Thinking about Death & Dying

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 Thinking about D & D
 Is death a taboo topic in our culture?

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 Thinking about D & D
 When was the last time you talked about death?

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 Thinking about D & D
 When/How is death portrayed in our popular
culture?

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 Thinking about D & D
 How does an individual learn about death and how
to talk about it?

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 Talking about Death
Defining Death, Dying, Culture,
Social Context

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 Thinking about D & D
Death – a definition on two slides
“the permanent cessation of physical and
mental processes in an organism. In the
United States in the early 1980s, the
American Medical Association and American
Bar Association drafted and approved the
Uniform Determination of Death Act, in
which death is defined as …

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 Thinking about D & D
“either the irreversible cessation of core
physiological functioning (i.e., spontaneous
circulatory and respiratory functions) or the
irreversible loss of cerebral functioning (i.e.,
BRAIN DEATH). Given the emergence of
sophisticated technologies for
cardiopulmonary support, brain death is more
often considered the essential determining
factor, particularly with the legal profession.”
(APA Dictionary) 8
 Thinking about D & D
Dying process – a definition
“a progressive and nonreversible loss of vital
functions that results in the end of life. The
transition from health to death can be swift
or extended, predictable or unpredictable,
depending on the specific life-threatening
condition, the vigor of the patient, and the
treatment available.” (APA Dictionary)

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 Thinking about D & D
Culture– a definition
“1. the distinctive customs, values, beliefs,
knowledge, art, and language of a society or
a community.
2. the characteristic attitudes and behaviors of
a particular group within society, such as a
profession, social class, or age group.”
(APA Dictionary)
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 Thinking about D & D
Social Context– a definition
“the specific circumstance or general
environment that serves as a social
framework for individual or interpersonal
behavior. This context frequently influences,
at least to some degree, the actions and
feelings that occur within it.”
(APA Dictionary)
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Applying some of these
ideas/definitions

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 Thinking About D & D
Where/how do inhabitants of the United States learn
about and how to deal with Death/Dying?

Does this learning start in Childhood?

Do children watch how others deal with these

issues? (modeling)

Do children receive reinforcement or

discouragement from dealing with these issues? 13
Theories we will use and you
need to know.

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 Thinking About D & D

If children and adults can learn via

observation and reinforcement what
theories can be used to explain such
learning?

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 We’re beginning our theories

Operant Conditioning
Reinforcement
Punishment

Bandura / Social Learning Theory

Modeling

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 Operant Conditioning

Operant Conditioning

Operant conditioning focuses on the

consequences of actions
Reinforcement
Punishment

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 Operant Conditioning

Reinforcement – “process in which the

frequency or probability of a response is
increased by a dependent relationship..with
a stimulus or circumstance” (APA Dictionary)

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 Operant Conditioning

Punishment – “process in which the

relationship…between a response and some
stimulus or circumstance results in the
response becoming less probable.” (APA
Dictionary)

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http://tedwordsblog.com/2012/12/14/a-positive-minded-primer-on-punishment-and-

reinforcement-with-a-buddhist-twist-part-1-of-2/positive-reinforcement-matrix-for-blog-jpg / 20
 21

https://barefootbehavior.wordpress.com/2012/06/09/reinforcment-baby-and-parent /
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http://www.huffingtonpost.com/anna-jane-grossman/dog-training_b_2598772.html
 Social Learning Theory

Social Cognitive Learning Theory

Bandura

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 Social Learning Theory

Social Cognitive Learning Theory

Emphasizes how people learn through

modeling.
Higher order cognitive processes also
influence behavior.
Bandura’s approach known as social-cognitive
theory.
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 Social Learning Theory

Bandura / Social Learning Theory

Modeling – “in developmental psychology, the

process in which one or more individuals or
other entities serve as examples (models)
that a child will emulate. Models are often
parents, other adults, or other children, but
may also be symbolic, for example, a book
or television character.” (APA Dictionary) 25
 Social Learning Theory
To help you understand the power of
symbolic images for modeling lets examine
children’s books.

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 Bioecological Theory

Bronfenbrenner / Bioecological Theory

Places people into five ecological levels that interact

with each other

Focuses on actions between individuals in levels and

relationships among ecological levels

Each level has norms, rules, and roles

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Bioecological Theory

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 Bioecological Theory
Microsystem – person’s immediate settings
Mesosystem – relationships among settings
Exosystem – social settings that the person does not
interact with directly but that impacts his/her
environment
Macrosystem – broader culture, including belief
systems and tools

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 Piaget’s Theory
We’ve explored Operant Conditioning Theory, Social
Learning Theory, and Bioecological Theory

Now, we’re going to examine a Cognitive Theory

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 Piaget’s Theory
Piaget maintained that children experience
qualitative changes in the representations (schemes)
of the world as their understanding of it changes

He believed that people progress through four

stages of cognitive development and change from
infants with no mental symbols to adults who can
think abstractly and scientifically

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 Piaget’s Theory
Sensorimotor – Birth to 2 years
Preoperational – 2 to 7 years
Concrete Operational – 7- 12 years
Formal Operational – 12 years and on

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 Maslow’s Theory

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