Theories of Personality 9th Edition

Chapter 18 Rotter and Mischel: Cognitive Social Learning Theory 529

Which pair of items most closely matches your beliefs? Check
either a or b.

1. a. Luck is the main reason for people’s success.
   b. People make their own luck.


2. a. One way to bring about a thunder storm is to plan a picnic
   or some other outdoor event.
   b. Weather patterns have nothing to do with people’s wishes.


3. a. Students’ grades are mostly the result of chance.
   b. Students’ grades are mostly the result of hard work.


4. a. People have no control over large industries that pollute the
   environment.
   b. People can work together to prevent large industries from
   dumping waste products into the environment.


5. a. Popularity among high school students is due mostly to
   things beyond their control, for example, good looks.
   b. Popularity among high school students is due mostly to a
   student’s own efforts.


6. a. Injuries from motor vehicle crashes cannot be prevented.
   When it’s your time, it’s your time.
   b. Wearing seat belts, having air bags in your automobile, and
   driving within the speed limit are proven ways of reducing
   injuries from motor vehicle crashes.

These items are similar to ones Julian Rotter used in developing his
Internal-External Control Scale, usually called the locus of control scale. We
discuss this widely popular instrument in the section on internal and external
control of reinforcement and offer some analysis on the meaning of these items.

Overview of Cognitive Social

Learning Theory

The cognitive social learning theories of Julian Rotter and Walter Mischel each
rest on the assumption that cognitive factors help shape how people will react to
environmental forces. Both theorists object to Skinner’s explanation that behavior
is shaped by immediate reinforcement and instead suggest that one’s expectations
of future events are prime determinants of performance.
Rotter contended that human behavior is best predicted from an understanding
of the interaction of people with their meaningful environments. As an interactionist,
he believed that neither the environment itself nor the individual is completely
responsible for behavior. Instead, he held that people’s cognitions, past histories,
and expectations of the future are keys to predicting behavior. In this respect, he
differed from Skinner (Chapter 16), who believed that reinforcement ultimately
stems from the environment.
Mischel’s cognitive social theory has much in common with Bandura’s social
cognitive theory and Rotter’s social learning theory. Like Bandura and Rotter, Mischel
believes that cognitive factors, such as expectancies, subjective perceptions, values,