Learning Theories & Behavioural Social Work

1. Learning Theories & Behavioural Social Work

2. Definitions • According to The Social Work Dictionary Robert L Barker (ed) NASW Press 1999 • Theory • A group of related hypotheses, concepts, and constructs, based on facts and observations that attempt to explain a particular phenomenonnon

3. Methods • Methods in Social Work • The specific types of interventions and other activities used by social workers in their professional practices. The term is used especially by social work educators……..

4. Theories examined today • Respondent Conditioning or sometimes called Classical Conditioning • Operant Conditioning • Observational Learning or Social Learning Theory

5. Behaviourist Approach in Psychology • Emphasises Learning • Experiments on Animals can explain human learning • Concerned with behaviour and evidence not thoughts

6. JB Watson’s Behaviourist Manifesto • All behaviour is learned. When born our mind is tabula rasa. • We learn how to behave in response to our environment, by forming stimulus-response (S-R) units of behaviour. • Behaviours can be 'unlearned' by breaking these previously formed, stimulus-response (S-R)connections. • What behaviourism discovered concerning stimulus-response learning in animals is equally applicable to human beings. • The mind is private and personal and consists of concepts difficult to study in a scientific way. An organism's observable outcomes - their behaviour - should therefore be the focus of study in psychology. • For psychology to be thought a true science, its theories need to be supported by empirical data obtained through the careful and controlled observation and measurement of behaviour in an experimental setting.

7. Ivan Pavlov (1849- 1936) • Studied salivation in dogs 1891- 1900 • Discovered that dogs started to salivate even when there was no food present • 1903 published a paper stating the taught salivatory response of dogs is learned

8. Pavlov’s Experiment

9. Classical Conditioning

10. Extinction • After a while the dog stops salivating. • The conditioned response is inhibited by non-appearance of food

11. Reinforcement • After extinction to resurrect the conditioned response Pavlov had to repeat stage 2 of the conditioning process • Occasional re-occurrence of the bell and food together brought back the conditioned response. • Reinforcement makes the learned association more permanent

12. Spontaneous Recovery • After extinguishing the conditioned response by not using reinforcement, later ringing sometimes saw the salivation (conditioned response) re-occur. Generally this was weaker than before. • This suggests we never entirely forget what we learn

13. Stimulus generalisation • If dogs were conditioned to a particular tone then dogs would also respond to a slightly higher or lower tone. • Organisms respond to stimuli that seem similar to the original stimulus.

14. Stimulus Discrimination • Dogs presented with bells very different form the original did not respond • The dogs learned to respond only to particular tones

15. Can You Think of Examples of this kind of learning? • Mothers learn to discriminate the sound of their own baby. • Does the sound of a dentist drill make you respond in particular way? • Have any of you been bitten by a dog in childhood? • Or developed other phobias?

16. An Example • Social worker is bitten by dog on a visit • Social worker generalises stimuli to all places where dogs might be – parks, beaches, streets etc and starts to avoid these • Social Worker generalises fear to all dogs – Pekinese, Labradors etc

17. Systematic Desensitization • A technique used for anxiety and avoidance reactions • Assess the stimuli – in this case dogs • Establish a hierarchy – large fierce dogs, medium size barking dogs, small yappy dogs, quiet Labradors • Client is taught to relax • Client imagines moving up the ladder or hierarchy

18. Systematic Desensitisation

19. Child with School Phobia • Education staff help a child to return to school • Gradually getting used to the bus route • Then the playground • And finally the classroom perhaps for a short period • Eventually the child can attend school normally

20. Operant Conditioning TheoryBF Skinner • Actions operate on the environment to produce behaviour • Behaviour is altered by its’ consequences • If the changes are reinforcing then the behaviour is more likely to re-occur • Based on the work of BF Skinner

21. Skinner Box

22. Skinner’s Theory • “the behaviour is followed by a consequence, and the nature of the consequence modifies the organism’s tendency to repeat the behaviour in the future” • A reward is a positive reinforcer • An unpleasant consequence is a negative reinforcer

23. Two kinds of Reinforcer • Primary Reinforcer – a stimulus form the environment whose ability to reinforce our response is based on an innate drive e.g. our need for food water warmth etc • Secondary reinforcer – an environmental stimulus that has become associated with a primary reinforcer. Secondary reinforcers help precipitate primary reinforcers e.g. we use money to buy food etc

