Personality Theory

4.2 Discussion: Looking for Operant Conditioning

Getting Started

B. F. Skinner was perhaps the most famous psychologist of the twentieth century. That may sound strange considering that Sigmund Freud was at the height of his popularity in the early part of that same century. But Skinner had one massive tool for getting his ideas out to the public that Freud didn’t: television. As droll a person as Skinner was in real life, he became psychology’s first “rock star” through exposure on television in the 1950s and 1960s.

Skinner’s most important and lasting contribution to psychology was a concept called operant conditioning. Simply stated, operant conditioning is a means to modify behavior through the use of reinforcement. According to Skinner, to reinforce a behavior is to encourage that behavior to be repeated. For example, if child remains quiet during a church service, the parent might give the child a piece of candy for “being good.” The candy encourages (or reinforces) the child to “be good” again the next time they are in church.

The parent is modifying or shaping the child’s behavior in much the same way a circus trainer teaches animals certain tricks. For example, if the trainer wants a dog to roll over and the dog does it, the trainer gives the dog a treat to “reinforce” the behavior. This encourages the dog to do it again to get another treat. So, you reinforce the behavior you want and don’t reinforce the behavior you find unhelpful.

Though Skinner’s behaviorism and his concept of operant conditioning aren’t typically labeled as such, the application of his theory can be seen in virtually every sector of modern culture. Here are some additional examples:

· An employee goes to work every day and receives a paycheck at the end of the week.

· A student’s high score on a test results in praise from his teacher.

· A customer gets a free cup of coffee for earning loyalty points from the business owner.

In each case, the behavior is rewarded or reinforced. Therefore, it is likely to be repeated to keep getting the favorable result.

Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:

· Observe how operant conditioning is used in the larger culture.

Resources

· Textbook:  Personality Psychology: Understanding Yourself and Others

· Video: Operant Conditioning

· eBook: Optimism advantage: 50 simple truths to transform your attitudes and actions into results

· Website: Academic Writer

· Website: OCLS Evaluating Sources Page

Background Information

In this discussion, you have the opportunity to make your own observations about how operant conditioning and positive reinforcement are at work in your sphere of life. You will be looking for at least one example of how operant conditioning applies in each of the following realms: relationships, the workplace, and education. When you look closely, you will begin seeing it everywhere. You will then share some of your observations with others in the course and do some critical thinking about how operant conditioning fits into a biblical worldview.

Before you begin this discussion, read Chapter 8 in the textbook and watch the video, “Operant Conditioning.” A related concept that applies to behaviorism theory is called learned optimism. There is an infographic titled “Learned Optimism: Overcoming Learned Helplessness and Procrastination” that will summarize this concept and how it applies to behavioral change.

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.

2. Read Chapter 8 in your textbook and the transcript for video, Operant Conditioning (10:25 min; Segment 2).

a. Transcript of the video .

3. Navigate to the discussion topic and respond to the following prompts:

a. Give an example of how you’ve seen operant conditioning at work in the larger culture in these three areas: relationships, the workplace, and education.

b. Explain in some detail how operant conditioning is being applied in each of your examples. Bring in terms and concepts from the theory to support your points.

c. What do you see as one advantageous use of operant conditioning? How can it be used effectively to facilitate learning?

d. How might operant conditioning be misused or conflict with a biblical worldview?

4. Your initial post should be between 400 and 500 words.

5. Your initial post is due by the end of the fourth day of the workshop.

6. Read and respond to at least two of your classmates' postings, as well as instructor follow-up questions directed to you, by the end of the workshop.

7. All references and citations should be in APA format.

a. For information on how to cite sources and format a paper properly, review the  Academic Writer  website or the OCLS  APA Style Page .

b. For information on the criteria for credible Internet research websites, review the  OCLS Evaluating Sources page .

Your postings should also:

c. Be well developed by providing clear answers with evidence of critical thinking.

d. Add greater depth to the discussion by introducing new ideas.

4.3 Assignment. Assessing Personality Traits Using the Big Five Personality Test

Getting Started

It’s common for us to describe people by their most obvious personality traits. For example, a person who always seems to have a negative way of looking at life might be labeled with the trait “pessimist.” Or, a person who rarely smiles can quickly be known by others as “grouchy.” It’s our shorthand way of describing a person’s dominant personality traits. But of course, these single traits don’t adequately describe the whole person despite how often they are depicted. And there are potentially thousands of words that could describe personality traits in people. So, is there a simpler way to categorize personality traits to understand how personality functions?

Psychologists have been trying for decades to solve this problem by first listing all possible traits and then distilling them down to the most essential ones. Personality theorist Gordon Allport made the first comprehensive list of over 4000 traits in the mid-twentieth century. Raymond Cattell, another personality theorist, removed the redundancies from Allport’s list and got it down to 16 traits. Other theorists have taken stabs at their own rendition of what constitutes essential personality traits.

