Overview

• The social learning theory of Bandura focuses on the learning that occurs within a social context. It considers that people learn from one another, including such concepts as observational learning, imitation, and modeling.

• This learning theory emphasizes the importance of observing and modeling the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others.

General Principles of Social Learning Follows

1. People can learn by observing the behavior of others and outcomes of those behaviors (Abbott)

   • In his famous “Bobo doll” studies, Bandura demonstrated that children learn and imitate behaviors they have observed in other people. The children in Bandura’s studies observed an adult acting violently towards a Bobo doll. When the children were later allowed to play in a room with the doll, they began to imitate the aggressive actions that had previously observed (Vad Wagner)

2. Learning can occur without a change in behavior. Behaviorists say change in behavior in contrast social learning theorists say that because people can learn through observation alone, their learning may not necessarily be shown in their performance. Learning may or may not result in a behavior change (Abbott).

3. Cognition plays a role in learning. Over the last 30 years social learning theory has become increasingly cognitive in its interpretation of human learning. Awareness and expectations of future reinforcements or punishments can have a major effect on the behaviors that people exhibit (Abbott).

4. Social learning theory can be considered a bridge or a transition between behaviorist learning theories and cognitive learning theories.

Background

• Canadian student at Iowa

  • Trained as a social behaviorist

• Learning was more than just a change in behavior

  • Acquisition of knowledge

  • Performance of knowledge

• Social influences in learning

  • “The Bobo Experiment”

Modeling

• Follow the Leader: The behavior of others increases the chances that we will do the same thing

  • Ex. clapping, looking out the window, copying the styles and verbal expressions of our peers

Observational Learning

• Watch someone else perform a behavior, then be able to perform the behavior yourself

  • Ex. learning a game, dance move, sport

Role Models

• Do we choose to be a role model?

• How important are older siblings? Parents? Peers?

Social Media and Violence

• Before you turn 18, you will see approximately 18, 000 simulated murders on TV and movies

• Since 1960s, more than 3, 000 studies have linked TV violence to real violence

  • Results: Viewers become desensitized to violence, become fearful and behave more violently

Social Learning Theory

• Learning is an internal change that may affect behavior

• Reciprocal Determinism:

  • Personal Factors: gender, ethnicity, height, weight, etc.

  • Environmental Factors: school, church, community groups, etc.

  • Behavior: free choices that you have control over

• Environment

  • Stimuli from social or physical environment

• Behavior

  • Nature

  • Frequency

  • Intensity

• Person

  • Personality characteristics

  • Cognitive processes

  • Self-regulation skills

• Type of Learning

  • Enactive

    • Learn by doing

      • Direct experience of the consequences

      • “Wet Paint”

  • Vicarious

    • Learn by observing others

      • Experience indirectly through consequences of others

      • Paint on your friend’s fingers

The Component Processes Underlying Observational Learning are:

1. Attention

   • In order to learn, you need to be paying attention

2. Retention

   • The ability to store information part of the learning process

3. Motor Reproduction

   • Once you have paid attention to the model and retained the information, it is time to actually perform the behavior you observed

4. Motivation

   • In order for observational learning to be successful, you have to be motivated to imitate the behavior that has been modeled

Elements of Observational Learning

• Attention

  • High Status

    • Attractive, popular, powerful, etc.

      • Tiger Woods and American Express

    • You automatically have high status

  • Theater/Teaching

    • Focus is on you

    • You must have some “ham” in you

      • Comfortable having people look at you

• Retention

  • Memory of the knowledge or skill

    • Mental reproduction of the movements

    • Mental reproduction of the knowledge

• Production

  • Must practice what is observed

    • Joke telling

• Motivation

  • Reinforced or punished

  • Vicariously reinforced or punished

Cognitive Process in Social Learning

• Social learning theory has cognitive factors as well as behaviorist factors (actually operant factors)

1. Learning without performance: Bandura makes a distinction between learning through observation and the actual imitation of what has been learned

2. Cognitive processing during learning: Social learning theorists contend that attention is a critical factor in learning (Abbott)

3. Expectations: As a result of being reinforced, people from expectations about the consequences that future behaviors are likely to bring. They expect certain behaviors to bring reinforcements and others to bring punishment. The learner needs to be aware, however, of the response reinforcements and response punishment. Reinforcement increases a response once when the learner is aware of that connection

4. Reciprocal Causation: Bandura proposed that behavior can influence both the environment and the person. In fact each of these variables, the person, the behavior, and the environment can have an influence on each other.

5. Modeling: There are different types of models. There is the live model, a verbal instructional model and the symbolic model (Abbott).

Bandura Identified the Characteristics of the Following Models of Observational Learning

1. A live model involves an actual demonstration or acting out a behavior.

2. A verbal instructional model involves descriptions and explanations of behavior.

3. A symbolic model, which real of fictional characters displaying behaviors in books, films, TV programs or online media (Vag Wagner).

Extinction of Phobias or Disinhibition

• Learning that seemingly threatening experiences can be safe

  • Phobia treatment (counter-conditioning)

  • Safety of new environment

Application of Social Learning

• Bad News: antisocial models may have antisocial effects on children

• Good News: prosocial (positive, helpful) models can have prosocial effects

  • Consistency of words and actions

• Social learning plays a large role

  • Parents are extremely powerful models

  • Children see, children do

Human Agency

• We are agents intentionally and not just a reaction to a reinforcement

• Intentionality: We do things intentionally and not just a reaction to a reinforcement

• Forethought: We can anticipate the effects and consequences of our actions

• Self-Reactiveness: We can respond to the effects and consequences of our actions

• Self-Reflectiveness: We are capable of evaluating our whole behavior; whether to continue or discontinue behavior

Self-Efficacy

• “Self-efficacy is the belief in one’s capabilities to organize and execute the courses of action required to manage prospective situations”

• What does self-efficacy do?

  • The choices we make

  • The effort we put forth

  • How long we persist when difficulty arises

  • How we feel

Sources of Self-Efficacy

• Mastery Experiences

  • Most powerful

  • Successful experiences

• Vicarious Experiences

  • Accomplishments modeled by someone else

• Social Persuasion

  • “Pep talk” or encouragement

• Arousal

  • Physical and psychological reactions - excited, tense

Observational or Vicarious Learning (Modeling)

• Our personality is a product of different people that we tried to copy

• They are our models

• Each of us had at least one person who greatly influenced us

Process of Modeling

1. Attention

   • Observing the model

2. Retention

   • Remembering or taking mental notes of your model

3. Model Reproduction

   • Practice what you observe

4. Motivation

   • Finding a reason to continue with the behavior

   • External: people praise you for doing good

   • Internal: feeling good for doing good

5. Developing Self-Efficacy

   • Performance Accomplishments: “If I did it before, I can do it again.”

   • Vicarious Experiences: “If others can do it, why can’t I?”

   • Verbal Persuasion: “I know I can do it, but I need reassurance from someone I respect.”

   • Lowering Emotional Arousal (Anxiety): “I can do it, but I need to relax.”