Feist−Feist: Theories of
Personality, Seventh
EditionV. Learning Theories 17. Rotter and Mischel:
Cognitive Social Learning
Theory(^516) © The McGraw−Hill
Companies, 2009
Which pair of items most closely matches your beliefs? Check
either a or b.
- a. Luck is the main reason for people’s success.
b. People make their own luck. - 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. - a. Students’ grades are mostly the result of chance.
b. Students’ grades are mostly the result of hard work. - 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. - 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. - 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 rein-
forcement 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 cognitivefactors help shape how people will react to envi-
ronmental forces. Both theorists object to Skinner’s explanation that behavior is
shaped by immediate reinforcement and instead suggest that one’s expectationsof
future events are prime determinants of performance.
Rotter contends that human behavior is best predicted from an understanding
of the interactionof people with their meaningful environments. As an interaction-
ist,he believes that neither the environment itself nor the individual is completely re-
sponsible for behavior. Instead, he holds that people’s cognitions, past histories, and
expectations of the future are keys to predicting behavior. In this respect, he differs
from Skinner (Chapter 15), 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,510 Part V Learning Theories