Today there is wide acceptance among contemporary personality theorists of what’s known as the Big Five Dimensions of Personality. These represent the five core personality traits that are considered most common in the general population. Each of the five traits exists on a continuum. The five traits can be remembered with the acronym OCEAN. O = Openness; C = Conscientiousness; E = Extraversion; A = Agreeableness; and N = Neuroticism. It’s important to remember that these five personality traits represent a range between two extremes. For example, the extraversion scale measures both extraversion and introversion, and most people fall somewhere between the two extremes. The same holds true for the other four traits in the Big Five.

So, with that as background, you have the opportunity in this assignment to take an online assessment to see how these five personality traits apply to you. After you take the assessment, you will receive feedback on the results that you can then use in the written assignment. The questions asked in this assignment will help you summarize the findings and make applications where appropriate. And again, remember that these assessments are only pointing out personality traits and trends based upon the answers you provide. So, you are the one who must decide if the results accurately reflect what you know about yourself.

Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:

· Evaluate the results of an online personality assessment tool.

Resources

· Textbook:  Personality Psychology: Understanding Yourself and Others

· Article: The Big Five Personality Traits

· Video & Transcript: Positive Psychology

· Website: The Big Five Personality Test

Background Information

Before you begin this written assignment, you first want to read Chapter 3 in the course textbook, read the article titled, "The Big Five Personality Traits," watch the video, Positive Psychology, and complete the online assessment, The Big Five Personality Test. The combination of this preparatory work will enable you to have a strong base of learning to help you complete the written assignment.

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.

2. Read Chapter 3 in your textbook,  Personality Psychology: Understanding Yourself and Others.

3. Watch the video,  What is Positive Psychology?  (3:19 min; navigate to 5:32 and watch until 8:51)

a. Transcript of the video .

4. Read the article,  The Big Five Personality Traits .

5. Complete the online assessment,  The Big Five Personality Test .

6. Write four- to five-page paper that addresses the following:

a. Summarize the results of your Big Five Personality Test by indicating the score on each of the five measures. Briefly describe what each of the scores indicates based upon the feedback given following the test.

b. Comment on whether you agree or disagree with each score and feedback. Support your points for or against the results with examples from your life.

c. Based on your conclusions, assign a score of 1 to 5 (1 being low; 5 being high) to your perceived level of learned optimism. Explain your response.

d. In a final paragraph, explain the most significant takeaway from this assessment and what you intend to do to act on this insight. Make your action point concrete and measurable.

4.4 Assignment. Journal - Critiquing a TED Talk

Getting Started

By now, you are aware that you will be preparing a TED-style talk once you get further into your chosen specialization of either Life Coaching and Positive Psychology or Industrial and Organizational Psychology. The journal assignments in this and other courses are designed to help you know how to construct and deliver that TED-style talk. While you will primarily be reviewing TED talks as reference points, you will have the opportunity to deliver your TED-style talk in the form of an audio podcast, a YouTube/Vimeo video, or another multimedia format. The common theme will be presenting a topic of interest related to your chosen field of specialization in psychology in a creative and engaging format like you might find in a TED talk.

In this journal assignment, you have the opportunity to watch and critique an actual TED talk by someone who is both informative and entertaining. The idea behind the critique is to help you think critically about what you are seeing and experiencing in the presentation. When we say “think critically” we mean doing an analysis of the presentation. You will be given select criteria on the critique form provided to help you sort out the strengths and weaknesses of the presentation. The critique will help you learn more about what worked well and how certain changes could make it even better. The more attentive you are to these strengths and weakness the more you will be able to incorporate these insights into your own TED style talk.

Don’t be afraid to watch the TED talk more than once. In fact, a sound approach is to first watch the video without taking notes. Just watch, listen, and enjoy the content. It has to do with motivation, a topic we all need help with from time to time. Then, watch the video a second time. This second viewing is when you want to take notes and use the TED Talk critique form that is provided to record observations about the overall presentation. When you have finished your critique, you will then briefly summarize your observations.

Upon successful completion of this assignment, you will be able to:

· Critique an informational and entertaining TED talk to discern the strengths and weakness of the presentation.

Resources

· Textbook:  Personality Psychology: Understanding Yourself and Others

· File: TED Talk Critique (Word)

· Video: The Surprising Science of Motivation

· Website: Academic Writer

· Website: OCLS Evaluating Sources Page

Background Information

To complete this journal entry, you will first need to watch the video, “The Surprising Science of Motivation.” It is suggested that you watch the video once all the way through for an overall understanding of the content, then do the critique on the second viewing of the video. The TED Talk critique form is a separate, one-page Word document available in this workshop.

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.

2. Read Chapter 7 in your textbook.

3. Watch the video,  The Surprising Science of Motivation  (18:35 min)

a. Transcript of the video .

4. Take time to research and explore the specializations of “Life Coaching and Positive Psychology” and “Industrial and Organizational Psychology”. Consider what interests you most about these fields and what you’d like to learn more about.

