Social Cognitive Theory SCT

"Learning would be exceedingly laborious, not to mention hazardous, if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform them what to do. 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."-Albert Bandura, Social Learning Theory, 1977.

            Bandura thinks that direct reinforcement cannot be aplicapable for all types of learning. Students can learn new information and behaviors by observing others. Bandura’s Social learning theory explores three concepts like observational learning, Intrinsic Reinforcement and the modeling process. Through Bobo doll experiment, Bnadura proved that children learn and imitate the behavior of the people by observation. Observational learning can be done through a live model and symbolic model. Teachers, Parents, peer and other people are involved in live model. Description, Explanation and lectures are involved in verbal instructional model. Real and frictional characters in the books, television programmes, films etc., are involved in symbolic model. Thus students have great responsibility to learn by themselves through observing the people around them.

            Bandura supports Intrinsic Reinforcement rather than external reinforcement. He indicates the internal rewards as intrinsic reinforcement. The internal reward include pride, Satisfaction, self-respect, feeling of other accomplishment etc. the modeling process emphasizes that all observed behaviour do not lead learning. There are some steps in the observational learning and modeling poses. Firstly observational learning needs attention. Any desstraction in the attention of the students may cause negative effect. Retention is another step involved in the observational learning. Students should have sufficient ability to store information when the students are able to reproduce the retained information, the learning process in complete. The practice of the learned beahviour will improve the skills of the students.

Referencing :

1.Albert Bandura 1977 http://psychology.about.com/od/developmentalpsychology/a/sociallearning.htm

2.  Saul McLeod 2007 http://www.simplypsychology.org/pavlov.html

3. B. F. Skinner 1920s and 1930s, (http://129.7.160.115/INST5931/Beyond_Freedom.html)