THE SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY

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THE SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY OF ALBERT BANDURA

• By Heidi Olson and Tracy Scott

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Reflection

• Using the polling tool Select the best answer to
  this question
• How did you learn to cook?
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•     A. from watching someone (Mom, Dad, Grandma?)
•     B. from watching Hell's Kitchen, Emeril, or
  Rachel Ray, or 
•     __________ (input name here) on TV
•     C. I don't know how to cook
•     D. other

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Reflection

• Using the text tool, type your response on the
  whiteboard 
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• Think about a product you (or someone you know)
  have (has) recently purchased based on a TV
  commercial. Write a quick thought about what
  influenced you to buy the product. Or if the
  purchase was made by someone else - what to you
  think influenced them to purchase the product?

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Reflection

• Answer True or False to the following questions
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• I find I learn better if I repeat an exercise
  more than once.
• When waiting at a cross-walk and no cars are
  coming I will wait for someone else to step off
  the curb first (to see if they get hit by a car
  or arrested) before following them.
• Have you ever copied someone's behavior based on
  the rewards that you observed this person
  receiving?

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• 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 (Abbott).

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

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General principles of social learning follows
1. People can learn by observing the behavior of
others and the 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 they had previously observed
(Van Wagner).
http//www.criminology.fsu.edu/crimtheory/bandura.
htm
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2. Learning can occur without a change in
behavior. Behaviorists say that learning has to
be represented by a permanent 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).  
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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). 
http//www.wellsphere.com/viewGroupPhoto.s?showcle
antrueid18872
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4. Social learning theory can be considered a
bridge or a transition between behaviorist
learning theories and cognitive learning theories
(Abbott).
http//media.photobucket.com/image/bridge/britgalu
sa/bridgecol1.jpg?o29
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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 is an important 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 for observational learning to be
successful, you have to be motivated to imitate
the behavior that has been modeled (Van Wagner).
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Cognitive Factors 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).
http//media.photobucket.com/image/brain/ShaenTheB
rain/BlueBrain-1.jpg?o57
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3. Expectations As a result of being
reinforced, people form 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 only 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 three
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).
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• Bandura identified the characteristics of the
  following models of observational learning
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• A live model involves an actual demonstration or
  acting out a behavior. 
•  A verbal instructional model involves
  descriptions and explanations of behavior.
• A symbolic model, which real of fictional
  characters displaying behaviors in books, films,
  television programs or online media (Van Wagner).

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  How the environment reinforces and punishes
modeling
  People are often reinforced for modeling the
behavior of others. Bandura suggested that the
environment also reinforces modeling. This is in
several possible ways 1.The observer is
reinforced by the model. For example a student
who changes dress to fit in with a certain group
of students has a strong likelihood of being
accepted and thus reinforced by that group
(Abbott).  
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2. The observer is reinforced by a third person.
The observer might be modeling the actions of
someone else, for example, an outstanding class
leader or student. The teacher notices this and
compliments and praises the observer for modeling
such behavior thus reinforcing that
behavior.    3. The imitated behavior itself
leads to reinforcing consequences. Many behaviors
that we learn from others produce satisfying or
reinforcing results.     4. Consequences of the
models behavior affect the observers behavior
vicariously. This is known as vicarious
reinforcement. This is where in the model is
reinforced for a response and then the observer
shows an increase in that same response (Abbott).
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Who is Albert Bandura?http//www.xtimeline.com/ti
meline/Albert-Bandura
A guy named Al playing a bandura
A guy named Al(bert) Bandura
from http//webspace.ship.edu/cgboer/bandura.html
used with permission from  http//www.flickr.com/p
hotos/ghirigoribaumann
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Activity

• http//www.activityvillage.co.uk/Origami20Tulip.
  pdf
• http//www.youtube.com/watch?vF3XQMGdFG7k

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Social Learning Theory Technology

• Example 1

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Social Learning Theory Technology

• Example 2
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•  Courtesy of CDE - UAF
•  http//distance.uaf.edu/cc/CE603/homework/03/H03.
  2.html

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Social Learning Theory Technology