24. Positive Reinforcement • The ABC of Behaviour (Hudson and MacDonald 1986) is a useful method • Sometimes called a “Functional Analysis of Behaviour” • Sometimes people have been reinforcing the wrong behaviour • EG a child screams and gets a sweet

25. Antecedents of Behaviour and its Consequences Antecedents Behaviour Consequences Mother refuses Child Screams Gets Sweet Sweet • Concrete reinforcers such as sweets should be gradually withdrawn • To be replaced by social reinforcers such as smiles praise and attention

26. Examples in Practice • Operant Behaviour therapy with long stay psychiatric patients to improve and develop social skills and reduce unwanted bizarre behaviour • Use of Star Charts and Smiley Faces with children • Child Guidance clinics helping parent to reward the positive rather than the unwanted behaviour • Chaining – a technique to help people with learning difficulties learn tasks

27. Chaining & Backward Chaining • Break a complex behaviour into small tasks or links in a chain • Reinforce the person for performing the last link • Making a bed – the last link is tucking in the sheet • Then reward the person for performing the last two links and so on

28. Negative Reinforcement • Termination of something unpleasant • E.g. children keep quiet to avoid the pain of being shouted at • Problem is the shouting may become rewarding –perhaps some attention is better than none • Not to be confused with punishment • Positive rewarding of wanted behaviour is much more effective

29. To decrease or extinguish unwanted behaviour • Example of 10 year old child with learning difficulties and communication problems in residential care who regularly whined • Ignore whining – to extinguish this behaviour • Reward wanted behaviour – stimulated her with mirror and played with her when she was quiet

30. Time Out • Time Out from reinforcement is an extinction process • It can be successful – but must only be used for short periods • Lengthy time out is not an extinction procedure but a punishment • This is ethically wrong • And also much less effective than a combination of extinction and reward

31. Do these theories explain all learning? • Does behaviour have to be rewarded for learning to occur? • According to Albert Bandura we can learn something without trial and error.

32. Social Learning Theory • Bandura demonstrated that behaviour can be changed without rewards

33. Bandura et al (1963) • 96 children age 3-6 years • Split into four groups • Group 1 saw an adult behave aggressively towards “"Bobo"” doll – shouted punched and hit with hammer • Group 2 saw the above on film • Group 3 saw this as a cartoon • Group 4 shown no violence

34. Bandura et al (1963) ctd • Put in room and secretly observed • Given toys to play with including a "Bobo" doll • Children's favourite toys were taken to annoy them • Observed for 20 minutes

35. Bandura et al (1963) ctd Results Group 1 observed adult99 aggressive acts Group 2 film92 aggressive acts Group 3 cartoon 83 aggressive acts Group 4 no aggression54 aggressive acts

36. Bandura’s Conclusions • Children who had observed aggression were more likely to behave aggressively • Children are more likely to copy real aggression than filmed or cartoon aggression • Some models were more likely to be copied than others • Children more likely to imitate models similar to themselves e.g. the same sex

37. Three Effects of Modelling • We can learn new skills or ideas by observing • Social skills can be imitated and practised • People can practice and learn to inhibit or reduce their fear responses – • e.g. if a client is anxious about doing something we can model the action then he can practice the action in a safe environment before doing it for real

38. Examples of Social learning • The child who observes aggression at home and acts this out at school • The importance of care workers modelling appropriate behaviour to clients e.g. calm, confident, attentive, socially skilled • Care workers in every day work modelling particular skills e.g. how to make a phone call • Demonstrating particular skills deliberately for clients to observe and learn • Setting up groups to help people learn particular skills e.g. social skills – how to interact with other people in particular situations

39. Implications for Social Care • People copy what they observe • Behaviour does not always have to be rewarded for learning to occur • Workers need to be extremely self aware about how they behave and act • Clients will learn from the situations and behaviour they observe in all situations – outings, trips, daily life, and family contact, as well as in formal settings set up to change behaviour

40. Questions? • Can you identify which methods are used in your placement? • Can you distinguish between a theory and a method? • Which problems are more likely to be helped by which methods? • Which methods involve the client in partnership and empower them? • Can you see ethical or moral problems in using some approaches if clients are not involved in setting goals? • Can you apply the ABC approach in your placement?

41. Video • As you watch the video try and identify the tools of assessment • What were the conclusions of the initial assessment? • The methods used – which of these were covered in the lecture today? • Evaluation – were clients involved in this? • Were the aims and objectives achieved?