Question 1 : Ted is a freshman at your college. He has been drinking a lot latel

Question

Question 1: Ted is a freshman at your college. He has been drinking a lot lately. There is some concern that Ted may be an alcoholic.  Analyze Ted’s behavior using a behavioral psychology perspective.

Question 2: The free will-determinism debate in psychology poses the following question: to what extent are our behaviors freely selected rather than caused by factors outside of our control? How would a behaviorist responds to this question (i.e. which side of the debate would they support and why)?

Explanation / Answer

Question 1: Ted is a freshman at your college. He has been drinking a lot lately. There is some concern that Ted may be an alcoholic.  Analyze Ted’s behavior using a behavioral psychology perspective.

Behavioral psychology:  

All behaviors are acquired through conditioning. Interaction with environment causes conditioning. Result responses to environmental stimuli shape our actions.

Analysis:

Initially Ted was not alcoholic, later he addicted to alcohol. why?

According to behavioral psychology environmental stimuli shapes our actions. Here newly occured stimuli is college and newly occured action is alcohol. So we can predict that there is relation between his college friends and his alcohol habit. We should consider following points.

a. does he is hyperactive?

b. is he emotionally weak?

c. Is Ted attracts to new things?

d. Does Ted strongly influence by others?

If we received the answer YES, we can predict his behaviour that Ted is an adult, so he can't controlling his emotions. Alcohol is new thing in his life.So he liked drinking alcohol when friends influenced him. Because influenced by others is the Ted nature.

Question 2: The free will-determinism debate in psychology poses the following question: to what extent are our behaviors freely selected rather than caused by factors outside of our control? How would a behaviorist responds to this question (i.e. which side of the debate would they support and why)?

Our behaviours are freely selected or depends on outside control? This depends up on number of factors.

1. Age: Children will have less social influence so their behaviour freely selected. Elders effected by social influences. So their behaviour depends upon external factors

2.Socialization: Highly socialized people behavior effected by external factors. Less socialized people behavior is freely selected.

Murray proposed that behavior mainly based on biological structure of brain. Erik erikson proposed that behaviour shaped by external factors. Both are facts at some degree and both are uncountable at some degree.

I would support that behaviour is basically effected by biological structure rather than social influence, Because if we grewup two children in same situations, their behaviours will be unique. In this manner i'm believing our behaviours is freely selected rather than external factors.

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