this one needs fixed
Ashbrook778
Assessment1_CasestudyGisela.docxBehaviorism and Social Cognitive Theory 2
Assessment 1: Behaviorism and Social Cognitive Theory- Gisela
PSY-FP7411
Capella University
Professor Tara James-Lamonica
Ashley Moore
6/5/18
Case Study
Gisela is a 6-year-old girl who has begged her family for a pet dog for years. Her parents claim that she has been drawn to them since she was a baby, but they just haven’t had the time for a puppy, yet everyone in their neighborhood seems to have one. A few months ago, while she was walking the two blocks to school all by herself, a beautiful looking dog was in a yard along her path. Delighted, she opened their gate and rushed to the dog while squealing with delight. Suddenly the dog jumped on her and knocked her down, giving her a growl and snapping his teeth at her. The dog continued to bark at her until the owner came out from the house and discovered a shaking, sobbing child who had wet herself in terror. She was unable to tell the man her name or where she lived, and it was an hour until police arrived to assist.
Gisela’s parents share that now, several months later, they have a big problem. At first, Gisela seemed to only be afraid of that one brown dog, but now she has become afraid of just about anything related to dogs. Gisela is too afraid to walk to school even with her parents, she is afraid there will be a dog around every corner, she notices dog barks “from really far away”, she is afraid of sirens, and won’t go to parades. She has wetting accidents almost every day when she did not before. Ironically, she is still begging for one of her own, and while they are now considering a family dog, they are hesitating given Gisela’s situation.
Behaviorism
The Behaviorist Theory was developed as an alternative orientation toward studying and explaining a person’s conscious experience and originally rejected both the tenets of mentalism. Mentalism was focused on the study of mind, applying the method of introspection. In Watson's classical approach on the Behaviorist Theory, it was conveyed as an objective experimental branch of natural science whose goal was the prediction and control of behavior, whose boundaries acknowledged no dividing line between humans and animals, and his approach rejected perceptions such as mind, consciousness, and introspection (Roeckelein, 2006).
The Informal Behaviorist Theory also called the stimulus-response theory, was created using covert mediating events or unobservable responses between the initial stimulus and the final response in a learned behavior. The behaviors of memory, thinking, language, and problem solving could be utilized in behavior theory terms where the notion of the central mediating response was a core concept. Radical behaviorist theory is the closest of all the neobehaviorist variations to Watson's classical theory. This approach proposes that whatever cannot be observed and measured simply does not exist. It rejects certain concepts in psychology such as mind, free will, personality, self, and feelings; even though it allows an organism's private world/environment to be researched scientifically (Roeckelein, 2006).
Social Cognitive Theory
The Social Cognitive Theory is a comprehensive theory of human activity that examines the correlations between persons, behaviors, and environments. From this perspective, human behavior is viewed as the result of the interactions between intrapsychic factors within individuals and the broad range of social environments that influence them such as; environments that are forced on them, the environments that they choose, and those that they make. Applying this theory both therapeutically and in counseling, while continuing with the conceptualization of human functioning within the triadic model of reciprocal determinism; interventions are directed at personal, environmental, and behavioral levels. In the view of observational learning there is more attention given to cognitive processes than in most social learning theory approaches. This theory continued to develop the role of cognitive processes in human development and change. These processes were not intangible from the experience of the individual but were entrenched within the ongoing experiences of the individual (Bussey, 2017).
This approach helped pave the way for Bandura to place human activity at the foundation of the Social Cognitive Theory. People were not only influenced by their environments, but they also created both their own environments and destiny. This is a more cognitive approach to gain understanding interpreting human behavior and it gave insight on the role of self in guiding the course of human development, adaptation, and change. The importance of self-reflection, self-regulatory processes, and self-organizing persons who were not only reactive to their environmental conditions but also proactively shaped their life course within sociocultural constrictions. Departing from traditional behavioristic approaches to human functioning, Bandura acknowledged the role of introspection and human thought in comprehending human behavior (Bussey, 2017).
The Social Cognitive Theory is different from biological theories that accentuate the role of evolutionary forces. In this approach, more attention is directed toward cognition than in the earlier, more behavioristic approaches of Social Learning Theory. While behavior change is at the basis of any therapeutic intervention from this perspective, achieving behavioral modification requires not only behavior change but also cognitive change, along with consideration of the social context in which the behavior occurs. As previously stated, this approach views the development, maintenance, and modification of human functioning within the triadic model of reciprocal interconnection. It is assumed that personal, behavioral, and environmental factors all influence and or affect each other. The personal factors are comprised of cognitive, affective, and biological experiences. The environmental factors refer to the various social influences that people encounter in their everyday lives. While, behavior factors consist of the broad range of activity models. The interaction of these variables can vary based on the different contexts and or phases in development (Bussey, 2017).
