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Chapter 1 Human behaviour rev 2.3.pdf

Ramez Enwesri
Ramez Enwesri

This document discusses human behavior and factors that influence learning. It covers key topics such as how learning occurs through experience and changes behavior. It also discusses Abraham Maslow's hierarchy of needs and how satisfying basic needs like food, shelter and belongingness can motivate learning. Defense mechanisms that can inhibit learning are explained, such as repression where uncomfortable thoughts are pushed into the unconscious mind. The relationship between instructors and students is also covered, noting how personality and learning styles impact the learning experience.

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Chapter 1 Human behaviour rev 2.3.pdf
Chapter 1 Human behaviour rev 2.3.pdf
Chapter 1. Human Behavior Introduction Learning is the acquisition of knowledge or understanding of a subject or skill through education, experience, practice, or study. A change of behavior results from learning. To be an effective instructor, knowledge of human behavior, basic human needs, the defense mechanisms humans use that prevent learning, as well as how adults learn is essential for organizing student activities and promoting a productive learning experience for students.
Definitions of Human Behavior Speaking in public is very high on the list of fears modern humans have. While no two people react the same to any given fear, fear itself does trigger certain innate biological responses in humans such as an increase in breathing rate. How a person handles that fear is a product of individual experiences. Human behavior is also defined as the result of attempts to satisfy certain needs ,such as the need for food and water. They also may be complex, such as the need for respect and acceptance. The thoughts, feelings, and behavior of an infant differ radically from those of a teen. Research shows that as an individual matures, his or her mode of action moves from dependency to self-direction. Therefore, the age of the student impacts how the instructor designs the curriculum. Since the average age of a student can vary, the instructor needs to offer a curriculum that addresses the varying student tendency to self-direct.
Instructor and Student Relationship Research has led many educational psychologists to feel that based on personality type, everyone also has an individual style of learning. Todays student can visit any number of websites, take a personality test, and discover what type of student he or she is and how best to study. Not only does personality type influence how one learns, it also influences how one teaches. Learning ones personality type helps an instructor recognize how he or she instructs. The match or mismatch between the way an instructor teaches and the way a student learns contributes to student satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Students whose learning styles are compatible with the teaching styles of an instructor tend to retain information longer, apply it more effectively, learn more, and have a more positive attitude toward the course in general.
Human Needs and Motivation Human needs are things all humans require for normal growth and development. The work of psychologist Abraham Maslow who also studied human needs, motivation, and personality. In 1954, Maslow published what has become known as Maslows Hierarchy of Needs which remains valid today for understanding human motivation. [Figure 1-2].
Human needs are satisfied in order of importance. Once a need is satisfied, humans work to satisfy the next level of need. Need satisfaction is an ongoing behavior that determines everyday actions.
Maslow Revision 2000
Human Needs That Must Be Met To Encourage Learning Physiological These are biological needs. They consist of the need for air, food, water, and maintenance of the human body. Instructors should monitor their students to make sure that their basic physical needs have been met. A hungry or tired student may not be able to perform as expected. Security Once the physiological needs are met, the need for security becomes active. If a student does not feel safe, he or she cannot concentrate on learning. The aviation instructor who stresses flight safety during training mitigates feelings of insecurity. Belonging When individuals are physically comfortable and do not feel threatened, they seek to satisfy their social needs of belonging. This involves both giving and receiving love, affection, and the sense of belonging. For example, aviation students are usually out of their normal surroundings during training, and their need for association and belonging is more pronounced. Instructors should make every effort to help new students feel at ease and to reinforce their decision to pursue a career or hobby in aviation.
Human Needs That Must Be Met To Encourage Learning Esteem When the first three classes of needs are satisfied, the need for esteem can become dominant. Humans get esteem in two ways: internally or externally. Internally, a person judges himself or herself worthy by personally defined standards. High self-esteem results in self-confidence, independence, achievement, competence, and knowledge. Most people, however, seek external esteem through social approval and esteem from other people, judging themselves by what others think of them. When esteem needs are satisfied, a person feels self-confident and valuable as a person in the world. When these needs are frustrated, the person feels inferior, weak, helpless, and worthless.
Human Needs That Must Be Met To Encourage Learning Cognitive and Aesthetic In later years, Maslow added cognitive (need to know and understand) and aesthetic (the emotional need of the artist) needs to the pyramid. He realized humans have a deep need to understand what is going on around them. If a person understands what is going on, he or she can either control the situation or make informed choices about what steps might be taken next. Aesthetic needs connect directly with human emotions, which makes it a subtle factor in the domain of persuasion. When someone likes another person, a house, a painting, or a song, the reasons are not examinedhe or she simply likes it. If an instructor does not like a student, this subtle feeling may affect the instructors ability to teach that student.
