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Unit 3 - Neurobiology and Communication
CfE Higher Human Biology
20. Communication and Social Behaviour
Learning Intentions
I can explain the importance of early infant attachment in laying the foundation for stable relationships in the
future.
I can explain that infants may develop secure attachment or insecure attachment
I can state that infants forming secure attachment are more likely to investigate their immediate environment
helping the development of cognitive abilities
I can state that infants forming insecure attachment are less likely to investigate their environment
I can define consequences of insecure attachment as responses of detachment, anger and inconsistent responses
towards mother/other adults
I can state that humans have a long period of dependency providing time for socialisation and learning to occur
I can explain authoritative control as setting limits, rules and high standards but explains reasons for having
them
I can explain permissive control as not setting limits or boundaries and allows the child to regulate their own
behaviour
I can state that authoritative control generally results in greater social competence than permissive control
I can state that non-verbal communication is important in the formation of relationships between individuals
I can describe the importance of body language in signalling attitudes and emotions and as an aid to verbal
communication
I can state that verbal communication is used in the transmission of knowledge, development of culture and social
evolution
I can define learning as a change in behaviour as a result of experience
I can state that repetition of a motor skill results in a motor pathway being established
I can state that human behaviour can be learned by observation and imitation
I can define reinforcement as the process that makes an organism tend to repeat a certain piece of behaviour
I can define shaping as the reinforcement of approximations of a desired response in order to achieve a
particular behaviour
I can describe extinction as the loss of a behaviour as a consequence of no reinforcement
I can define social facilitation as an increase in performance in competitive/audience situations
1.The Effect Of Infant Attachment.
• Humans are social animals which involves
communicating with each other.
• Social Behaviour involves transmitting
and receiving information using signs
and signals.
• Communication in humans begins at
birth.
Infant Attachment
• The period of dependency of a human
infant upon adults is lengthy.
• Infant attachment
• Is the emotional tie that binds a baby
to its carer.
Infant Attachment
Studies
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OrNBEhzjg8I
Harlow’s Monkeys (1958)
This was a study carried out by Harry Harlow on infant monkeys.
Harlow wanted to study the mechanisms by which newborn rhesus monkeys
bond to their mothers. This research was controversial due to concerns
over treatment of animals.
Answer the following questions as you watch the attached clip.
1.What is the difference between the two ‘mothers’?
2.Which ‘mother’ does the baby monkey stay with the
longest
3.Which ‘mother’ does the baby go to when frightened?
4. How does the baby monkey’s behaviour change once
it is comforted by the ‘mother’
Infant Attachment Studies
• Conclusions
• Harlow concluded that for a monkey to develop
normally s/he must have some interaction with an
object to which they can cling during the first months
of life (critical period). Clinging is a natural response in times of stress the monkey runs to the object to
which it normally clings as if the clinging decreases
the stress.
• Contact comfort plays basic role in
attachment between human infants and
their carer.
Infant Attachment Studies
The ‘Strange Situation’
This is a research tool to investigate infant attachment.
Watch the video clip and answer the following questions.
1.Why is this test set-up?
2. Describes the baby’s response when the mother
a) Leaves the room (first separation)
b) Enters the room
3. Describes the baby’s response when the mother leaves the room for the
second time
4.What are the signs of secure attachment?
5. What are the signs of insecure attachment
6. How are children who are considered to be more securely attached more
likely to behave in their first year.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s608077NtNI
Infant Attachment
• At first attachment is indiscriminate on
the baby’s part.
• Specific attachment to the mother
becomes evident between 6 and 9
months.
Infant Attachment
• Early infant attachment is important in laying the
foundation for the future formation of stable
relationships.
Infants that form secure attachments are more likely
to investigate their immediate environment helping
develop cognitive abilities
(Cognitive abilities are the brain-based skills we need to carry
out any task from the simplest to the most complex.)
Socialisation and Learning
• Socialisation is the gradual modification
of developing individual’s behaviour in
order to accommodate the demands of
an active social life within the
community.
• Young humans are dependant on adults
for a long period of development during
childhood and adolescence.