Information-processing Theory
The development of high-speed computers in the 1950s led to the theory of Information-processing. Researchers showed that computers could be used to replicate human intelligence. Due to this development researchers realized that computer information-processing could provide insight into the way the human mind receives, stores, and uses information. The development of the Information-processing Theory aided in the end of the decades of behaviorism being the dominant theory in American psychology. This theory emphasized the innate mental capacities versus the external observable behavior of behaviorism theory. This theory gave psychologists the opportunity to test theories about the complexity of mental processes through the use of computers; information-processing models provided evidence that the internal thought process is an important area of scientific study.
This theory encompassed the basic stages of human cognition. Human senses provide information from both external and internal stimuli. Mental operations give and transform information which, leads to perceptual processes that act on that information. That information is then stored in either short or long-term memory, it then interacts with information already stored to generate a response and or output. These stages can occur in a number of different situations. The serial mode is similar to a chain reaction, where the output of each stage becomes the input for the succeeding one. Stages can occur simultaneously, this is called parallel processing. Both of these processes can be combined into hybrid models. The efficiency of resource allocation or the way energy gets distributed into the system, is dependent on whether other stages are operating too (Longe, 2016).
Cognitive psychology compares the human mind to a computer. Both the human mind and a computer process information and based on that information generate a response. Human error is examined using the information-processing models. Errors that happen in the early stages are classified as misunderstanding or mistakes; which occur during the selection or execution of responses. Gaining insight on the occurrences of errors has provided ways to eliminate technical and industrial problems by isolating and addressing their causes. Mistakes involve the size of the information and how it is dealt with. Researchers investigate the loads of information that are presented through several outlets including the internet. Lastly, reaction time is another area of study using the Information-processing Theory. Reaction time is influenced by many factors including: the complexity of decision-making before action can be taken, stimulus response compatibility, speed, and accuracy of the required response (Longe, 2016).
Constructivism
The theory of Constructivism states that people construct their own realities due to their experiences; thus, creating their own knowledge and world view. Constructivist psychology approaches view human knowledge as developing from active constructive processes of each person. Constructivist psychology assesses the ways in which people generate their understanding of their experiences and their world. In order to create new meaning and effect change in a person’s life, constructivist clinical psychology and psychotherapies promote active participation. Constructivism is also called metatherapy or metatheoretical perspective because it integrates aspects of several disciplines such as: psychology, psychiatry, neurobiology, medicine, physics, linguistics, philosophy, history, spirituality, and political science. Constructivism has been accepted and influenced by other disciplines that include; medicine, education, and psychology. Constructivism concentrates on the person’s individual construction of their reality, versus evaluating how well their construction reflects the external reality. The basic themes of Constructivism are: ordering and organizing experiences, the basis of human experience being a continual active agency by the individual versus an outside function or external force, organization of personal activities and experiences that remain in a person’s identity, personal existence and growth within social and symbolic relationships systems, and the construction of experience as a lifelong journey.
Next, ideas on organizing the processes of the human mind began over two thousand years ago; however, constructivism and construct terminology started surfacing in the language of psychology in the end of the twentieth century. Philosophers from the late 1600’s to the early 1800’s defined knowledge as the active structuring of experiences rather than the integration of reality. Later it was viewed as exhibiting reality formed by functional fictions that guided people through their lives. George Kelly (1905-1967) was an American clinical psychologist that proposed the Constructivist Theory of psychotherapy. He developed the Personal Construct Psychotherapy (PCP), which is a theory on personality and cognition during the 1950’s. Kelly stated that individuals organize themselves by organizing their thoughts. Kelly hypothesized that individuals utilize their personal constructs to determine the behaviors of others and continually testing new perspectives and behaviors one can change their personal constructs. The goal of psychotherapy is to facilitate an individual’s assessments of their own minds without the intervention of the clinician.
Then in the late 1970’s, Michael Mahoney and other researchers furthered Constructivism to Cognitive Therapy and Cognitive Behavioral Therapy. The goals of these therapies were to increase self-awareness and help people reconstruct their emotional identity. This altered the focus of Cognitive Behavioral Therapy from inner conscious dialogue to a more intuitive non-conscious process. Eventually Constructivism spread to psychoanalyses as well (Longe, 2016).
Analysis of Case Study
Gisela was a six-year little girl who longed for a dog of her own. According to her parents she has been drawn to dogs since she was a baby and has been begging for one for quite some time. Dogs are all over her neighborhood but her parents have not had the time for a puppy. While walking to school Gisela spotted a beautiful dog and went into the fenced gate and ran up to it. The dog then jumped on her growling and showing its teeth until its owner came outside. This experience has scarred her and left her with underlying symptoms of PTSD since. Single-blow traumas are associated with PTSD symptomatology and it is also likely that more risk factors will be associated with greater dysfunction. For children, quality and availability of parental support is important. When parental support can be used to make the trauma seem more manageable, trauma reactions and other dysfunctions should be minimized. Parents, however, may experience a trauma response when their child's life is threatened. Lower levels of parental distress and greater availability were related to lower levels of child dysfunction in dog attack (B.B. Robbie Rossman PH.D., 2009). She disassociated during the attack and wet herself while shaking and crying. Unable to speak to the owner after the attack, she experienced the sirens, police, and commotion of a lot of people trying to locate her family and examine her as well. She showed signs of shock, anxiety, and panic that still are occurring several months later. Her fear of one brown dog has increased to all dogs, barking, sirens, walking to school, and parades. She still wants a dog of her own; which, could be beneficial with therapy.
