Social Cognitive Theory Notes
Learning Objectives
Explore how core concepts of social cognitive theory fit with personal narratives.
Examine the history of the theory and its evolution.
Discuss core principles, structures, and processes of the theory.
Address applications of the theory in the following week.
Core Ideas of Social Cognitive Theory
The theory emphasizes the unique aspects of being human, such as reasoning, language use, and reflection on the past and future.
Social cognitive theorists consider hypothetical constructs valuable for understanding behavior, contrasting with behaviorists who find them not useful.
Historical Context of Social Cognitive Theory
The theory emerged in the 1950s, influenced by the prevailing psychological landscape.
In Europe and the UK, psychodynamic theory was dominant, while in the US, behaviorism led by Skinner was prominent.
The emergence of statistics as a research method marked a shift in the field.
Social Learning Theory as a Precursor
Social learning theory served as a bridge between behaviorism and social cognitive theory, with key figures like Miller and Dollard.
Miller, influenced by Hull's drive reduction theory, explored the motivation behind behaviors.
Dollard, a sociologist, emphasized the influence of culture and society on behavior.
Miller and Dollard introduced the idea that learning occurs through imitation and modeling, not just rewards and punishments.
Key Concepts of Social Learning Theory
Drive Reduction Theory: Individuals are motivated to reduce drives (e.g., hunger) to motivate behavior.
Formula: Drive \rightarrow Behavior.
Miller and Dollard highlighted the role of social interaction in learning, suggesting that individuals learn through imitation and modeling.
Social cognitive theorists expanded on this by suggesting that learning can occur without reinforcement.
Observational Learning and Vicarious Reinforcement
Observational learning allows individuals to learn by watching others and observing the consequences of their actions.
Vicarious reinforcement involves learning from the rewards or punishments that others receive.
This process enables learning without trial and error.
Influences During the Emergence of Social Cognitive Theory
The 1950s saw a melting pot of ideas, including behaviorism, trait research, humanistic psychology, and the cognitive revolution.
Studies like the Solomon Asch conformity experiments highlighted the impact of social context on behavior.
Research was primarily conducted in Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) nations like:
Western nations
Educated nations
Industrialized nations
Rich nations
Democratic nations
Key Figures in Social Cognitive Theory
Albert Bandura: Grew up in Canada, trained in behaviorism, and influenced by imitation and modeling.
Walter Mischel: Fled Austria to the US, studied personal construct theory, and emphasized the role of situations in behavior.
Walter Mischel stated that traits only explain approximately 0.2 of behavior.
Mischel proposed that variations across situations could reveal meaningful patterns, emphasizing the capacity for change.
Core Tenets
Human beings are active problem solvers.
Cognition is important.
Basic Principles of Social Cognitive Theory
Emphasis on cognitive thought processes.
Recognition of human agency and active decision-making.
Belief in the social origin of behavior, influenced by social contexts, modeling, and imitation.
Learning can occur without direct rewards or punishments.
Focus is on variability in behavior in addition to average tendencies.
Shift in Focus
The shift towards focusing on the self and inner thoughts, feelings began to emerge. Prior to this focus on media was largely on animals.
Number of books on self-esteem notably increased.
Individualistic phrases such as "I am special" were mentioned.
Core Structures of Social Cognitive Theory
Competencies and skills.
Beliefs and expectations.
Evaluative standards.
Goals.
These structures interact reciprocally, influencing each other and behavior.
Components Explained
Competency and skills are learned and context-specific.
Beliefs encompass self-efficacy and expectations about the future.
Evaluative standards shape behavior by defining what is appropriate, and goals provide direction for future actions.
Learning Processes
Rewards and punishments (behaviorism).
Observation and modeling (social learning theory).
Vicarious conditioning (learning by watching others).
Self-regulation (regulating behavior through standards and goals).
Explanation of Learning Methods
Learning occurs through rewards and punishments, but relying solely on this can be costly and inefficient.
Modeling allows learning through observation, with both positive and negative implications.
Vicarious Conditioning and the Bobo Doll Experiment
The Bobo doll experiment demonstrated that aggressive behavior could be acquired through observation, regardless of reinforcement or punishment.
The performance of learned behavior depends on whether the model was reinforced or punished.
Direct experience of a reward or punishment is more powerful than vicarious experience.
Concerns about children's exposure to violence on screens influenced research in this area.
Analysis of Media Violence
Research suggests a correlation between exposure to media violence and aggressive behaviors, but the effect size is small.
Methodological challenges in measuring aggression and accounting for confounding factors contribute to the difficulty of interpreting the literature.
More recent research on video games and aggression shows similar patterns, with small positive correlations that diminish when controlling for other factors.