Learning Theories - Social

  • What is the central idea behind Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory? 
    (Social Learning Theory emphasizes that perception, thinking, and other mental events play a key role in behavior, and that individual differences in behavior occur due to differences in cognitive processes.) 

  • What does the concept of Triadic Reciprocal Determinism refer to? 
    (Triadic Reciprocal Determinism refers to the idea that our actions can affect our environment, and our environment can affect our actions, while our thoughts can also influence both our behavior and the environment.) 

  • What are the two types of agency Bandura examined? 
    (Bandura examined proxy agency, where individuals influence others who act on their behalf to achieve goals, and collective agency, where people work together as a group to achieve shared goals.) 

  • How does Bandura argue we learn behavior without experiencing it directly? 
    (Bandura suggests that people represent external events symbolically and use verbal or imaginal representations to guide behavior, allowing us to anticipate consequences and solve problems without trial-and-error.) 

  • How does observational learning work according to Bandura? 
    (Observational learning occurs when individuals learn behavior by observing others, especially when trial-and-error would be too risky. People are more likely to imitate a model if it leads to desired outcomes.) 

  • What did the study by Gergely, Bekkering, & Kiraly (2002) demonstrate about observational learning in infants? 
    (The study showed that 14-month-old infants were more likely to imitate an adult's behavior, such as turning on a light with their forehead, when the model’s hands were free, demonstrating that observational learning is a complex, learned behavior.) 

  • What does Bandura’s concept of self-efficacy refer to? 
    (Self-efficacy refers to an individual's belief in their ability to succeed in specific situations or accomplish a task, which influences their approach to challenges and goals.) 

  • What are the characteristics of individuals with a weak belief in self-efficacy? 
    (Individuals with low self-efficacy tend to shy away from difficult tasks, have low aspirations, dwell on personal deficiencies, give up quickly in the face of difficulty, and are prone to stress and depression.) 

  • What are the characteristics of individuals with a high belief in self-efficacy? 
    (Individuals with high self-efficacy set challenging goals, sustain commitment to those goals, approach tasks as challenges, attribute failures to insufficient effort, and recover quickly from setbacks.) 

  • What is Julian Rotter's concept of Locus of Control? 
    (Locus of control refers to the belief about whether reinforcement is controlled by internal factors (one’s own behavior) or external factors (luck, other people, etc.), and it influences behavior in various situations.)