Human Needs That Must Be Met To Encourage Learning Self-Actualization When all of the foregoing needs are satisfied, then and only then are the needs for self-actualization activated. Maslow describes self-actualization as a persons need to be and do that which the person was born to do. Instructors should help students satisfy their human needs in a manner that creates a healthy learning environment. In this type of environment, students experience fewer frustrations and, therefore, can devote more attention to their studies. Fulfillment of needs can be a powerful motivation in complex learning situations.
Human Factors That Inhibit Learning Defense Mechanisms Defense mechanisms can be biological or psychological. The biological defense mechanism is a physiological response that protects or preserves organisms. For example, when humans experience a danger or a threat, the fight or flight response kicks in. Adrenaline and other chemicals are activated and physical symptoms such as rapid heart rate and increased blood pressure occur.
Defense mechanisms soften feelings of failure, alleviate feelings of guilt, help an individual cope with reality, and protect ones self-image. [Figure 1-4]
When anxiety occurs, the mind tries to solve the problem or find an escape, but if these tactics do not work, defense mechanisms are triggered. Defense mechanisms share two common properties: They often appear unconsciously. They tend to distort, transform, or otherwise falsify reality. Because reality is distorted, perception changes, which allows for a lessening of anxiety, with a corresponding reduction in tension. Repression and denial are two primary defense mechanisms.
Human Factors That Inhibit Learning Repression Repression is the defense mechanism whereby a person places uncomfortable thoughts into inaccessible areas of the unconscious mind. Things a person is unable to cope with now are pushed away, to be dealt with at another time. The level of repression can vary from temporarily forgetting an uncomfortable thought to amnesia, where the events that triggered the anxiety are deeply buried. Repressed memories do not disappear and may reappear in dreams.
Denial Denial is a refusal to accept external reality because it is too threatening. It is the refusal to acknowledge what has happened, is happening, or will happen. It is a form of repression through which stressful thoughts are banned from memory. Related to denial is minimization. When a person minimizes something, he or she accepts what happened, but in a diluted form. Other defense mechanisms include but are not limited to the following:
Compensation Compensation is a process of psychologically counterbalancing perceived weaknesses by emphasizing strength in other areas. Through compensation, students often attempt to disguise the presence of a weak or undesirable quality by emphasizing a more positive one. The Im not a fighter, Im a lover philosophy can be an example of compensation. Projection Through projection, an individual places his or her own unacceptable impulses onto someone else. A person relegates the blame for personal shortcomings, mistakes, and transgressions to others or attributes personal motives, desires, characteristics, and impulses to others. The student pilot who fails a flight exam and says, I failed because I had a poor examiner believes the failure was not due to a lack of personal skill or knowledge. This student projects blame onto an unfair examiner.
Projection
Human Factors That Inhibit Learning Rationalization Rationalization is a subconscious technique for justifying actions that otherwise would be unacceptable. For example, a student performs poorly on a test. He or she may justify the poor grade by claiming there was not enough time to learn the required information. The student does not admit to failing to join the class study group or taking the computer quiz offered by the instructor. Reaction Formation In reaction formation a person fakes a belief opposite to the true belief because the true belief causes anxiety. The person feels an urge to do or say something and then actually does or says something that is the opposite of what he or she really wants. For example, a student may develop a who- cares-how-other-people-feel attitude to cover up feelings of loneliness and a hunger for acceptance.
Fantasy Fantasy occurs when a student engages in daydreams about how things should be rather than doing anything about how things are. The student uses his or her imagination to escape from reality into a fictitious worlda world of success or pleasure. This provides a simple and satisfying escape from problems, but if a student gets sufficient satisfaction from daydreaming, he or she may stop trying to achieve goals altogether. When carried to extremes, the worlds of fantasy and reality can become so confused that the dreamer cannot distinguish one from the other.
Chapter 1 Human behaviour rev 2.3.pdf
Human Factors That Inhibit Learning Displacement This defense mechanism results in an unconscious shift of emotion, affect, or desire from the original object to a more acceptable, less threatening substitute. For example, the student is angry with the instructor over a grade received, but fears displaying the anger could cause the instructor to lower the grade. The student might choose to express the anger but redirects it toward another, safer person such as a spouse.
Student Emotional Reactions While it is not necessary for a flight instructor to be a certified psychologist, it is helpful to learn how to analyze student behavior before and during each flight lesson. This ability helps a flight instructor develop and use appropriate techniques for instruction. Anxiety Anxiety is probably the most significant psychological factor affecting flight instruction. This is true because flying is a potentially threatening experience for those who are not accustomed to flying and the fear of falling is universal in human beings. The following paragraphs are primarily concerned with flight instruction and student reactions. Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, often about something that is going to happen, typically something with an uncertain outcome.