Tolman ‘s theory developed the internal conceptions of purpose, cognition, cognitive maps, and expectancies as a way to explain behavior. Examining this case study using Tolman’s theory on behaviorism shows that Gisela’s internal concepts due to her experience has left her with the expectancy of something bad happening with dogs and that explains her behavior of showing fear to dogs, barking, and sirens, avoidance of walking to school, and bed wetting due to the trauma she experienced. The Informal Behaviorist Theory also called the stimulus-response theory, which was created using covert mediating events or unobservable responses between the initial stimulus and the final response in a learned behavior. The behaviors of memory, thinking, language, and problem solving could be utilized in behavior theory terms where the notion of the central mediating response was a core concept. Applying this theory to Gisela’s case indicates that the initial stimulus and or dog attack has led to a final response of fear and panic. The memory of what happened to her has altered her thinking about dogs, hearing them bark, hearing sirens, and even walking to school produces her to behave fearfully and wet herself (Roeckelein, 2006).
The Social Cognitive Theory shows the relationship between Gisela and dogs, her behavior of PTSD, anxiety, wetting, and fear, and the environments of dogs, barking, walking to school, sirens, and parades. The reciprocal determinism in this case would be that she still wants her own dog; therefore, this could be used in conjunction with therapy for equine therapy to overcome her PTSD and anxiety. That would alter her human activity of walking to school and interacting with dogs to become a positive one. Being attacked by the dog in her neighborhood has led to her creating her own environment of fear and danger related to dogs. However, self-reflection in this case would benefit Gisela. This could help her realize that there are safety measures needed to take when dealing with dogs that belong to other people, that her choice to go into the gate is what led to her attack, that the dog was protecting its owner and territory, and she can learn how to avoid this from happening again. Also, incorporating her own dog into the therapy by helping her to realize that her dog will protect her, go on walks together to overcome her anxiety, and learning what its barks mean will help her overcome her fears too (Bussey, 2017).
The Information-processing theory can be examined and applied to Gisela’s case study too. The information that Gisela received from her experience with a dog attacking her has been stored and used to induce fear in her. Her internal thought process and information-processing needs to change. The external stimuli and or dog attack has produced mental and perceptual processes that act on that information in a negative and fearful way and or output. The serial mode in Gisela’s case has begun a chain reaction where the input of the occurrence, barking, sirens, and parades generate an output of fear, panic, wetting herself, and avoidance of walking to school. This has become a human error and or mistake in the information-processing during the execution stage of responses to these particular inputs. Isolating the cause, which is the occurrence of the dog attack, will help eliminate the error according to this theory (Longe, 2016).
Constructivism can be utilized in this case study also. Gisela has constructed the reality of fear and panic where dogs, sirens, barking, and parades are concerned due to her experience; thus, creating a world view and or knowledge that tells her to go into fight or flight response. This causes her to experience panic, fear, avoidance, and wetting. In order to create new meaning and effect change in her constructed reality she must actively participate in metatherapy. This would be the opportunity to include her own dog into to her therapy to overcome and reconstruct her reality (Longe, 2016).
References B.B. Robbie Rossman PH.D., R.D. (2009). Symptomatology and Adaptive Functioning for Children Exposed to Normative Stressors, Dog Attack, and Parental Violence. Journal of the American Academy of Child & Adolescent Psychiatry, 1089-1097. Behaviorist, Behavioristic, and behaviorism theory. (2006). In J. E. Roeckelein (Ed.), Elsevier's dictionary of psychological theories. Oxford, UK: Elsevier Science & Technology. Retrieved from http://library.capella.edu/login?url=https://search.credoreference.com/content/entry/estpsyctheory/behaviorist_behavioristic_and_behaviorism_theory/0?institutionId=816 Bussey, K. (2017). Social Cognitive Theory. In E. S. Neukrag, The SAGE Encyclopedia of Theory in Counseling and Psychotherapy. SAGE Publications, Inc. "Constructivism." The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology, edited by Jacqueline L. Longe, 3rd ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2016, pp. 252-254. Gale Virtual Reference Library, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3631000175/GVRL?u=minn04804&sid=GVRL&xid=3cd53d19. Accessed 13 May 2018. "Information-processing Theory." The Gale Encyclopedia of Psychology, edited by Jacqueline L. Longe, 3rd ed., vol. 1, Gale, 2016, pp. 574-575. Gale Virtual Reference Library, http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/CX3631000392/GVRL?u=minn04804&sid=GVRL&xid=b99a03a0. Accessed 13 May 2018.
