Choose a half dozen or so theories that you have studied as a Term Paper

Choose a half dozen or so theories that you have studied as a psychology student. Describe how these theories differ from one another, or how they are similar to one another - Term Paper Example I came to know that my understanding and knowledge of those theories was not the only one. There are some different aspects of those theories, which I never came across. I came to know that how their relativity and grouping are irrelevant and how some of them are astonishingly interrelated. Some of those theories, which made me a victim of cognitive dissonance, are given below. I will start with some basic theories. Classical conditioning and Operant Conditioning falls under the same group of theories. It is obvious that they are similar that’s why they belong to the same group. But if we take a closer look, we will find that they have little in common. Although apparently they look same. Classical conditioning deals with stimulus evoking a reaction. Operant conditioning on the other hand deals with improving of discourage a behavior. When I take a look at these two theories under the light of Aristotle’s four causes, I found that they very differently answer the causes. For example the final cause of classical conditioning is to evoke a reaction or response to a stimulus. This reaction will most probably out of control of the subject. On the other hand operant conditioning encourages a subject to exhibit a certain behavior to have reword or to stay away from the punishment. Now this encouragement to exhibit certain type of behavior is entire ly in the control of the subject. Subject might chose to act otherwise. These theories are again different in answering efficient cause. In classical conditioning the efficient cause is a stimulus, an event or a thing that evokes a reaction. On the other hand operant conditioning answer efficient cause with a reward or punishment. A reward cannot evoke a reaction. These two theories have little in common in formal cause. Both theories share behavior including physical action, but again a reaction is not deliberate. On the other hand a behavior for a reward will be deliberate. They might have something in