Anxiety can be countered by reinforcing the students enjoyment of flying and by teaching them to cope with their fears. When introducing stalls, for example, instructors should first review the aerodynamic principles and explain how stalls affect flight characteristics. Then, carefully describe the physical sensations to be expected, as well as the recovery procedures.
Student Emotional Reactions Normal Reactions to Stress As mentioned earlier in the chapter, when a threat is recognized or imagined, the brain alerts the body. The adrenal gland activates hormones, which prepare the body to meet the threat or to retreat from it the fight or flight syndrome.
Abnormal Reactions to Stress During flight instruction, instructors are normally the only ones who can observe students when they are under pressure. Instructors, therefore, are in a position to differentiate between safe and unsafe piloting actions. Instructors also may be able to detect potential psychological problems. The following student reactions are indicative of abnormal reactions to stress. Inappropriate reactions, such as extreme over- cooperation, painstaking self-control, inappropriate laughter or singing, and very rapid changes in emotions. Marked changes in mood on different lessons, such as excellent morale followed by deep depression. Severe anger directed toward the flight instructor, service personnel, and others. In difficult situations, flight instructors must carefully examine student responses and their own responses to the students. [Figure 1-5]
Flight Instructor Actions Regarding Seriously Abnormal Students A flight instructor who believes a student may be suffering from a serious psychological abnormality has a responsibility to refrain from instructing that student. In addition, a flight instructor has the personal responsibility of assuring that such a person does not continue flight training or become certificated as a pilot. To accomplish this, the following steps are available: If an instructor believes that a student may have a disqualifying psychological defect, arrangements should be made for another instructor, who is not acquainted with the student, to conduct an evaluation flight. After the flight, the two instructors should confer to determine whether they agree that further investigation or action is justified.
Teaching the Adult Student While aviation instructors teach students of all ages, the average aviation student age is 30 years old. This means the aviation instructor needs to be versed in the needs of adult students.
Chapter Summary This chapter discussed how human behavior affects learning, human needs that must be met before students can learn, defense mechanisms students use to prevent learning, how adults learn, and the flight instructors role in determining a students future in the aviation community. For more information on these topics, it is recommended the instructor read a general educational psychology text or visit one of the many online sites devoted to education.

More Related Content

Chapter 1 Human behaviour rev 2.3.pdf

  • 3. Chapter 1. Human Behavior Introduction Learning is the acquisition of knowledge or understanding of a subject or skill through education, experience, practice, or study. A change of behavior results from learning. To be an effective instructor, knowledge of human behavior, basic human needs, the defense mechanisms humans use that prevent learning, as well as how adults learn is essential for organizing student activities and promoting a productive learning experience for students.
  • 4. Definitions of Human Behavior Speaking in public is very high on the list of fears modern humans have. While no two people react the same to any given fear, fear itself does trigger certain innate biological responses in humans such as an increase in breathing rate. How a person handles that fear is a product of individual experiences. Human behavior is also defined as the result of attempts to satisfy certain needs ,such as the need for food and water. They also may be complex, such as the need for respect and acceptance. The thoughts, feelings, and behavior of an infant differ radically from those of a teen. Research shows that as an individual matures, his or her mode of action moves from dependency to self-direction. Therefore, the age of the student impacts how the instructor designs the curriculum. Since the average age of a student can vary, the instructor needs to offer a curriculum that addresses the varying student tendency to self-direct.
  • 5. Instructor and Student Relationship Research has led many educational psychologists to feel that based on personality type, everyone also has an individual style of learning. Todays student can visit any number of websites, take a personality test, and discover what type of student he or she is and how best to study. Not only does personality type influence how one learns, it also influences how one teaches. Learning ones personality type helps an instructor recognize how he or she instructs. The match or mismatch between the way an instructor teaches and the way a student learns contributes to student satisfaction or dissatisfaction. Students whose learning styles are compatible with the teaching styles of an instructor tend to retain information longer, apply it more effectively, learn more, and have a more positive attitude toward the course in general.
  • 6. Human Needs and Motivation Human needs are things all humans require for normal growth and development. The work of psychologist Abraham Maslow who also studied human needs, motivation, and personality. In 1954, Maslow published what has become known as Maslows Hierarchy of Needs which remains valid today for understanding human motivation. [Figure 1-2].
  • 7. Human needs are satisfied in order of importance. Once a need is satisfied, humans work to satisfy the next level of need. Need satisfaction is an ongoing behavior that determines everyday actions.
