social cognitive theory

Descrive social cognitive theory

Developed by albert bandura in 1980s

Comprehensive framework for understanding human behaviour and cognition through interplay of indiv social and environmental factors

Extends earlier Social Learning Theory by emphasising cognitive processes and active role of indiv in shaping their experiences

Explain social cognitive theory OL

Observational learning - indiv acquire new behaviour, attitudes, knowledge by observing actions and consequences of others - occurs without direct involvement of indiv as they learn from processing experience of others

4 processes involved in OL are attention, retention, motivation, potential for action.

Explain social cognitive theory RD

Bandura extended behaviourist accounts of learning to allow indirect forms of learning, associative learning, and indirect forms of reinforcement, vicarious reinforcement.

Reciprocal determinism emphasises bidirectional interaction betw indiv behaviour, personal factos, and environmental influences

self-efficacy - indiv belief in ability to successfully perform task or behaviour (high -increased motivation, persistence, achievement)

Hence

Helps us understand how social norms are internalised so we learn what is and isn’t acceptable in society without being directly taught

Bandura (1961) aim

Investigate aggression through OL

Participants

72 children aged 3-6 enrolled at stanford university nursery, measured for aggressiveness by nursery teachers to control for equal amount in conditions

Procedure

Child and model seated in different corners of the room. In the child’s were stickers and toys while the model has a mallet, tinkertoy set and a bobo doll. Experimenter left room once they played.

8 experimental conditions lasting 10 min

Non agressive condition: model played quietly with toys, male and female role model of same or opposite sex, control group

Aggressive model: either same or opposite sex acted physically or verbally aggressive to bobo doll, control group

Children taken to another room to play with similar toys. After 2 min they were taken away.

Children taken individually to another room of “aggressive” or “non-aggressive” toys, including bobo doll, mallet, and dart gun, tea set, cars, and dolls respectively. Several researchers observed the Children.

Results

Children in aggressive condition displayed higher aggression than children in non-agressive condition

Boys more likely to imitate physical agressive behaviour 38.2 than girls 12.7

Both likely to imitate male than female role model regarding aggression but more likely to imitate same sex model regarding verbal aggression

Conclude

Study suggests children learn behaviour by observing adults

Suggests gender differences whereby males are more aggressive than females

Same sex gender models influence behaviour in children

Link

Demonstrates power of OL

Children pay attention to role model and retains this info for when they are later in room with toys

Whether or not the role model appeared was aggressive influenced children - children could have felt motivated as there was no punishment for model’s action and could imitate behaviour - aggression vicariously reinforced