Social learning theory - Bandura (1977)

• Bandura (1977)


  Believes humans are active information processors and think about the relationship between their behaviour and its consequences
• Social learning theory

  Emphasizes the importance of observing, modelling, and imitating the behaviours, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others
• Social learning theory

  Considers how both environmental and cognitive factors interact to influence human learning and behaviour
• Bandura (1977) agrees with the behaviorist learning theories of classical conditioning and operant conditioning
• Mediating processes


  Occur between stimuli & responses
• Behaviour

  Is learned from the environment through the process of observational learning
• Observational learning

  1. Attention

  2. Retention

  3. Reproduction

  4. Motivation

  5. Reinforcement
• Attention

  In order to learn through observation, we must pay attention to or closely watch a model's behaviour and the consequences
• Factors influencing attention

  • Perceptual capabilities of the observer
  • Motivation and interest level of the observer
  • Situation in which the behaviour is being observed
  • Kinds of distractors present
  • Characteristics of the model
• Retention

  Having observed the model, we must be able to remember the model's behaviour and store it in memory
• Reproduction


  The ability to perform the behaviour that the model has just demonstrated
• Motivation

  The observer must be motivated to perform the behaviour
• Types of reinforcement

  • External reinforcement
  • Vicarious reinforcement
  • Self-reinforcement
• Observational learning

  A key aspect of social learning theory, where individuals learn and adopt behaviours by observing others
• Model


  Individuals that are observed
• Types of models

  • Live model
  • Verbal instructional model
  • Symbolic model
• Vicarious reinforcement

  Occurs indirectly by observing the modelled behaviour being reinforced without personally experiencing the reinforcement
• Exposure to positive role models in education enhances a sense of belonging, especially for groups subjected to negative stereotypes like women and racial minorities in STEM
• Students who read about the challenges overcome by famous scientists performed better than those who read only about their achievements
• Observing perseverance fosters personal performance
• Role models' successes should be achievable. If aspirants believe they can attain similar success, they're more motivated
• An effective role model is someone others see as similar or relatable
• Extensive observation of violence can bias children's world schemas toward attributing hostility or negative intentions to others' actions
• Repeated exposure to media violence can lead to desensitization
• Playing violent video games allows for enactive learning of aggression
• Strengths of social learning theory

  • It provides a more comprehensive explanation of human learning by recognizing the role of mediational processes
  • It can explain many more complex social behaviours (such as gender roles and moral behaviour) than models of learning based on simple reinforcement
• Limitations of social learning theory

  • Lack of clarity about cognitive processes
  • Overemphasis on observation
  • Difficulty in predicting behaviour
  • Neglect of biological factors
• The discovery of mirror neurons has lent biological support to the social learning theory
• Vicarious reinforcement – occurs indirectly by observing the modelled behaviour being reinforced without personally experiencing the reinforcement
• • self-efficacy – which is our belief in our ability to succeed in particular situations