Social Cognitive Theory

• Social Cognitive Theory involves learning social behaviors through imitation via observational learning.
• Operant conditioning is a component, where behaviors are reinforced and then learned with cognition involved.
• "Bandura's Social Cognitive Theory" is a key term, highlighting Albert Bandura's work

General Principles of Social Cognitive Theory

• Learning happens through observation.
• Learning is viewed as a mental change, which isn't always behavioral, referencing latent learning.
• Cognitive processes are necessary for effective learning, including attention and memory.
• Awareness of response contingencies is vital, connecting future actions with expected outcomes and incentives.
• Efficacy expectations are an individual’s belief in their capacity to execute behaviors.
• Personal agency defines one's capacity to act consciously and with intention.

Environmental Factors: Reinforcement and Punishment

• Reinforcement, when intermittent, can lead to habit formation.
• Imitation serves as a social tool, connecting individuals.
• Imitation occurs more often with those we like and those who imitate us.
• Imitation is an automatic process that helps us learn and connect.
• Social learning is seen across species, but is especially common in primates.

Models

• A model represents a pattern for behaving.
• Live models are people such as Jeff in the future (in a classroom setting).
• Symbolic models are representations like videos, books, pictures, and computer training programs.
• Verbal instructions are an additional type of model.

Characteristics of Effective Models

• Competence, prestige, and power make models more effective.
• Similarity to the observer such as physical, mental and emotional, and relevance of behavior to the observer's situation also contribute.

Four Processes in Observational Learning

• Attentional Processes: Requires active watching of the model, and the task must be important.
• Retention Processes: Needs remembering what was observed through visually replaying and verbalizing steps.
• Motor Reproduction Processes: Imitating transformed actions into behaviors, and the successful reproduction needs monitoring and evaluating.
• Requires ability and opportunity to engage in a behavior
• Motivational Processes: Requires expected reinforcement and self-efficacy.

Sources of Reinforcement in Imitation

• Direct Reinforcement: Includes being reinforced directly by the model, by others (not model), and by the consequence of imitating.
• Vicarious Reinforcement: Involves the imitator not being directly reinforced, but the model may find imitation reinforcing.
• Vicarious Punishment: The imitator is not punished directly.

Effects of Imitation

• Modeling Effect: Learning new behaviors by directly imitating.
• Inhibitory Effect: Refraining from deviant behavior after seeing a model punished.
• Disinhibitory Effect: Engaging in previously inhibited deviant behavior after seeing a model reinforced.
• Eliciting Effect: Making new, related responses to a model's behavior.

Reciprocal Causation

• Behavior, the person, and the environment all mutually influence/change each other.
• The Person is their physical attributes such as age and height and their attention, self-efficacy, and attitude.
• Environment sets the reinforcement / punishment

Self-Efficacy

• It is one's own estimates of competence and effectiveness combined.
• A high achievement contributes to higher self-efficacy, and high self-efficacy contributes to high achievement.

Sources of Self-Efficacy (feedback)

• Doing it yourself which is success vs failure.
• Vicarious Experiences where similar people are doing it.
• Verbal Persuasion where people encourage you.
• Being aware of you physical state such as, your enthusiasm and anxiety.

Growth vs Fixed Mindset

• The incremental view is a belief that intelligence can change but a Entity thinks it is fixed.

Self-Regulation

• The influence, modifies, or controls behavior including managing thoughts and feelings.
• Involves setting standards and goals, self-observation, self-evaluation, self-reaction, and self-reflection.
• To consider are: ability, motivation, and setting reasonable goals.