people experience over the course of their lives.  

Taste aversion is when someone avoids a food that they had a negative experience with. It is considered a learned association because it follows an experience. In extreme cases, if the person eats the food that caused negative symptoms again, they might feel mimicked illness sensations. In other cases, they may just avoid eating the food again. Taste aversion can be used as a survival instinct for some species where they are avoiding toxic foods that may cause death with prolonged exposure. In lecture we talked about an example where wolves were fed sheep infused with a substance to make them sick. After that, the wolves avoided the living sheep because they were afraid of getting sick again. When it comes to humans, we have a wide knowledge of what foods are deathly poisonous to us, but we can still have negative reactions towards certain foods.

 

In my own life, I now avoid a particular restaurant because of a negative experience following eating there. I had an experience with what I believe to be food poisoning from a seafood restaurant. After eating sushi there, I went home feeling fine. Later that night I started to feel queasy and was throwing up all night and into the next day. After a few days I was feeling perfectly fine again, and I had no additional symptoms that would suggest another form of sickness such as the flu. Although I have eaten sushi since then, I have avoided that restaurant because it reminds me of getting sick. I am not sure if that food was the source of my sickness, but because the sickness came the night after eating the sushi, my brain believed it came from that meal. I have yet to try the sushi again, so I am unsure if I would have mimicked illness sensations, but the thought of eating the sushi makes me think negatively about it.

 

References:

Chambers, K. C. (2018). Conditioned taste aversions. World Journal of Otorhinolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, 4(1), 92–100. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.wjorl.2018.02.003

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A type of learning where an organism learns to associate stimuli is defined as classical conditioning. There are four parts to classical conditioning: unconditioned stimulus, conditioned stimulus, unconditioned response, and conditioned response. Unconditioned stimulus is the stimulus that leads to an automatic response. In Pavlov’s dog experiment, he conditioned a dog. The unconditioned stimulus would be the dog’s food in his experiment. The unconditioned response is the automatic response to a stimulus. So in this case of Pavlov’s experiment, the unconditioned response would be the salvation from the dog when the dog sees food. Pavlov then conditioned the dog with the sound of a bell. The bell would be rang and the dog would be given food. After repeating the conditioning, eventually the dog associates the sound of the bell to food and will start salvation. In this experiment the conditioned stimulus is the bell which is a stimulus that results in the conditioned response. The conditioned response is the salvation from the dog. The conditioned response results from the conditioned stimulus, so in this experiment the sound of the bell makes the dog drool because the sound of the bell is associated with the dog’s food.