• This provides time for socialisation and
learning.
Methods Control
• The quality of a developing child’s social
competence is affected by the method
of control adopted by their parents.
• Authoritative control generally results
in greater social competence than
permissive control
Methods Control
• Examples of Control
Method Of Control
Behaviour Adopted By Parent
Authoritative
Is warm, nurturing and emotionally
supportive towards the child
(demanding but responsive)
Sets limits, rules, high standards and
explains reasons
Gives direction and expects responsible
behaviour in return.
Reasons with the child and demonstrates
respect
Permissive
Is warm and nurturing
(excessively lenient)
Does not set limits, lay down rules or
assign responsibilities
Adopts ‘no discipline’ approach
Allows the child to regulate their own
behaviour
Parental Control
• As children develop, different methods
of control can influence social
competence.
• Children with authoritative parents are
more likely to develop into self-reliant,
academically successful and socially
accepted adults.
Questions
1. What is infant attachment?
2. What is the importance of early infant attachment?
3. Humans have a long period of dependency on adults.
What does this provide?
4. What affects the quality of a developing child’s social
competence?
5. Describe authoritative control.
6. Describe permissive control.
7. Which type of control generally results in greater
social competence?
Answers
1.What is infant attachment?
The emotional tie between a baby and its carer (mother)
2. What is the importance of early infant attachment?
It lays the foundation for the future formation of
stable relationships.
3. Humans have a long period of dependency on adults.
What does this provide?
This provides time for socialisation and learning.
Answers (continued)
4. What affects the quality of a developing
child’s social competence?
the method of control adopted by their parents.
5. Describe authoritative control.
• Is warm, nurturing and emotionally supportive
towards the child
• Sets limits, rules, high standards and explains reasons
• Gives direction and expects responsible behaviour in
return.
• Reasons with the child and demonstrates respect
Answers ( continued)
6. Describe permissive control.
• Is warm and nurturing
• Does not set limits, lay down rules or assign
responsibilities
• Adopts ‘no discipline’ approach
• Allows the child to regulate their own behaviour
7. Which type of control generally results in greater
social competence?
authoritative
Learning Intentions
I can state that non-verbal communication is important in the formation of
relationships between individuals
I can describe the importance of body language in signalling attitudes and
emotions and as an aid to verbal communication
I can state that verbal communication is used in the transmission of
knowledge, development of culture and social evolution
The Effect Of Communication
• Communication is the exchange of
information from one individual to
another.
Communication can be
non-verbal and verbal.
Non-Verbal Communication
• Non-verbal communication is sending
and receiving wordless messages.
• Facial expressions can convey messages.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=y1H2
kZWjqTA&list=PL0ACE1BF0A435FAEA
As you watch the video clip note the type
of feelings facial expressions convey.
Non-Verbal Communication
• Look at these pictures and try describe
the emotion or message they are
communicating
Non-Verbal Communication
There are six main types of facial expressions
Non-Verbal Communication
• Eye Contact is another method of non
verbal communication.
• Try to describe the message being
communicated.
Non-Verbal Communication
Non-Verbal Communication
• Non verbal communication can be
measured by observing facial
expression, eye contact, touching, tone
of voice and physical proximity.
• Non verbal communication is important
in forming relationships between
individuals and can signal attitudes and
emotions as well as acting as an aid to
verbal communication.
Verbal Communication
• Language is a system that combines
basic sounds and symbols.
• Short term- language allows humans to
convey information for day to day living.
• Long term –language allows transfer of
information from one generation to the
next. This promotes acceleration of
learning and intellectual development.
Verbal Communication
• Verbal communication is used in the
transmission of knowledge, development
of culture and social evolution.
Questions
1. What is communication?
2. What is non-verbal communication.
3. Describe how non verbal communication can be
measured.
4. Why is non verbal communication important.
5. What can non verbal communication signal?
6. What does language combine?
7.What does short term- language allow?
8.What does long term- language allow?
9. What does verbal communication promote?
10. State 3 things that verbal communication is used in.
Answers
1. What is communication?
Communication is the exchange of information from one
individual to another.
