Learning Through Observation

by | May 4, 2024 | Social science

 

Each answer should be 200-250 words long and refer specifically to content from this section only (no outside research.
1) Describe a time when you learned new information or new behaviors through operant, associational, or observational learning.
2)Think about a time when you made a snap judgment about another person. Did your expectations about people influence your judgment of this person? Was the judgment fair or unfair? Do you think that your expectations influence how you respond to people?
3)Give an example of a time when you may have committed one of the cognitive errors listed in Table 2.1 “How Expectations Influence Our Social Cognition”. What factors (e.g., availability? salience?) caused the error, and what was the outcome of your use of the shortcut or heuristic.
4) Describe a time you learned or practiced “doing gender”
Please site only from readings and vidoes.
Please make sure to site reading and videos
For this class, you can reference text excerpts like this:
Jhangiani, R., & Tarry, H. (2022). Principles of social psychology (1st international H5P edition). BCcampus. https://opentextbc.ca/socialpsychology

 

VIDEOS:

 

 

Sample solution

Dante Alighieri played a critical role in the literature world through his poem Divine Comedy that was written in the 14th century. The poem contains Inferno, Purgatorio, and Paradiso. The Inferno is a description of the nine circles of torment that are found on the earth. It depicts the realms of the people that have gone against the spiritual values and who, instead, have chosen bestial appetite, violence, or fraud and malice. The nine circles of hell are limbo, lust, gluttony, greed and wrath. Others are heresy, violence, fraud, and treachery. The purpose of this paper is to examine the Dante’s Inferno in the perspective of its portrayal of God’s image and the justification of hell. 

In this epic poem, God is portrayed as a super being guilty of multiple weaknesses including being egotistic, unjust, and hypocritical. Dante, in this poem, depicts God as being more human than divine by challenging God’s omnipotence. Additionally, the manner in which Dante describes Hell is in full contradiction to the morals of God as written in the Bible. When god arranges Hell to flatter Himself, He commits egotism, a sin that is common among human beings (Cheney, 2016). The weakness is depicted in Limbo and on the Gate of Hell where, for instance, God sends those who do not worship Him to Hell. This implies that failure to worship Him is a sin.


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God is also depicted as lacking justice in His actions thus removing the godly image. The injustice is portrayed by the manner in which the sodomites and opportunists are treated. The opportunists are subjected to banner chasing in their lives after death followed by being stung by insects and maggots. They are known to having done neither good nor bad during their lifetimes and, therefore, justice could have demanded that they be granted a neutral punishment having lived a neutral life. The sodomites are also punished unfairly by God when Brunetto Lattini is condemned to hell despite being a good leader (Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). While he commited sodomy, God chooses to ignore all the other good deeds that Brunetto did.

Finally, God is also portrayed as being hypocritical in His actions, a sin that further diminishes His godliness and makes Him more human. A case in point is when God condemns the sin of egotism and goes ahead to commit it repeatedly. Proverbs 29:23 states that “arrogance will bring your downfall, but if you are humble, you will be respected.” When Slattery condemns Dante’s human state as being weak, doubtful, and limited, he is proving God’s hypocrisy because He is also human (Verdicchio, 2015). The actions of God in Hell as portrayed by Dante are inconsistent with the Biblical literature. Both Dante and God are prone to making mistakes, something common among human beings thus making God more human.

To wrap it up, Dante portrays God is more human since He commits the same sins that humans commit: egotism, hypocrisy, and injustice. Hell is justified as being a destination for victims of the mistakes committed by God. The Hell is presented as being a totally different place as compared to what is written about it in the Bible. As a result, reading through the text gives an image of God who is prone to the very mistakes common to humans thus ripping Him off His lofty status of divine and, instead, making Him a mere human. Whether or not Dante did it intentionally is subject to debate but one thing is clear in the poem: the misconstrued notion of God is revealed to future generations.

 

References

Babor, T. F., McGovern, T., & Robaina, K. (2017). Dante’s inferno: Seven deadly sins in scientific publishing and how to avoid them. Addiction Science: A Guide for the Perplexed, 267.

Cheney, L. D. G. (2016). Illustrations for Dante’s Inferno: A Comparative Study of Sandro Botticelli, Giovanni Stradano, and Federico Zuccaro. Cultural and Religious Studies, 4(8), 487.

Verdicchio, M. (2015). Irony and Desire in Dante’s” Inferno” 27. Italica, 285-297.

 

 

Learning Through Observation

One instance where I learned new information through observational learning was from the video “How Children Learn: Observational Learning.” The video showcased a child observing an adult perform a specific task and then imitating the behavior successfully. This example resonates with Bandura’s theory of social learning, emphasizing the role of observation and modeling in acquiring new behaviors. Witnessing the child’s ability to replicate the actions of the adult highlighted the power of observational learning in shaping behavior.

Snap Judgment and Expectations

Reflecting on a time when I made a snap judgment about another person, as discussed in the video “The Psychology of Snap Judgments,” I realized that my expectations significantly influenced my initial assessment. My preconceived notions about the individual’s background and appearance led me to form a quick judgment that was unfair and biased. This experience underscored how our expectations can skew our perceptions and impact how we interact with others. Recognizing the influence of expectations on judgments is crucial for fostering empathy and understanding in social interactions.

Cognitive Error in Social Cognition

An example of committing a cognitive error, specifically confirmation bias, was evident in my evaluation of a work project, as described in the text “Principles of Social Psychology.” The availability heuristic played a role in this error, as I focused on information readily accessible in the presentation that confirmed my initial thoughts about the project’s success. This shortcut led me to overlook contradictory evidence and alternative viewpoints, ultimately affecting the decision-making process. The outcome of relying on confirmation bias was a limited assessment of the project’s potential risks and benefits, highlighting the pitfalls of cognitive errors in social cognition.

Learning and Practicing “Doing Gender”

In exploring the concept of “doing gender” as discussed in the text “Principles of Social Psychology,” I recalled a situation where I unconsciously adhered to traditional gender norms during a group project. Assigning tasks based on stereotypical gender roles without considering individual capabilities reflected how societal expectations influenced my behavior. This experience illuminated the pervasive nature of gender norms and how they can shape interactions and decisions, even when we aim to challenge them. Acknowledging these influences is essential for promoting inclusivity and breaking free from restrictive gender stereotypes.

 

 

 

 

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