Case Study of a 3 Year Old Child

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3. Theory 1:

According to Bandura’s theory, behaviour is learned from the environment through the process of observational learning (McLeod, 2016). Katrina’s tendency of pushing other toddlers seem to have been modelled from what she have observed at home. Katrina’s mother and grandfather fights frequently in the household and pushes each other during the arguments. In relations to the Bobo Doll Experiment, Katrina observed and paid attention to her mother’s actions, which in this case is the model. She then remembers the behaviour she has observed and then reproduces it based on her physical abilities. She knows she is capable of pushing another child instead of an adult and so she does it to children only.

Theory 2:

According to Skinner’s theory on Operant Conditioning, behaviours that are reinforced will tend to continue while behaviours that are punished will eventually end. (Lee, 2015) I’ve chosen Skinner’s Theory for when Katrina’s mother complies to Katrina’s bluffs. By complying, her mother is positively reinforcing Katrina’s undesired behaviour of asking for the toilet whenever she is being punished. Because Katrina now knows that she is able to get her mother’s attention and also to escape her punishment for a short period of time, which are both particularly rewarding to her, this behaviour of pretending that she needs the toilet is strengthened and she would then repeat it.

4. Evaluation:

In the situation where Katrina’s aggression towards other children is concerned, I agree with Bandura’s theory to a certain extend. The theory talks about how the child is motivated to imitate or as simply put, having a reason to reproduce the behaviour observed. However, Katrina does not seem to have a reason behind her actions as there was an absence of provocation on the other child’s end. The physical violence between her mother and her grandfather as observed by her at home had provocation present. Bandura also states that there are 3 types of motives: past reinforcement, promised reinforcements and vicarious reinforcement. (Abbott, 2001) Past reinforcement is when a child is being rewarded for a behaviour which would strengthen it. Promised reinforcement is when an incentive is being promised to a child for certain behaviours which the child would then reproduce it. Vicarious reinforcement is when a child models a behaviour based on rewards given to another individual. Based on the given motives stated, all of them talks about rewarding the child for their behaviour. But Katrina’s behaviour is deemed as a bad one which have not been rewarded thus not explaining why she would have reproduced it.

As for Katrina’s tendency to bluff during punishments, I completely agree with Skinner’s theory on operant conditioning. Behaviours that are reinforced are most likely to recur and that is exactly what happened to Katrina. Instead of reprimanding Katrina for lying, her mother had instead brought her to the toilet although she is completely aware that Katrina is lying. This in return has caused Katrina to learn that by lying, she would be able to get both her mother’s attention and her intention to avoid being punished for a short period of time. The undesired behaviour has then been positively reinforced.

5. Discussion:

Katrina’s mother should set a good example at home by not getting into a fight with Katrina’s grandfather. It is because Katrina sees her mother as a role model and would very likely model after her. By setting a good example, not only at home but in every situation, Katrina would imitate and adapt to the good behaviours she would have observed from her mother.

Katrina’s mother could also use punishment or extinction in operant conditioning to weaken Katrina’s undesired behaviours, both aggressiveness and the tendency to lie. She could implement a punishment when Katrina misbehaves. However, when she finds out that Katrina is lying, she should punish Katrina in another way so that she would be able to learn that lying is wrong. Katrina’s mother could also remove an existing privilege that Katrina is enjoying in the present. She could take away TV time or trips to the water park if Katrina misbehaves. Katrina would then learn that by misbehaving, she would not be able to enjoy doing the things she likes.

At the end of the day, if Katrina’s mother still finds that she is unable to cope with Katrina’s behavioural problems, she can also seek for professional help. In this situation, Katrina’s mother would have a mentor to guide her on how to control her child and improve her behaviour.

Reference List:

Abbott, Tina (2001). Social and Personality Development (pp. 56). Hove, East Sussex: Routledge. Retrieved from https://books.google.com.sg/books?id=QTCCAgAAQBAJ&pg=PA56&lpg=PA56&dq=promised+reinforcement&source=bl&ots=B8UT6QL4gV&sig=a5DO0PllY9lhbNHTdIToSeCmnfE&hl=en&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwj84eK8g9TVAhVMQ48KHY36BosQ6AEIfDAQ#v=onepage&q=promised%20reinforcement&f=false

Lee, Joey, (2015). Classical and Operant Conditioning (Skinner) in Learning Theories. Retrieved from https://www.learning-theories.com/operant-conditioning-skinner.html

McLeod, Saul, (2016). Bandura - Social Learning Theory. Retrieved from www.simplypsychology.org/bandura.html