2. What is non-verbal communication.
Non-verbal communication is sending and receiving wordless
messages.
3. Describe how non verbal communication can be measured.
Observing facial expression, eye contact, touching, tone of
voice and physical proximity.
4. Why is non verbal communication important.
In forming relationships between individuals.
5. What can non verbal communication signal?
Attitudes and emotions
Answers (continued)
6. What does language combine?
basic sounds and symbols.
7.What does short term- language allow?
allows humans to convey information for day to day living.
8.What does long term- language allow?
allows transfer of information from one generation to the
next.
9. What does verbal communication promote?
acceleration of learning and intellectual development.
10. State 3 things that verbal communication is used in
• The transmission of knowledge.
• The development of culture
• The development of social evolution.
Learning Intentions
I can define learning as a change in behaviour as a result of experience
I can state that repetition of a motor skill results in a motor pathway being established
I can state that human behaviour can be learned by observation and imitation
I can define reinforcement as the process that makes an organism tend to repeat a certain piece of behaviour
I can define shaping as the reinforcement of approximations of a desired response in order to achieve a
particular behaviour
I can describe extinction as the loss of a behaviour as a consequence of no reinforcement
I can define social facilitation as an increase in performance in competitive/audience situations
I can define de-individuation as the loss of personal identity in a group leading to diminished restraints on
behaviour
I can define internalisation as a change of beliefs as a result of persuasion
I can define identification as a change of beliefs to be like an admired influencing source e.g. hero
The Effect Of Experience
• Learning is a change in behaviour as a
result of experience
• Suggested Activity: To investigate learning using a
finger maze
Effect Of Practice On Motor Skills
A motor skill is a function, which involves the precise movement
of muscles in order to perform a specific act.
Practice improves
performance as neural
pathways are established
The repeated use of a motor skill results in a
motor pathway in the nervous system being established
Repetition of the skill is
thought to increase synaptic
connections between neurons.
This leads to formation of a
‘motor memory’
Imitation
• Suggested activity: To investigate the speed of performance of
a task by following instructions and by imitation.
• Human behaviour maybe learned by observation and
imitation.
• When faced with a new task e.g. learning how to use a smart
phone it is much easier and takes less time to learn by watching
and imitating an expert than reading a manual.
• Imitation is effective method of learning if the expert allows
the learner to repeat task.
• Copying a demonstration is the preferred method of learning a
new skill.
• Most people learn a new task more quickly by
imitating an expert than following instructions
Trial and Error Learning
• Trial and Error Learning is the process
of finding a solution to a problem by
trying many possible solutions and
learning from mistakes until a way is
found.
Trial and Error Learning
in Rats
• Watch the video clip of research carried out at Yale
University (1948) and answer the following questions:
• 1.What is difference in the rats?
• 2.Which rat is more active and why?
• 3.What is the motivation to learn?
• 4. Why does the rate of learning increase?
• 5. What are the ‘crucial factors’ in learning
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L-DgV2vixSo
Reinforcement
• Animals are motivated to learn by factors such as
hunger and thirst.
• The hungry rat’s behaviour was rewarded by food –
positive consequence.
• The behaviour is repeated and as result becomes
reinforced.
• Reinforcement is the process that makes an organism
tend to repeat a certain piece of behaviour.
• The reinforcer increases the probability of response
being repeated.
Shaping
• Shaping is the process by which a desired pattern of
behaviour is eventually obtained from the learner by
the trainer reinforcing successive approximations of
the desired response.
Example - The proper use of a fork and knife by a child has
almost no probability of occurring of its own accord.
By using shaping, the parents direct the child’s behaviour along a
desired route by praising (reinforcing) those responses that
are approximations of the required response.
Reinforcement of responses that are successively more and more
similar to final desired response results in the child learning
the new skill e.g. toilet training, learning to dress, tying shoe
laces.
Extinction of Behaviour
• Extinction is the name given to the eventual
disappearance of a behaviour pattern when it is no
longer reinforced.
• Consider the rat that learned that pressing the lever
gives it food every time. How would it’s behaviour
change if pressing the lever failed to give it food?
