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Haley Asimakopoulos

EPSY 302

Dr. M. Hawkes

April 6, 2017

Learning Through Observation: The Social Learning Theory

Throughout history, there have been multiple ideas about how humans learn from birth to

adulthood. One of the ideas presented was the Social Learning Theory whose prominent theorist

was Albert Bandura. Social Learning Theory has often been referred to as the middle ground

between the behaviorism and cognitive learning theories as it encompasses attention, retention,

and motivation. According to Jeanne Ellis Ormrod, Social Learning Theory, now called Social

Cognitive Theory, is the theoretical perspective that focuses on how people learn by observing

others and how they eventually assume control over their own behavior (Essentials of

Educational Psychology, G-6). Essentially, the belief is that children and adults learn actions,

emotions, habits, and thought processes from watching others.

The key theorist, Albert Bandura is a professor at Stanford University where he

researches and teaches psychology. In the mid-1980s, Bandura had developed a social cognitive

theory of human functioning, in which people are viewed as self-organizing, proactive, self-

reflecting and self-regulating, not just reactive organisms shaped and shepherded by

environmental forces or driven by concealed inner impulses (F. Pajares, Albert Bandura:
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Biographical sketch). Environmental stimuli do affect behavior, but cognitive processes also

alter actions significantly as well.

People often learn through models that they watch and imitate what others do. A student

can watch a peer receive a reward for writing his name on his paper and so the student does the

same and after multiple occurrences of imitation the learned action can become a subconscious

habit. The modeled behavior is usually given by either a live or symbolic character, such as a

teacher or Daren the Lion from the D.A.R.E. program. The conditions necessary for effective

modeling are: attention, retention, reproduction, and motivation (Omrod, p. 65). For attention,

various factors affect the amount given to a model by the learner such as the complexity and

functional value of the behavior. Retention is how well the learner remembers what he paid

attention to, which includes mental images, symbolic and motor rehearsal. Reproduction is

reproducing the modeled behavior and motivation is the learners person reason to imitate the

behavior, be it from past consequences, imagined outcomes, or from the reinforced model.

With modeled behavior, there is observational, or vicarious, learning. Observational

learning occurs from watching, retaining, and imitating a behavior from a model such as, given

in the situation above, where a student watches a peer receive an award for writing their name.

Learners can sometimes experience the reinforcement of a behavior or the punishment of a

behavior vicariously. A vicarious reinforcement is when a behavioral response increases as a

result of the observation of another receiving reinforcement for that response. A vicarious

punishment is when a response decreases after observing another receive punishment for that

same response. An example presented by Omrod is when a teacher criticizes a student for asking

a silly question, causing the other students to be reluctant in class discussions (p. 65). Every

behavior is influenced by incentives of a hoped-for, but not necessarily guaranteed, consequence

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of the behavior. As stated by Omrod, when learners think that a certain response is going to be

reinforced, yet the response is not reinforced, they are less likely to exhibit that response in the

future (pg. 66). However, ultimately, every behavior is determined by ones self-efficacy.

Self-efficacy is defined as peoples beliefs about their own ability to demonstrate a

behavior effectively. Per Albert Bandura, self-efficacy beliefs determine how people feel, think,

motivate themselves and behave (Self-Efficacy). This term aligns under the necessary conditions

for effective modeling; learners would need substantial self-efficacy to motivate themselves to

repeat the modeled behavior. Bandura explains that the most practical way of developing a

strong sense of self-efficacy is through the mastery of past experiences. Self-regulation is also a

crucial component of Social Learning Theory. A learner must evaluate their own behaviors to

determine if they are performing properly and control their behaviors to stimuli. Self-regulation

also ensures a learner is more intrinsically motivated as opposed to extrinsically motivated. They

are looking at themselves to judge how they could do better instead of having another judge

them, like a teacher in a classroom.

In the classroom setting, Social Learning Theory impacts the decisions of students and

teachers alike. Trust and respect can be gained in the classroom through modeling selective

behaviors by both participants. In an example given by Maurice Elias et al. in Promoting Social

and Emotional Learning, students in a class hold back suggestions for the teacher until one

student bravely suggests an idea and they all observe how the teacher responds patiently and

expresses the suggestion for the whole class to evaluate and respond to (pg. 45). When

developing a safe and caring classroom community with Social Learning Theory, teachers

create such a learning community by providing safe, firm boundaries and modeling respectful,

supportive interactions with others. They insist that their students also be respectful and
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supportive of others, and they provide specific learning experiences that nurture and serve the

community (Elias, et al., pg. 45).

Students can learn by observing others in the classroom in a variety of different subjects

and situations. Such as when a student is vicariously punished when they observe a peer being

punished for running in the halls of the school. A reinforcer in the classroom could be as simple

as giving a star sticker to a child who is sitting quietly at their desk. In a high school setting, a

vicarious reinforcement could be observing an athlete receive a varsity letter for attending every

practice and working hard. There are an endless number of examples one could use to show

Social Learning Theory at work in a school if students pay attention, retain the information,

repeat the behavior, and have the motivation to demonstrate the behavior.

In conclusion, the Social Learning Theory describes the idea that people learn from

watching the behaviors of others and the consequences that follow. The learning is brought about

by modeled behaviors that give examples of vicarious reinforcement or punishment that the

learner decides the value of to themselves. The learners then can choose to apply the modeled

behavior themselves if they have a strong sense of self-efficacy, and all the while, the learner

must self-regulate to ensure the behavior is done correctly and producing the desired outcomes.

With the Social Learning Theory, Albert Bandura challenged people to understand that they are

more reliant on and susceptible to societys power to conform than previously believed.
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References

Ormrod, Jeanne Ellis. Essentials of educational psychology: big ideas to guide effective

teaching. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc., 2018. Print.

Pajares, F. "Albert Bandura Biographical Sketch." Albert Bandura Biographical Sketch. N.p.,

n.d. Web. 05 Apr. 2017.

Bandura, A. (1994). Self-efficacy. In V. S. Ramachaudran (Ed.), Encyclopedia of human

behavior (Vol. 4, pp. 71-81). New York: Academic Press. (Reprinted in H. Friedman

[Ed.], Encyclopedia of mental health. San Diego: Academic Press, 1998).

Elias, Maurice J., Joseph E. Zins, Roger P. Weissberg, Karin S. Frey, Mark T. Greenberg, Norris

M. Haynes, Rachel Kessler, Mary E. Schwab-Stone, and Timothy P. Shriver. Promoting

social and emotional learning guidelines for educators. Alexandria, VA, USA:

Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, 1997. Print.