Bandura’s social learning theory emphasizes observational learning, stating that children can learn a new behavior merely by watching another person. Bandura’s theory is concerned with how children and adults operate on their social experiences and how these cognitive operations, or mediators, influence behavior and development. He states that individuals mentally represent their environments and themselves in terms of classes of mediators, which include perceptions of self-efficacy and standards for evaluative self-reactions.
Observational Learning
Bandura claims that observational learning is the key to understanding how social learning is formed and carried out. Observational learning puts great emphasis on modeling, which has shown to be of great importance in social learning theory.
There are four components to modeling: attention to events that are being modeled, which can be live or symbolic; retention of the material that was being modeled, the conversion of symbolic representation into actions similar to the modeled behavior, and finally motivation for the modeled actions. Bandura stated that without these four components, social learning cannot occur.
Self-Regulation and Self-Efficacy
Self-regulation and self-efficacy are both important components of social learning theory that Bandura used extensively in his research. Self-regulation suggests that individuals hold on to their ideological positions in spite of changing situations and is dependent on external forces.
Self-regulation can be cited as a way in which social learning can hinder development in children. For instance, adults respond differently to children’s behaviors, and the differences in these responses are accounted for when children are formulating their own standards about which behaviors are worthy of self-blame or self-praise. If an adult is constantly suggesting that a child’s behavior is to blame for something bad happening, that child can grow up to believe that many of the things that he does are a direct consequence for something bad happening.
A major determinant of self-regulation is self-efficacy. According to Bandura’s self-efficacy theory, “individuals develop domain-specific beliefs about their own abilities and characteristics that guide their behavior by determining what they try to achieve and how much effort they put into their performance in that particular situation or domain.” High self-efficacy comes from the extent to which individuals see their behavior as a product of their own effort and ability rather than external factors of which they have little control over.
For instance, an individual with high self-efficacy will say something like “I received a good grade on my math exam because I studied hard and I paid attention in class,” whereas a person with low-self efficacy would say something like, “I only received a good grade on my math exam because I was lucky that day.” When an individual has a negative self-concept, they can become preoccupied with themselves, which can lead to elevated levels of emotional arousal, two conditions that can distract a person from performing effectively.
Comparisons with Attachment Theory
Attachment theory and social learning theory do have several similarities. Most notably, Bandura pointed out that the social and cognitive competence observed in infants who are classified as securely attached could be a result of their highly developed self of self-efficacy. Bandura suggested that high self-efficacy is promoted by parents who are responsive to their child’s needs and who provide an enriched environment that allow these infants to see that they can be effective. Conversely, if a child grows up with a caregiver who is uninterested, does not provide a rich learning environment, and does not foster high self-efficacy, then that child can develop a form of insecure attachment and/or have difficultly performing effectively, especially in the context of their educational goals.
Both attachment theory and social learning theory are goal-directed. They both suggest that the infant-caregiver relationship is one of reciprocity in which the infant learns that he must perform a certain action or not perform a certain action in order to obtain what he wants. Both theories also put significance on the importance of an infant’s relationship with caregivers and others close to him.
Social learning theory is another well-tested theory of child psychology. It has been well-researched and the theory has withstood the test of time. One of the most notable strengths of social learning theory is that it not only investigates interactions with caregivers, but also with peers and other adults (e.g., teachers, babysitters, etc). Social learning theory and its components give great insight into the impact that the social environment has on infants and small children.
Readers may also want to learn more about Attachment Theory.
Sources
- Mash, E. J. & Wolfe, D. A. (2009). Abnormal Child Psychology (4th ed.). Belmont, CA: Thomson Wadsworth.
- Grusec, J. E. (1992). Social learning theory and developmental psychology: the legacies of Robert Sears and Albert Bandura. Developmental Psychology, 28 (5), 776-786. doi: 0012-1649/92.
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