• Eventually the rat does not press the lever at all and
the learned behaviour pattern becomes extinct.
Learning
• Case study: Find out about studies of rewarded and unrewarded
behaviour and shaping in learning.
• Reinforcement, shaping and extinction of behaviour
are part of trial and error learning.
• Reinforcement is when behaviour patterns that have a
positive consequence for the individual are likely to
repeated.
• Shaping is rewarding of behaviour that approximates
to the desired behaviour.
• Extinction happens when behaviour patterns are not
rewarded and so are likely to disappear.
Generalisation and
Discrimination
• Generalisation is the ability to respond
in the same way to many different but
related stimuli.
Generalisation Experiment (John
Watson’s Baby Albert Experiment
Stimulus
Response by child
White rat
Reaches out to rat showing no fear
White rat and
loud noise every
time child
reaches out to
touch rat
Refuses to reach out and shows fear of white rats.
White furry
objects e.g.
teddy bear,
Refuses to reach out to touch any furry object
What conclusions can be drawn from the above
results?
The baby developed an aversion to white rats and a
fear of many furry objects.
The spread of response to different but related
stimuli is an example of generalisation.
Discrimination
• Discrimination is the ability to distinguish between
related stimuli and give different responses.
• Discrimination is taught by reinforcing the desired
response.
• Example;
• Mother responding to a baby with hugs and kisses
when addressed as mama but the father not
responding in the same way when addressed as mama.
• The baby is soon able to tell the difference between
similar stimuli but give a different response.
• The baby has learned to discriminate.
Discrimination
• Learning to discriminate is an essential part of a
child’s preparation for coping with everyday life.
Generalisation and Discrimination
Generalisation and Discrimination may result in for
example a child who has been bitten by dog to fear all
dogs ( generalisation ) or only to fear large dogs
(discrimination).
Questions 1
1. What is learning?
2. Give the definition of a motor skill.
3. Describe how to improve the repeated use of a motor
skill.
4. Describe what is established with the repeated use
of a motor skill.
5. Give the meaning of imitation.
6. Give the meaning of trial and error learning.
7. How can human behaviour be learned.
8 What is the meaning of reinforcement
Answers 1
1. What is learning?
Learning is a change in behaviour as a result of
experience
2. Give the definition of a motor skill.
It is a function, which involves the precise movement of
muscles in order to perform a specific act.
3. Describe how to improve the use of a motor skill.
Practice
4. Describe what is established with the repeated use
of a motor skill.
A motor pathway in the nervous system
Answers 1 (continued)
5. Give the meaning of imitation.
Observation and copying
6. Give the meaning of trial and error learning.
It is the process of finding a solution to a problem by
trying many possible solutions and learning from
mistakes until a way is found.
7. What is the meaning of reinforcement
Reinforcement is the process that makes an organism
tend to repeat a certain piece of behaviour.
Questions 2
8. Give the meaning of shaping.
9. What is the meaning of extinction of behaviour.
10. What type of learning is reinforcement, shaping and
extinction of behaviour part of?
11. Give the meaning of generalisation.
12. Describe the effects of generalisation on behaviour.
13. Give the meaning of discrimination.
14. Give an example of the effects of discrimination on
behaviour.
Answers 2
8. Give the meaning of shaping.
Shaping is the process by which a desired pattern of
behaviour is eventually obtained from the learner by
the trainer reinforcing successive approximations of
the desired response.
9. What is the meaning of extinction of behaviour.
Extinction is the name given to the eventual
disappearance of a behaviour pattern when it is no
longer reinforced.
10. What type of learning is reinforcement, shaping and
extinction of behaviour part of?
trial and error learning
Answers 2 (continued)
11. Give the meaning of generalisation.
Generalisation is the ability to respond in the same way
to many different but related stimuli.
12. Describe the effects of generalisation on behaviour.
The spread of response to different but related stimuli
e.g. fear of white furry rats will spread to white fluffy
toys
13. Give the meaning of discrimination.
Discrimination is the ability to distinguish between
related stimuli and give different responses.
