Recently in Psychology, we viewed a movie called "Dead Poets Society." It was all about young teenage angst and "finding yourself'--very classic. Anyway, as with most movies, if not all, there were psychological terms that could be related throughout. The object of This week's blog is Maslow's hierarchy of needs, which includes physiological needs, safety needs, needs of love, affection and belongingness, needs of self-esteem, and needs of self actualization. Maslow states that the lower level needs must be fulfilled before the higher levels can be met.
The first level is physiological needs, such as the need for food and water. Throughout the movie, the boys are seen in the cafeteria at various times, and especially, during the Winer months, they all bundle up in warm clothes when they go outside. After finding out about Neil's death, the boys go outside in the snow and they are seen wearing sweaters, scarves, and other winter weather gear. They are meeting their need for warmth, which keeps them alive, which therefore allows them to fulfill higher level needs such as safety needs, etc. Their physiological need was met.
The second level is the need for safety. This need is the need for protection. This is a need that often goes unnoticed because most have shelter and a bed to sleep in at night. The boys of the Dead Poets Society were no different. They all resided in a lavish boarding school with beds to sleep in at night and guardians to watch over them. They were all protected, which allowed them to go on to fulfill higher levels of needs. Their need for safety and protection was met.
The third level is the need for love, belongingness and affection. All the boys met their need for belongingness by forming the Dead Poets Society. They were part of a group that made them fill like they all belong. This need for belonging was met for all the boys, except for maybe Todd, who was shy and withdrawn. Eventually, however, he becomes a part of the group. Also, Knox falls in love with a girl who is unavailable. He wants for her to love him, and he persists until she agrees to see a play with him. The fact that she showed him affection met his love and affection need. The fact that the boys' belongingness, love and affection needs were met, allowed them to fulfill the next level of the hierarchy of needs.
The fourth level of needs is the Self-esteem needs. This level states that humans needs self-esteem and positive reassurance from other human beings. The group of guys encouraged each other greatly, and Mr. Keating most of all encouraged them to seize the day; that they were capable of doing whatever they set their mind to. He gave Neil the self esteem he needed to perform in the play. After the play was over, everyone congratulated Neil on what a great job he did, which fulfilled his self-esteem need. However, his father quickly tore it down, and Neil took his own life. With the exception of Neil, Mr. Keating's support and support of the other boys, allowed the young men to meet their need for self-esteem.
The fifth level is self-actualization. This sates that a person finds who they are and what their purpose in life is; for example, an artist makes art and a musician makes music. We can see this self-actualization in Todd, At first, he was shy, and was always in the shadow of his brother, but the events of Neil's death and the courage that Mr. Keating gave him allowed him to find his voice. At the end, he along with the other members of the Dead Pet's Society defiantly stand on their desks and exclaim, "O Captain, my Captain." Todd found his voice and who he was as a person. In that moment, he met his need for self-actualization and completed fulfilling the levels of the hierarchy of needs.
The journey of Todd, Neil, Mr. Keating and the other boys of the Dead Poets Society, offered a great example of Maslow's Hierarchy of needs and how the lower levels, such as the need for food and shelter must be met before the higher levels, such as the need for self-esteem and self-actualization, can be fulfilled.
Friday, December 17, 2010
Thursday, December 9, 2010
Skinner Box Video Game
I must admit, when I read the criteria for this assignment, I was actually pretty excited. Everyone of the video game era has one game that they will forever remember as a mind-blowing awesomely amazing experience. For me, that game was Final Fantasy IX, played on the one and only original PlayStation. Some people enjoy all these new consoles, like PS3 and X-Box 360, but I like to keep it old school. Well, I mean, 90's old school. Final Fantasy IX was the best game ever. It was a four disc epic adventure filled with different tasks to achieve, levels to reach, and my favorite characters had the ability to use white magic and summon Gods to destroy their enemies. After watching the video, I'm sure that skinner's Operant conditioning was used to keep me playing, but I don't care. It was definitely worth my time.
Obviously, the game I played wasn't as simple as pressing a button for food, but it was quite similar to the Skinner Box. By playing the game, I learned that accomplishing different tasks gave me rewards such as leveling up my characters or obtaining another piece of the intricate puzzle that the story behind the game created. Sometimes, if you reached a certain point, a small movie would play, moving the game along (the graphics were quite amazing considering it was like 1998 when the game was released). Though it was more intricate, the game conditioned me to continue to play to obtain rewards just as the pigeon continued to press the button for food.
There are two reinforcement schedules within the game I remember vividly. One was a fixed-ratio schedule, where a reward was given after a set number of responses. To level up my characters, they had to gain a fixed number of experience points by battling a certain amount of monsters. After such requirement was met, then the character would level up and become a bit more powerful. There were many a night when I stayed up just a bit too late to get my characters up "just one more level." Another was a variable-ratio schedule. My favorite character, Garnet, was able to summon Gods that would inflict damage on her enemies. Sometimes, after a random number of summons, there would be a small video clip of her actually summoning the God, and this would result in the turn causing more damage to the opponent. As a result, I constantly used her summoning powers as opposed to physical attacks in hopes that the clip would play and I could inflict more damage on my enemy.
