Running header: THEORIST PAPER 1

Theorist Paper

Maggie Johnson

EPSY-302

April 12, 2017

Dakota State University

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The way that people learn and remember information are different for every person.

Many different people have tried to discover different ways that people learn. There have been

many different learning theories presented to me. Three main theories are Constructivism,

Behaviorism, and the Social Learning Theory. Constructivism is Jean Piaget’s theory, he focused

on how humans make relations between their experiences and their ideas. Behaviorism which

was B. F. Skinner’s theory. It is the idea that behavior is determined by its consequences.

All three of the theories are very useful to educators and all have great points and are

good resources. They all can be used in classrooms, and many students can relate to all of them.

The one that I can relate to the most and the one that believe is best, is the social learning

theory that Albert Bandura came up with. It is one that is based on example, I have learned so

much from example and believe it can shape people.

Bandura theory is one that is based off example, that children learn from watching

others. His theory states that “people learn through observing others’ behavior, attitudes, and

outcomes of those behaviors” (learning theories). I personally have learned a lot from watching

others, especially paying attention to the outcomes of what they did. If the outcome was good, I

would want to try to do what they did to get that same outcome. Especially in younger children,

they watch and learn most of the time and that is the best way that they learn.

Reinforcement, is a very important part of learning. Especially with children, they strive

to do good to receive positive reinforcement. They might also try not to do bad so that they

don’t receive any negative reinforcement. The behavior of the child sometime has a lot to do

with the response that they will get “people around the child will respond to the behavior it

imitates with either reinforcement or punishment. If a child imitates a model’s behavior and
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the consequences are rewarding, the child is likely to continue performing the behavior”

(McLeod). I believe that people learn by observing the consequences of another person’s

action. Reinforcements are known to have changed the behaviors of children and students.

I am fortunate to have had a lot of great role models in my life. Role models are key in

the development of children. There can be a lot of good and bad models in a child’s life

“Children will have a number of models with whom they identify. These may be people in their

immediate world, such as parents or older siblings, or could be fantasy characters or people in

the media. The motivation to identify with a particular model is that they have a quality which

the individual would like to possess” (McLeod). Teacher can be great models in the lives of

students, they can show the students step by step how to do something and then they can also

give reinforcement.

Banduras theory is one that is based on modeling “bandura is perhaps most famous for

his Bobo Doll experiment in the 1950’s. At the time, there was a popular belief that learning was

a result of reinforcement. In the Bobo Doll Experiment, Bandura presented children with social

models of novel (new) violent behavior or non-violent behavior towards the inflatable

redounding Bobo Doll. The children who viewed the violent behavior were in turn violent

towards the doll; the control group was rarely violent towards the doll. This showed that social

modeling is a very effective way of learning” (Zhou and Brown). The children who saw people

being violent, were also violent. It is a great example of how people do what they see.

Bandura’s theory is one that makes sense, everyone was a child once so they can relate to this

theory and how it works.

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Bandura’s social learning theory can be used in the classroom in many different ways. As

a teacher, I will try to use a lot of positive reinforces and only use negative ones when they are

needed. I think it is important for students to want to have fun and want to do well. While in

school I had teachers, who used a lot of negative reinforces and not a lot of positive ones. The

students were not very receptive to that type of teaching. If they know that they are just going

to be put down they might not even try, if they know that if they try they might get some

positive feedback, they might want to do it more.

I think that it is important to reward students for doing what is right and then letting the

students know if they did something wrong, but trying not to make them feel bad about it. I had

a teacher who would give rewards to students for getting good grades, the students who did

not do well, would not get a reward, but they wouldn’t get a punishment. I think that this

method is a good use of the social learning theory, because it makes the students who might

not have done as well, strive to do better so that they can receive the reward.

Attention plays a big role in the classroom. There are some students who do not receive

attention at home so they strive to get attention at school. People who get attention tend to

turn into the models. It is also important for the teacher to be a good model “Students'

attention can be increased by using models that are viewed as competent, prestigious, and like

themselves. Students also pay closer attention when the skill or material being demonstrated is

considered more personally relevant or interesting” (Zhou and Brown). Friends are good

models, the need to fit in is huge, so children look up to their models. That is why it is important

for teachers to set up good models for the students to look up to. Memory also comes into play
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here, children remember a lot, if they have a good role model they might always remember

what they did. It can help them down the road to do what is right.

Bandura’s social learning theory is significant in many different ways. It uses examples,

which help children know how to do something. Some students learn best by example and

others can also gain a lot from watching something be done. Watching others and learning is a

skill that can be helpful in life “learners acquire a wide variety of skills such as solving long-

division problems by observing others do them” (Ormrod, 64). Reinforces are also a part of the

social learning theory, they help children want to do what is expected so that they can receive

something. Attention is also a part of the social learning theory; it is important for the children

to pay full attention so that they can understand.

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References

McLeod, S. (1970, January 01). Saul McLeod. April 8, 2017.

https://www.simplypsychology.org/bandura.html

Ormrod, J. E., & Jones, B. D. (2018). Essentials of educational psychology: big ideas to guide

effective teaching. Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Social Learning Theory Bandura Social Learning Theory. (2016, September 14). April

8, 2017.

https://www.learning-theories.com/social-learning-theory-bandura.html

Zhou, M., & Brown, D. (2015). Educational Learning Theories. April 8, 2017.

http://oer.galileo.usg.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1000&context=education-textbooks