Answers 2 (continued)
14. Give an example of the effects of
discrimination on behaviour.
Mother responding to a baby with hugs and kisses when
addressed as mama but the father not responding in
the same way when addressed as mama
The baby is soon able to tell the difference between
similar stimuli but give a different response.
Learning Intentions
I can explain the importance of early infant attachment in laying the foundation for stable relationships in the
future.
I can explain that infants may develop secure attachment or insecure attachment
I can state that infants forming secure attachment are more likely to investigate their immediate environment
helping the development of cognitive abilities
I can state that infants forming insecure attachment are less likely to investigate their environment
I can define consequences of insecure attachment as responses of detachment, anger and inconsistent responses
towards mother/other adults
I can state that humans have a long period of dependency providing time for socialisation and learning to occur
I can explain authoritative control as setting limits, rules and high standards but explains reasons for having
them
I can explain permissive control as not setting limits or boundaries and allows the child to regulate their own
behaviour
I can state that authoritative control generally results in greater social competence than permissive control
I can state that non-verbal communication is important in the formation of relationships between individuals
I can describe the importance of body language in signalling attitudes and emotions and as an aid to verbal
communication
I can state that verbal communication is used in the transmission of knowledge, development of culture and social
evolution
I can define learning as a change in behaviour as a result of experience
I can state that repetition of a motor skill results in a motor pathway being established
I can state that human behaviour can be learned by observation and imitation
I can define reinforcement as the process that makes an organism tend to repeat a certain piece of behaviour
I can define shaping as the reinforcement of approximations of a desired response in order to achieve a
particular behaviour
I can describe extinction as the loss of a behaviour as a consequence of no reinforcement
I can define social facilitation as an increase in performance in competitive/audience situations
Social Facilitation
• Watch the clip and comment on how player 1’s
performance changes when player 2 is introduced.
• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IUR13BCSvQA
• The presence of others improves performance
( especially in a competitive situation) is called social
facilitation.
De-individuation
• Once under group pressure, individuals think and act
differently from the way that they would if they
were on their own.
• Decisions and behaviour now depend less on the
members ’individual personalities and more on the
collective influence of the group.
• The loss by an individual of personal identity when in
a group is called de-individuation
De-individuation
• De-individuated people feel indistinguishable from
others in the group and are more likely to act
mindlessly and do things that they would never
consider doing on their own.
• De-individuation is often used to explain the antisocial behaviour of some groups which would not be
shown by individuals from these groups on their own.
De-individuation
• Loss of personal identity in a group
leading to diminished restraints of
behaviour.
Internalisation
• Internalisation is the changing of
beliefs as a result of persuasion.
• Media, advertising, governments attempt to persuade
people to change their current beliefs and adopt a
different set of beliefs.
• They attempt to persuade us to internalise their
beliefs.
Identification
• Identification is the changing of beliefs
to be like an admired influencing source.
• Identification can result in a person changing their
beliefs to be deliberately like another admired
person.
• Discuss how advertising uses internalisation and identification to
influence us.
Questions
1. What is the meaning of social facilitation?
2. What can social facilitation lead to?
3. Give the meaning of de-individuation.
4. Describe 2 different effects of de-individuation.
5. Give the meaning of Internalisation
6. Describe the effects of internalisation.
8. Give the meaning of Identification.
9. Describe the effect of Identification.
Answers
1. What is the meaning of social facilitation?
The presence of others will improve performance
2. What can social facilitation lead to?
increased performance in competitive situations.
3. Give the meaning of de-individuation.
The loss by an individual of personal identity when in a
group
4. Describe 2 different effects of de-individuation.
• leads to loss of personal identity.
• leads to diminished restraints on behaviour.
Answers(continued)
5. Give the meaning of Internalisation
The changing of beliefs as a result of persuasion.
6. Describe the effects of internalisation.
Media, advertising, governments attempt to persuade
people to change their current beliefs and adopt a
different set of beliefs.
8. Give the meaning of Identification.
Identification is the changing of beliefs to be like an
admired influencing source.
9. Describe the effect of Identification.
This is used by advertisers to persuade someone to be
like their hero