A secondary reinforcer refers to a stimulus that gains reinforcing properties because it is associated with a primary reinforcer. In Final Fantasy IX, gold coins were a secondary reinforcer. They were secondary reinforcers because I could use them to buy things like weapons and armor that would strengthen my character's defenses at attack power. The weapons, etc were a primary reinforcer because they rewarded me in the game and the gold coins I collected that allowed me to buy such items were a secondary reinforcer because I associated the coins with said weapons.
Both Positive and Negative Reinforcement were used in the game. One positive reinforcer that kept me playing the game was the rewards I would receive when I played. If you would accomplish the tasks set forth for you, there was always something in return; like a new weapon, coins, or something useful to help you through the game. They were positive reinforcers because I was given rewards and the behavior of playing the game continued. A negative reinforcer of the game itself was the fact that it relieved boredom. I found myself many a day "jeez I'm bored, what to do? PLAY FINAL FANTASY IX! THAT'S WHAT!" Flash to six hours later, and I'm still not bored. Back then, my mom would have to pry me away from the PlayStation. Anyway, the game served as a negative reinforcer because the aversive stimulus of boredom was relieved and I continued the behavior of playing the game.
Achievement Motivation is a desire for significant accomplishment. This definitely came into play during my affair with this game. I wanted so badly to get to the end of those four discs. The game was a story, and I wanted to see how it ended. So, I defeated many a terrible creature and made it to the end. The reward was a movie that detailed how my favorite characters fell in love and lived happily ever after. It was kind of cheesy after four discs of epic adventure and carnage, but hey, I like a good love story. I experience Achievement Motivation through my desire to complete the journey.
I thought this assignment was interesting. I never thought about my video games in terms of psychology before, but I suppose it makes sense that they condition us to play. I don't mind it though. Final Fantasy IX was the best game ever made in the history of time and it doesn't bother me that I was conditioned to press a button or stay up leveling up my amazing characters. It was fun, and I enjoyed it. Though my video game days are pretty much over, it's interesting to think how psychology applies to such things. It's definitely something I'll think about the next time I pick up a controller.
Obviously, the game I played wasn't as simple as pressing a button for food, but it was quite similar to the Skinner Box. By playing the game, I learned that accomplishing different tasks gave me rewards such as leveling up my characters or obtaining another piece of the intricate puzzle that the story behind the game created. Sometimes, if you reached a certain point, a small movie would play, moving the game along (the graphics were quite amazing considering it was like 1998 when the game was released). Though it was more intricate, the game conditioned me to continue to play to obtain rewards just as the pigeon continued to press the button for food.
There are two reinforcement schedules within the game I remember vividly. One was a fixed-ratio schedule, where a reward was given after a set number of responses. To level up my characters, they had to gain a fixed number of experience points by battling a certain amount of monsters. After such requirement was met, then the character would level up and become a bit more powerful. There were many a night when I stayed up just a bit too late to get my characters up "just one more level." Another was a variable-ratio schedule. My favorite character, Garnet, was able to summon Gods that would inflict damage on her enemies. Sometimes, after a random number of summons, there would be a small video clip of her actually summoning the God, and this would result in the turn causing more damage to the opponent. As a result, I constantly used her summoning powers as opposed to physical attacks in hopes that the clip would play and I could inflict more damage on my enemy.
A secondary reinforcer refers to a stimulus that gains reinforcing properties because it is associated with a primary reinforcer. In Final Fantasy IX, gold coins were a secondary reinforcer. They were secondary reinforcers because I could use them to buy things like weapons and armor that would strengthen my character's defenses at attack power. The weapons, etc were a primary reinforcer because they rewarded me in the game and the gold coins I collected that allowed me to buy such items were a secondary reinforcer because I associated the coins with said weapons.
Both Positive and Negative Reinforcement were used in the game. One positive reinforcer that kept me playing the game was the rewards I would receive when I played. If you would accomplish the tasks set forth for you, there was always something in return; like a new weapon, coins, or something useful to help you through the game. They were positive reinforcers because I was given rewards and the behavior of playing the game continued. A negative reinforcer of the game itself was the fact that it relieved boredom. I found myself many a day "jeez I'm bored, what to do? PLAY FINAL FANTASY IX! THAT'S WHAT!" Flash to six hours later, and I'm still not bored. Back then, my mom would have to pry me away from the PlayStation. Anyway, the game served as a negative reinforcer because the aversive stimulus of boredom was relieved and I continued the behavior of playing the game.
Achievement Motivation is a desire for significant accomplishment. This definitely came into play during my affair with this game. I wanted so badly to get to the end of those four discs. The game was a story, and I wanted to see how it ended. So, I defeated many a terrible creature and made it to the end. The reward was a movie that detailed how my favorite characters fell in love and lived happily ever after. It was kind of cheesy after four discs of epic adventure and carnage, but hey, I like a good love story. I experience Achievement Motivation through my desire to complete the journey.
I thought this assignment was interesting. I never thought about my video games in terms of psychology before, but I suppose it makes sense that they condition us to play. I don't mind it though. Final Fantasy IX was the best game ever made in the history of time and it doesn't bother me that I was conditioned to press a button or stay up leveling up my amazing characters. It was fun, and I enjoyed it. Though my video game days are pretty much over, it's interesting to think how psychology applies to such things. It's definitely something I'll think about the next time I pick up a controller.
Subscribe to:
Comments (Atom)