  • 9. Human Needs That Must Be Met To Encourage Learning Physiological These are biological needs. They consist of the need for air, food, water, and maintenance of the human body. Instructors should monitor their students to make sure that their basic physical needs have been met. A hungry or tired student may not be able to perform as expected. Security Once the physiological needs are met, the need for security becomes active. If a student does not feel safe, he or she cannot concentrate on learning. The aviation instructor who stresses flight safety during training mitigates feelings of insecurity. Belonging When individuals are physically comfortable and do not feel threatened, they seek to satisfy their social needs of belonging. This involves both giving and receiving love, affection, and the sense of belonging. For example, aviation students are usually out of their normal surroundings during training, and their need for association and belonging is more pronounced. Instructors should make every effort to help new students feel at ease and to reinforce their decision to pursue a career or hobby in aviation.
  • 10. Human Needs That Must Be Met To Encourage Learning Esteem When the first three classes of needs are satisfied, the need for esteem can become dominant. Humans get esteem in two ways: internally or externally. Internally, a person judges himself or herself worthy by personally defined standards. High self-esteem results in self-confidence, independence, achievement, competence, and knowledge. Most people, however, seek external esteem through social approval and esteem from other people, judging themselves by what others think of them. When esteem needs are satisfied, a person feels self-confident and valuable as a person in the world. When these needs are frustrated, the person feels inferior, weak, helpless, and worthless.
  • 11. Human Needs That Must Be Met To Encourage Learning Cognitive and Aesthetic In later years, Maslow added cognitive (need to know and understand) and aesthetic (the emotional need of the artist) needs to the pyramid. He realized humans have a deep need to understand what is going on around them. If a person understands what is going on, he or she can either control the situation or make informed choices about what steps might be taken next. Aesthetic needs connect directly with human emotions, which makes it a subtle factor in the domain of persuasion. When someone likes another person, a house, a painting, or a song, the reasons are not examinedhe or she simply likes it. If an instructor does not like a student, this subtle feeling may affect the instructors ability to teach that student.
  • 12. Human Needs That Must Be Met To Encourage Learning Self-Actualization When all of the foregoing needs are satisfied, then and only then are the needs for self-actualization activated. Maslow describes self-actualization as a persons need to be and do that which the person was born to do. Instructors should help students satisfy their human needs in a manner that creates a healthy learning environment. In this type of environment, students experience fewer frustrations and, therefore, can devote more attention to their studies. Fulfillment of needs can be a powerful motivation in complex learning situations.
  • 13. Human Factors That Inhibit Learning Defense Mechanisms Defense mechanisms can be biological or psychological. The biological defense mechanism is a physiological response that protects or preserves organisms. For example, when humans experience a danger or a threat, the fight or flight response kicks in. Adrenaline and other chemicals are activated and physical symptoms such as rapid heart rate and increased blood pressure occur.
  • 14. Defense mechanisms soften feelings of failure, alleviate feelings of guilt, help an individual cope with reality, and protect ones self-image. [Figure 1-4]
  • 15. When anxiety occurs, the mind tries to solve the problem or find an escape, but if these tactics do not work, defense mechanisms are triggered. Defense mechanisms share two common properties: They often appear unconsciously. They tend to distort, transform, or otherwise falsify reality. Because reality is distorted, perception changes, which allows for a lessening of anxiety, with a corresponding reduction in tension. Repression and denial are two primary defense mechanisms.
  • 16. Human Factors That Inhibit Learning Repression Repression is the defense mechanism whereby a person places uncomfortable thoughts into inaccessible areas of the unconscious mind. Things a person is unable to cope with now are pushed away, to be dealt with at another time. The level of repression can vary from temporarily forgetting an uncomfortable thought to amnesia, where the events that triggered the anxiety are deeply buried. Repressed memories do not disappear and may reappear in dreams.
  • 17. Denial Denial is a refusal to accept external reality because it is too threatening. It is the refusal to acknowledge what has happened, is happening, or will happen. It is a form of repression through which stressful thoughts are banned from memory. Related to denial is minimization. When a person minimizes something, he or she accepts what happened, but in a diluted form. Other defense mechanisms include but are not limited to the following:
  • 18. Compensation Compensation is a process of psychologically counterbalancing perceived weaknesses by emphasizing strength in other areas. Through compensation, students often attempt to disguise the presence of a weak or undesirable quality by emphasizing a more positive one. The Im not a fighter, Im a lover philosophy can be an example of compensation. Projection Through projection, an individual places his or her own unacceptable impulses onto someone else. A person relegates the blame for personal shortcomings, mistakes, and transgressions to others or attributes personal motives, desires, characteristics, and impulses to others. The student pilot who fails a flight exam and says, I failed because I had a poor examiner believes the failure was not due to a lack of personal skill or knowledge. This student projects blame onto an unfair examiner.
