Cognitive Psychology, Behaviorism, Social Cognitive Theory

Introduction

Cognitive Psychology, Behaviorism, Social Cognitive Theory

What do these words mean?

What's the difference between the three?

Let's keep going to find out!

Task

You will work independently to submit a sheet with the answers to the questions following each video. 

Under the process tab, I will include links to videos and websites to help you better understand cognitive psychology, behaviorism, and social cognitive theory.

You will answer the questions on a Microsoft Word document and submit it to me.

I have attached a rubric under the evaluation tab so you know exactly what I am expecting.

I hope you have a great time learning about cognitive psychology, behaviorism, and social cognitive theory!

Process

Cognitive Psychology:

Click the links below to watch a video and read an article explaining what cognitive psychology is. When you have completed both tasks, answer the questions below in a Word document.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8w-pWDkNIcg

Article: https://www.southuniversity.edu/news-and-blogs/2023/11/what-is-cognitive-psychology

1. What is cognitive psychology?

2. How can understanding cognitive psychology help psychologists understand human behavior, learning, problem-solving, and mental health?

3.Name some weaknesses in cognitive psychology.

 

Behaviorism:

Click the links below to learn more about behaviorism. Answer the following questions in your Word document.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qG2SwE_6uVM

Article: https://www.simplypsychology.org/behaviorism.html

1. Define what behaviorism is and name the psychologist whose work is most popular for how it contributed to the foundations of behaviorism.

2. Think about what you learned about operant and classical conditioning. How are they alike? How are they different?

3. Define and give an example of the following:

  • Positive reinforcement
  • Negative reinforcement
  • Positive punishment
  • Negative punishment 

4. How do reinforcement and punishment shape behavior?

5. Pick a study or experiment that contributed to understanding behaviorism. Which study did you choose? Who conducted the study? Explain how the study worked and was conducted. What was being measured? What did the psychologist or behaviorist learn?

 

Social Cognitive Theory

Click on the following links to learn more about social cognitive theory. Answer the questions in your Word document.

Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CSXyQL3ZfdU

Article: https://www.med.upenn.edu/hbhe4/part3-ch8-key-constructs.shtml

1. What is observational learning?

2. What three levels are involved in social cognitive theory?

3. Who developed social cognitive theory?

4. What are some strengths of social cognitive theory? What are some weaknesses? 

Evaluation

Webquest Student Rubric 

 

Criterion 

(Score at 0 if there is no evidence) 

 

Below Expectations 

(1) 

Meets Expectations 

(3) 

Exceeds Expectations 

(5) 

Score 

Student  

Document Submission 

The document did not have all questions answered. 

The document answered all questions, with some answers being incorrect. 

The submitted document had all questions answered correctly. 

 

Knowledge Gained 

The submitted document shows little or no understanding of Cognitive Psychology, Behaviorism & Social Cognitive Theory by the student. 

The submitted document does show basic learning and understanding of the differences in Cognitive Psychology, Behaviorism & Social Cognitive Theory by the student. 

The document submitted shows complete learning and understanding of differences in Cognitive Psychology, Behaviorism & Social Cognitive Theory by the student. 

 

Use of Links  

The sample does not show ample use of links from Internet as stated in the Process. 

The sample shows some use of one or two links from Internet as stated in the Process.  

The sample shows use of all links provided from the Internet as stated in the Process.  

 

 

 Overall Performance on Task and Process 

 

The student’s submitted document was below expectations. 

The student’s submitted document meets expectations with some room for growth. 

The student’s submitted document exceeded expectations of the assignment. 

 

 

 

 

TOTAL 

 

 

Conclusion

In this WebQuest, we learned about cognitive psychology, behaviorism, and social cognitive theory and how each of these are vital to understanding learning and behavior. Cognitive psychology focuses on thinking and mental processes, behaviorism focuses on how to train behaviors with use of punishment and reinforcement, and social cognitive theory focuses on learning through observation and social interactions.

Think about how we see these theories every day-at home, in the classroom, workplace. Which theory do you think best explains how we learn? Is each theory strong on its own, or are they stronger when used together? Understanding these theories can help us understand how people learn, behave, and interact every day!