5. After watching the video, critique the TED talk using the worksheet,  TED Talk Critique  (Word).

6. Open your ongoing  TED Style Talk Reflection Journal that you have saved in a Word document.

7. Title this new entry  4.4 Critiquing a TED Talk, <Day, Month Year>. As your write your journal during this session, summarize your findings by reflecting on the following questions:

a. What would that point of interest or topic be? Provide a detailed explanation of your selection and why you feel the topic would make for a motivational Ted talk.

b. What did you like most about the TED talk?

c. What in the TED talk could have been improved?

d. As you begin preparing for your own Ted talk, consider a point of interest or topic in your program related to some aspect of the specializations – “Life Coaching and Positive Psychology” or “Industrial and Organizational Psychology.

i. What would that point of interest or topic be? Provide a detailed explanation of your selection and why you feel the topic would make for a motivational Ted talk.

8. Your submission should be two to four paragraphs in length.

9. All references and citations should be in APA format.

4.2 Discussion: Looking for Operant Conditioning

Getting Started

B. F. Skinner was perhaps the most famous psychologist of the twentieth century. That may sound strange considering that Sigmund Freud was at the height of his popularity in the early part of that same century. But Skinner had one massive tool for getting his ideas out to the public that Freud didn’t: television. As droll a person as Skinner was in real life, he became psychology’s first “rock star” through exposure on television in the 1950s and 1960s.

Skinner’s most important and lasting contribution to psychology was a concept called operant conditioning. Simply stated, operant conditioning is a means to modify behavior through the use of reinforcement. According to Skinner, to reinforce a behavior is to encourage that behavior to be repeated. For example, if child remains quiet during a church service, the parent might give the child a piece of candy for “being good.” The candy encourages (or reinforces) the child to “be good” again the next time they are in church.

The parent is modifying or shaping the child’s behavior in much the same way a circus trainer teaches animals certain tricks. For example, if the trainer wants a dog to roll over and the dog does it, the trainer gives the dog a treat to “reinforce” the behavior. This encourages the dog to do it again to get another treat. So, you reinforce the behavior you want and don’t reinforce the behavior you find unhelpful.

Though Skinner’s behaviorism and his concept of operant conditioning aren’t typically labeled as such, the application of his theory can be seen in virtually every sector of modern culture. Here are some additional examples:

· An employee goes to work every day and receives a paycheck at the end of the week.

· A student’s high score on a test results in praise from his teacher.

· A customer gets a free cup of coffee for earning loyalty points from the business owner.

In each case, the behavior is rewarded or reinforced. Therefore, it is likely to be repeated to keep getting the favorable result.

Upon successful completion of this discussion, you will be able to:

· Observe how operant conditioning is used in the larger culture.

Resources

· Textbook:  Personality Psychology: Understanding Yourself and Others

· Video: Operant Conditioning

· eBook: Optimism advantage: 50 simple truths to transform your attitudes and actions into results

· Website: Academic Writer

· Website: OCLS Evaluating Sources Page

Background Information

In this discussion, you have the opportunity to make your own observations about how operant conditioning and positive reinforcement are at work in your sphere of life. You will be looking for at least one example of how operant conditioning applies in each of the following realms: relationships, the workplace, and education. When you look closely, you will begin seeing it everywhere. You will then share some of your observations with others in the course and do some critical thinking about how operant conditioning fits into a biblical worldview.

Before you begin this discussion, read Chapter 8 in the textbook and watch the video, “Operant Conditioning.” A related concept that applies to behaviorism theory is called learned optimism. There is an infographic titled “Learned Optimism: Overcoming Learned Helplessness and Procrastination” that will summarize this concept and how it applies to behavioral change.

Instructions

1. Review the rubric to make sure you understand the criteria for earning your grade.

2. Read Chapter 8 in your textbook and the transcript for video, Operant Conditioning (10:25 min; Segment 2).

a. Transcript of the video .

3. Navigate to the discussion topic and respond to the following prompts:

a. Give an example of how you’ve seen operant conditioning at work in the larger culture in these three areas: relationships, the workplace, and education.

b. Explain in some detail how operant conditioning is being applied in each of your examples. Bring in terms and concepts from the theory to support your points.

c. What do you see as one advantageous use of operant conditioning? How can it be used effectively to facilitate learning?

d. How might operant conditioning be misused or conflict with a biblical worldview?

4. Your initial post should be between 400 and 500 words.

5. Your initial post is due by the end of the fourth day of the workshop.

6. Read and respond to at least two of your classmates' postings, as well as instructor follow-up questions directed to you, by the end of the workshop.

7. All references and citations should be in APA format.

a. For information on how to cite sources and format a paper properly, review the  Academic Writer  website or the OCLS  APA Style Page .

b. For information on the criteria for credible Internet research websites, review the  OCLS Evaluating Sources page .

Your postings should also:

c. Be well developed by providing clear answers with evidence of critical thinking.

d. Add greater depth to the discussion by introducing new ideas.