  • 20. Human Factors That Inhibit Learning Rationalization Rationalization is a subconscious technique for justifying actions that otherwise would be unacceptable. For example, a student performs poorly on a test. He or she may justify the poor grade by claiming there was not enough time to learn the required information. The student does not admit to failing to join the class study group or taking the computer quiz offered by the instructor. Reaction Formation In reaction formation a person fakes a belief opposite to the true belief because the true belief causes anxiety. The person feels an urge to do or say something and then actually does or says something that is the opposite of what he or she really wants. For example, a student may develop a who- cares-how-other-people-feel attitude to cover up feelings of loneliness and a hunger for acceptance.
  • 21. Fantasy Fantasy occurs when a student engages in daydreams about how things should be rather than doing anything about how things are. The student uses his or her imagination to escape from reality into a fictitious worlda world of success or pleasure. This provides a simple and satisfying escape from problems, but if a student gets sufficient satisfaction from daydreaming, he or she may stop trying to achieve goals altogether. When carried to extremes, the worlds of fantasy and reality can become so confused that the dreamer cannot distinguish one from the other.
  • 23. Human Factors That Inhibit Learning Displacement This defense mechanism results in an unconscious shift of emotion, affect, or desire from the original object to a more acceptable, less threatening substitute. For example, the student is angry with the instructor over a grade received, but fears displaying the anger could cause the instructor to lower the grade. The student might choose to express the anger but redirects it toward another, safer person such as a spouse.
  • 24. Student Emotional Reactions While it is not necessary for a flight instructor to be a certified psychologist, it is helpful to learn how to analyze student behavior before and during each flight lesson. This ability helps a flight instructor develop and use appropriate techniques for instruction. Anxiety Anxiety is probably the most significant psychological factor affecting flight instruction. This is true because flying is a potentially threatening experience for those who are not accustomed to flying and the fear of falling is universal in human beings. The following paragraphs are primarily concerned with flight instruction and student reactions. Anxiety is a feeling of worry, nervousness, or unease, often about something that is going to happen, typically something with an uncertain outcome.
  • 25. Anxiety can be countered by reinforcing the students enjoyment of flying and by teaching them to cope with their fears. When introducing stalls, for example, instructors should first review the aerodynamic principles and explain how stalls affect flight characteristics. Then, carefully describe the physical sensations to be expected, as well as the recovery procedures.
  • 26. Student Emotional Reactions Normal Reactions to Stress As mentioned earlier in the chapter, when a threat is recognized or imagined, the brain alerts the body. The adrenal gland activates hormones, which prepare the body to meet the threat or to retreat from it the fight or flight syndrome.
  • 27. Abnormal Reactions to Stress During flight instruction, instructors are normally the only ones who can observe students when they are under pressure. Instructors, therefore, are in a position to differentiate between safe and unsafe piloting actions. Instructors also may be able to detect potential psychological problems. The following student reactions are indicative of abnormal reactions to stress. Inappropriate reactions, such as extreme over- cooperation, painstaking self-control, inappropriate laughter or singing, and very rapid changes in emotions. Marked changes in mood on different lessons, such as excellent morale followed by deep depression. Severe anger directed toward the flight instructor, service personnel, and others. In difficult situations, flight instructors must carefully examine student responses and their own responses to the students. [Figure 1-5]
  • 28. Flight Instructor Actions Regarding Seriously Abnormal Students A flight instructor who believes a student may be suffering from a serious psychological abnormality has a responsibility to refrain from instructing that student. In addition, a flight instructor has the personal responsibility of assuring that such a person does not continue flight training or become certificated as a pilot. To accomplish this, the following steps are available: If an instructor believes that a student may have a disqualifying psychological defect, arrangements should be made for another instructor, who is not acquainted with the student, to conduct an evaluation flight. After the flight, the two instructors should confer to determine whether they agree that further investigation or action is justified.
  • 29. Teaching the Adult Student While aviation instructors teach students of all ages, the average aviation student age is 30 years old. This means the aviation instructor needs to be versed in the needs of adult students.
  • 30. Chapter Summary This chapter discussed how human behavior affects learning, human needs that must be met before students can learn, defense mechanisms students use to prevent learning, how adults learn, and the flight instructors role in determining a students future in the aviation community. For more information on these topics, it is recommended the instructor read a general educational psychology text or visit one of the many online sites devoted to education.