Cognitive Psychology

A detailed Summary of Cognitive Psychology

The cognitive approaches to the study of motivation come with one important thing that drive approaches did not account for, the O. Drive theorist dealt mainly with the stimulus and the response produced; cognitive theorists factored in the role of the organism that receives the stimulus. Cognitive theorists explained that it is not just acting on a whim, but rather that there is some thought process involved. Though it may be a short process, and the action may come soon after the stimulus, the organism thinks about what to do and doesn't just do it.

Tolman comes to us with the explanation that cognition was and is involved in the motivation of behavior. Immediately Tolman brings to the table what both Freud and Skinner did not, thinking. Tolman also brings two other very important factors that set him out from the drive theorists, expectation and goal. Expectation is the cognitive process that tells the organism what might be able to satisfy a certain physiological need. Goal is a plan to engage in a behavior based on the expectation to achieve a certain outcome. Tolman's theory is somewhat similar to Thorndike's Law of Effect in some aspects although he adds a few twists to include expectation. Tolman theorized tha

Rodney has a need for hunger satisfaction. His goal is to satisfy the hunger need with a nice ice cream cone. His expectation is that if he asks mommy in a polite manner that she will allow him to get an ice cream cone. This time mommy allows him to get an ice cream cone. The next day comes and it is 10 A.M., Rodney is hungry again, and the ice cream cone he had last night was so good and it satisfied him so well that he wants another one. However, Rodney knows that his mom does not allow sweets before lunchtime, no matter how politely he asks. His expectation is that if he asks now his mom will say no and maybe even become a little upset with him for asking when he knows he is not allowed. So, instead, of his behavior being that of politely asking his mommy, he changes his behavior. Either he waits until after he eats his lunch to ask mommy for the ice cream cone, or he changes the form of his question and asks his mommy now if he can have an ice cream cone later. T!

t and can achieve even in the face of failure. A person with low self-efficacy might not achieve so much but what can arise is the idea of not stopping until the desired outcome is achieved. Hence a person is persistent and continues to behave in certain ways until a desired outcome is achieved. Tolman leaves it up in the air in the way that if what a person expects to happen is good they will act upon that expectation, if it is bad they will not.

What abandoning Skinner's view might lose is the concept that what organisms do, as an instinct, could be the right behaviors. It is often said that if you think long you think

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Approximate Word count = 1089
Approximate Pages = 4 (250 words per page double spaced)

Category: Science