Julian Rotter & Walter Mischel's Theories

Julian Rotter and Walter Mischel both theorized that cognitive aspects, more so than direct reinforcements, establish human reactions to environmental influences. Both psychologists propose that human expectations of impending events are the foremost factors in determining human performance. Recognized for his cognitive social learning model of personality, Mischel’s theory centered on the particular cognitive variables that intervene with the way new experiences influence a person (Feist & Feist, 2009).

The assumption of Julian Rotter’s theory on cognitive social learning is that humans learn from watching others and in the course of observing others imitate different behaviors. The central premise behind his theory is that the probability of an individual to “engage in a set of functionally related behaviors in a given psychological situation is a joint function of (1) the person's expectancy that the behaviors will lead to a particular outcome in that situation and (2) the value of the outcome to the person in that situation” (Wallston, 1992, p. 184). The five basic hypotheses of Rotter’s interactionist hypothesis: 1. Human behavior is a result of the interaction of environmental and private factors. 2. Individual character traits are learned and may be altered or adjusted provided that learning continues. 3. Human personality and traits are basically stable. 4. Human motives are purpose-directed. 5. Humans have the capacity to anticipate events and are therefore able to change environments and individual traits (Feist & Feist, 2009).

The formula for predicting human behavior embodies an optimistic rather than a realistic method of calculation. Exact values cannot be determined (Feist & Feist, 2009).

Other researchers...

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Dougherty, C.M., Johnston, S.K., & Thompson, E.A. (2007). Reliability and validity of the self-efficacy expectations and outcome expectations after

implantable cardioverter defibrillator implantation scales. Applied Nursing Research, 20(3), 116-124. doi:10.1016/j.apnr.2007.04.004.

Feist, J., & Feist, G. (2002). Theories of personality (5th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.

Feist, J., & Feist, G. (2009). Theories of personality (7th ed.). New York: McGraw Hill.

Isom, M. D. (1998). The Social Learning Theory. Retrieved June 14, 2011 from http://www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/bandura.html

Ormrod, J.E. (1999). Human learning (3rd ed.). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice-Hall.

Wallston, K., & A. (1992). Hocus-pocus, the focus isn't strictly on locus: Rotter's social

learning theory modified for health. Cognitive Therapy and Research, 16( 2), 183-199.