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Social Learning Theory

Shelbee Schultz
Educational Psychology
5, April 2016
A common response to the question Why did you do that? is typically because so-andso told me to, implying that the reason for said behavior was that the individual was being
influenced by a peer. Most of our behaviors are influenced by something, whether it is the
environment, family, peers, or an object such as the television. We were not able to make a
reasonable connection about how our behavior is influenced until Albert Bandura came up with
the social learning theory in 1977.
Albert Bandura is a psychologist at Stanford University who introduced the world to the
social learning theory (Albert Banduras Contributions, 2011). This theory suggests that people
learn by observing others, normally called a model. The observed behavior is remembered and is
later imitated. Fortunately, most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling:
from observing others one forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed, and on later
occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action (McLeod, 2011). Banduras theory
has contributions from the behaviorism theory, except it has one major difference: humans are
active information processors. The social learning theory is based off the concept that learning is
not possible without cognitive processes.
Furthermore, the cognitive process for effective social modeling consists of in order
attention, retention, reproducing, and modeling. Attention is the first step that gets the entire
process started. In order for a behavior to be modeled, one first has to catch the attention of the

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learner. The more interesting a behavior is, the more attention it is going to receive. In order for
the cognition process to work, the person needs to be focused on the behavior that they are
observing. The second step is retention which is the ability to remember. One will not be able to
imitate the behavior if he or she cannot recall what the model did. It is vital that the subject is
able to remember the behavior for long periods of time considering that the next step in the
cognitive process is not always immediate. Reproduction is the ability to demonstrate the
behavior that caught ones attention and to remember it. This phase puts a high emphasis on
physical abilities. Some behaviors are not able to be imitated due to the persons capabilities. For
example, if you are not flexible or a gymnast, there is a high chance that you are not physically
capable of doing a backflip. Motivation is the step of Banduras social learning theory that has
contributions from Skinners theory of behaviorism. Reinforcement and punishment are the two
forms of motivation that are received after a behavior is reproduced. Motivation is what
determines if you will continue to produce this imitated behavior or not (McLeod, 2011).
Albert Bandura also emphasizes the importance of another approach: self-efficacy. Selfefficacy focuses on the extent to which one is able to successfully reach specific goals or master
certain behaviors (Ormrod, 2012). Self-efficacy helps determine behavior and motivation.
Human accomplishment and personal well-being can be augmented by a strong sense of selfefficacy. One who shows a strong sense of self-efficacy sets challenging goals and is determined
to achieve them. When they are involved in threatening situations, they approach them with
confidence and assurance that they will not fail. This type of person is one to recover soon after
setbacks or failures. However, those who doubt their capabilities tend to shy away from activities
where they have a higher chance of failure. They fear new situations and recover slowly when

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they fail. Failure pushes them to lose confidence in themselves, sometimes to the point of anxiety
or depression (Bandura, 1994).
In order to prove that children imitate observable behaviors, Albert Bandura designed the
Bobo Doll Experiment. The first step to creating an accurate and effective experiment is to make
predictions or hypotheses. He first predicted that children would act aggressively after they
observe an aggressive adult even when they remove the presence of the adult. With these
hypotheses, he also stated children would be less aggressive if they observed a non-aggressive
model than if they observed an aggressive model or were in the control group. Banduras third
prediction was that children are most likely to imitate same-sex models. For example, girls
would behave less aggressively than boys (Bobo Doll Experiment, 2014).
Bandura selected 72 children ages three to six years of age from the Stanford University
Nursey School. He split these children into three different groups: aggressive group, nonaggressive group, and the control group. A control group is a critical part to the experiment that
helps prove that what you are doing to the test groups is the reason for the change. He then
continued to split the groups up even further to get more results. Each group of 24 children was
divided into groups of 12 males and 12 females. Before Bandura started the experiment, he
assessed the existing aggression levels of each child (Bobo Doll Experiment, 2014).
The reason it was called the Bobo Doll Experiment was because it had a high focus on
the childrens reaction to the Bobo doll. The Bobo doll was a doll that was heavy on the bottom
and had a center of mass so when one would hit it, it would spring back up. The children that
were in the non-aggressive group were placed in a room with an adult who simply played with
the other toys in the room and completely ignored the presence of the Bobo doll. In the

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aggressive model, the model acted aggressively towards the model. The model laid the Bobo on
its side, sat on it, and punched it repeatedly in the nose. The model then raised the Bobo doll,
picked up the mallet, and struck the doll in the head. This sequence of physically aggressive acts
was repeated three times, interspersed with verbally aggressive responses (Bobo Doll
Experiment, 2014). In the control group, the child was not introduced to a model. After the
children were exposed to the model for 10 minutes, they were then taken to a separate room
where they were given aggressive and non-aggressive toys. Their behavior was watched and
recorded for 20 minutes. Three out of the four predictions were supported in this experiment
(Bobo Doll Experiment, 2014).
The social learning theory can commonly be seen in the educational classroom. Because
of Banduras Bobo Doll Experiment, we can conclude that children learn effectively by
observing others. One way that teachers can help students learn a new task is by modeling the
behavior to help them learn the skill. For example, if I am trying to teach my kindergarten class
how to do simple addition problems I would first start by modeling how to successfully complete
this task on the board. This is when the social learning theory tasks place. At this time, the
students attention will be caught and he will be interested in what I am doing. When the student
has to do his own addition problems he will remember my behavior and how I solved it in my
example. It is then the students job to reproduce this behavior and answer the problems on his
own. The final step of motivation comes when the student finds out if he did the problem
correctly. Since it is concluded that students learn from peers, it is also critical as a teacher to
provide positive reinforcement of right or wrong behavior. If a student is blurting out answers,
not raising his hand, and not giving other students an opportunity to answer, it is important as a
teacher to reinforce that in order to answer a question it is best to quietly raise ones hand and

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wait for the teacher to call on him. By doing this, the teacher is modeling to the other students
appropriate behavior. Later when a student wants to answer a question, he will hopefully
remember and reproduce the appropriate way to answer. One of a students most influential
models is the teacher.
Just as proven by Bandura, environments and people influence the behavior of others,
both positively and negatively. Our brains cognitive process and sense of self-efficacy help
determine how one will act. In the educational classroom, we can control the environment to
help students learn to display positive behavior. In order to achieve positive behavior in the
classroom, the teacher must model and reinforce it. By seeing their teacher and peers act with
appropriate behavior and learning skills, students are more likely to display positive behavior and
learning as well.

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Works Cited
Bandura, A. (1994). Self-efficacy defined. Retrieved March 25, 2016
McLeod, S. (2011). Bandura - Social Learning Theory. Retrieved March 25, 2016
Ormrod, J. E. (2015). Essentials of educational psychology: Big ideas to guide
effective teaching
(4th ed.).
What Does the Bobo Doll Experiment Reveal About Kids and Aggression? (2014,
December 16).
Retrieved March 25, 2016
What Were Albert Bandura's Contributions to the Field of Psychology? (2016,
January 6). Retrieved
March 25, 2016