• Example 3
• Second Life
• Presentation

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Social Learning Theory Technology

• Example 3
• Second Life
• Student
• Gathering
• http//www.flickr.com/photos/kate/344969293/

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Social Learning Theory Technology

• Example 3
• Second Life
• Australia Day 
• Celebrations
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• http//www.flickr.com/photos/garyhayes/2219768941/

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Social Learning Theory Technology

• Social Learning Today
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• "The social learning theory explains human
  behavior in terms of a continuous reciprocal
  interaction between cognitive, behavioral and
  environmental determinants."
• Tu, C.-H. (1999)
• Sacha Chua "A Teacher's guide to Web 2.0 at
  school illustrated"
• http//sachachua.com/wp/2009/09/01/a-teachers-guid
  e-to-web-2-0-at-school-illustrated/

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References

• Abbott, Lynda (nd). Social Learning Theory. The
  University of Texas at Austin, The College of
  Education, Retrieved September 13, 2009 from
  http//teachnet.edb.utexas.edu/lynda_abbott/Socia
  l.html
• Boeree, Dr. C. George (2006). Albert Bandura,
  1925-present. Shippenburg University. Retrieved
  September 13, 2009 from http//webspace.ship.edu/c
  gboer/bandura.html
• Chih-Hsiung Tu (2000). On-line learning
  migration from social learning theory to social
  presence theory in a CMC environment Electronic
  version. Journal of Network and Computer
  Applications, Vol 23, Issue 1, Jan 2000, pp 27-37
• doccochs. (February 6, 2008). Theory Master
  Theater Bandura Social Learning. Retrieved
  September 20, 2009, from http//www.youtube.com/wa
  tch?vbyhLPxT_FJQ
• Hill, Janette R., Song, Liyan and West, Richard
  E. (2009). Social Learning Theory and Web-Based
  Learning Environments A Review of Research and
  Discussion of Implications. American Journal of
  Distance Education, 232, pp 88-103.
• Moore, Amanda (May 1999). Albert Bandura.
  Muskinghum College, Department of Psychology.
  Retrieved September 13, 2009, from
  http//www.muskingum.edu/psych/psycweb/history/ba
  ndura.htm
• no author (nd). Chapter 31 Social Learning Theory
  of Albert Bandura. McGraw Hill Higher Education.
  Retrieved September 13, 2009 from
  http//www.mhhe.com/socscience/comm/bandur-s.mhtml
  
• no author (2009). Social Cognitive Theory goes
  Global Electronic version. The Psychologist,
  June 2009, Vol 22, No. 6. Retrieved September 16
  2009 from http//issuu.com/thepsychologist/docs/06
  09
• no author (nd). Social Learning Theory (A.
  Bandura). Retrieved September 17, 2009 from
  http//tip.psychology.org/bandura.html
• Pajares, F. (2004). Albert Bandura Biographical
  sketch. Emory University, Division of Educational
  Studies. Retrieved September 20, 2009, from
  http//des.emory.edu/mfp/bandurabio.html
• Patsula, Peter J. (1999). Applying Learning
  Theories to Online Instructional Design.
  Sookmyung Womens University, Seoul. Retrieved
  September 13, 2009 from http//patsula.com/usefo/w
  ebbasedlearning/tutorial1/learning_theories_full_v
  ersion.html
• Smith, Michele, and Zane L. Berge (2009). Social
  Learning Theory in Second Life. Electronic
  Version. MERLOT Journal of Online Learning and
  Teaching, Vol. 5, No. 2, June 2009. Retrieved
  September 13, 2009, from http//jolt.merlot.org/vo
  l5no2/berge_0609.htm
• Svinicki, Marila (nd). Inclass activity on Social
  Learning Theory. The University of Texas at
  Austin. Retrieved September 13, 2009 from
  http//www.utexas.edu/courses/svinicki/ald320/Marc
  h22.html
• Van  Wagner, Kendra (nd). An Overview of
  Bandura's Social Learning Theory.
  Psychology.About.com. Retrieved September 17,
  2009 from http//psychology.about.com/od/developme
  ntalpsychology/a/sociallearning.htm
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