Social Cognitive Theory - Albert Bandura

Canadian psychologist, best known for his work on observational learning and the development of social cognitive theory.

Who was Albert Bandura?

December 4, 1925.

When was Albert Bandura born?

Mundare, Alberta, Canada

Where was Albert Bandura born?

five sisters, and he was the only boy in the family.

How many siblings did Albert Bandura have, and what was his position in the family?

interest in psychology was sparked by working on the Alaska highway during the summer after high school, where he encountered diverse individuals.

What experience sparked Bandura's interest in psychology?

simply to fill time while commuting early with friends.

What was Bandura's initial reason for taking a psychology class?

University of Iowa.

Where did Bandura earn his PhD in clinical psychology?

Stanford University.

which university did Bandura spend most of his career?

the process by which people learn by watching others rather than through direct experience or trial and error.

What is the concept of observational learning according to Bandura?

demonstrated that children who observed aggressive behavior toward the Bobo doll were more likely to mimic the aggressive actions compared to those who did not witness such behavior.

What was the main finding of Bandura's Bobo doll experiment?

punched, kicked, and hit the Bobo doll with a mallet.

What did the models in the Bobo doll experiment do to the doll?

children observed both live models and models in films or as cartoon characters.

What types of models did children observe in the Bobo doll experiment?

benefits individuals by allowing them to learn efficiently without needing to perform the behavior themselves or receive direct reinforcement.

How does Bandura's theory of observational learning benefit individuals?

The Modeling Process.

What is the core of observational learning that involves observing and replicating others’ behaviors?

Attention.

What is the first step in the modeling process that involves focusing on the model's behavior?

Retention.

Which step in the modeling process involves remembering the behavior through symbolic representation, such as mental images or verbal instructions?

Behavioral Production.

What step in the modeling process involves translating remembered behaviors into action through practice and refinement?

Motivation.

What is the final step in the modeling process that involves having a reason to imitate the behavior, often influenced by rewards or punishments?

Triadic Reciprocal Causation.

Which theory explains human actions as a result of an interaction among behavior, person, and environment?

Cognition (thoughts).

According to the theory of Triadic Reciprocal Causation, what factor often plays a strong role in determining how people act or respond to their environment?

Chance Encounter.

What term refers to an unexpected meeting of unfamiliar people?

Fortuitous Event.

What term describes an unplanned and surprising experience that can significantly influence a person's life?

• How people react to these events.

According to Bandura, what is more important than the events themselves when it comes to chance encounters and fortuitous events?

Bandura’s theory views humans as active agents who can control their actions and influence their lives.

What does Bandura’s theory suggest about human agency?

The four core abilities of human agency are intentionality, forethought, self-reactiveness, and self-reflectiveness.

What are the four core abilities of human agency according to Bandura?

involves planning and committing to actions to achieve goals.

What is intentionality in the context of human agency?

involves anticipating outcomes and setting goals based on future expectations.

What does forethought involve in human agency?

refers to monitoring progress toward goals and adjusting actions when necessary.

What is self-reactiveness in the context of human agency?

involves evaluating personal motivations, values, and the success of one’s actions.

What does self-reflectiveness involve in human agency?

is a person’s belief in their ability to perform actions that achieve a goal.

What is self-efficacy?

mastery experiences, social modeling, social persuasion, and physical and emotional states.

What are the four main sources that contribute to self-efficacy?

Successfully completing tasks builds confidence, while failures can lower self-efficacy.

How do mastery experiences influence self-efficacy?

Watching others succeed, especially those similar to oneself, increases belief in one’s own ability.

hat role does social modeling play in self-efficacy?

Encouragement from others can boost self-efficacy, especially when the person trusts the source of encouragement.

How does social persuasion impact self-efficacy?

Feeling calm and in control helps improve self-efficacy, while stress or fear can lower it.

How do physical and emotional states affect self-efficacy?

is the shared belief of a group that they can achieve goals together.

What is collective efficacy?

individual evaluations and group evaluations.

What are the two types of collective efficacy?

involve members assessing their own abilities to contribute to the group’s success.

How do individual evaluations contribute to collective efficacy?

involve members assessing the overall ability of the group to accomplish its goal.

How do group evaluations contribute to collective efficacy?

Collective efficacy

What term refers to the shared belief within a group that they can work together to achieve common goals?

The self-system

What is the term for the process by which people regulate their behavior based on their own beliefs and values?

Mastery experiences, social modeling, social persuasion, physical and emotional states

What are the four sources that influence self-efficacy?

Proxy agency

What is the term for when people rely on others to help them achieve goals they cannot accomplish alone?

Self-regulation

What refers to people’s ability to manage their own actions to achieve goals through strategies like reactive and proactive control?

Global problems

What term describes problems like environmental destruction or economic challenges that can make people feel powerless and weaken collective efficacy?

Self-efficacy

What is the term for the belief in one's own ability to perform actions that will achieve desired results?

Complex technology

What is the term for complex systems or technologies that can make people feel they are unable to understand or control, thereby reducing collective efficacy?

Proactive control

What is the strategy of setting new and higher goals after achieving initial ones in the process of self-regulation?

Mastery experiences

What type of experience, where success builds confidence and failure lowers it, is a key source of self-efficacy?

Bureaucracy

What term refers to the layers of rules and regulations that can discourage group efforts and delay change, weakening collective efficacy?

Physical and emotional states

What can be described as positive or negative physical or emotional states that can enhance or weaken a person’s self-efficacy?

Large-scale issues

What term describes large problems, such as wars or natural disasters, that can overwhelm people and make them feel like they cannot make a difference?

Social persuasion

What is the term for the encouragement or feedback from others that can boost a person’s self-efficacy, as long as the task is realistic?

Reactive control

What is the ability to adjust one’s behavior to reduce gaps between current progress and goals in self-regulation?