Analysis of Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory

In this paper I will analyse the theory of Albert Bandura as the topic of my writing is "Social learning theory" essay. He was a Canadian American psychologist who brought around the Bandura’s Social Learning Theory. This theory is a cognitivebehavioural theory, and it sees that ‘Bandura believes that a person’s development and behaviour are the result of certain social interactions with others throughout their life’. Bandura came out with an experiment called the ‘Bobo Doll Experiment’ where the adults was given a doll, the adults acted aggressively towards it but afterwards when the children interacted with the doll, they acted the same as the adults because the children was viewing the adult’s behaviour and mirrored the behaviour when it was their turn. In social learning theory, Albert Bandura reaches a decision with the behaviorist educational theories of classical conditioning and operant conditioning. But, he enhances two significant notions:

• Reconciling or meditational processes take place among the stimuli & responses of a person.
• Behavior is erudite from the surroundings through the practice of observational learning.

Social Learning Theory is frequently termed as the ‘channel’ between old-fashioned learning theory (i.e., behaviorism) and the cognitive attitude. As it is an emphasis on how cerebral (intellectual) influences are elaborate in learning of humans.

Contrasting with Skinner, Bandura accept as true that individuals are energetic information processors and work on their affiliation among performance and its significances.

Observational learning could not happen without intellectual progressions were at work properly. These psychological influences arbitrate (i.e., mediate) in the educational practice to conclude if a fresh reaction is assimilated.

Consequently, human beings do not repeatedly notice the conduct of an exemplary and replicate it. There is certain understood proceeding to simulated, and this reflection is called meditational procedures. This arises among noticing the activities (stimulus) and impersonating it or not (response)/

Albert Bandura proposed four meditational procedures which are:

• Consideration in this phase we are come in contact with certain behaviors with different people. For a behavior to be applied as it is, a lot of attention required to observe that behavior. On daily basis, we look on too many behaviors. Some are noticeable and rest is not. So the consideration is very important in any behavior to set the criteria whether it is copied able or not.
• Retaining: Main focus on how fine the behavior is recalled. As the behavior might be noticed by many but it’s not as important to recall for copying. So for the observer who is going to apply a certain behavior is very significant to recall, if behavior which is posed in such a manner that grasps his attention.

Abundant of communal education is not instantaneous, so this procedure is particularly vigorous in those circumstances. Even if the behavior is sighted and replicated afterwards, then there essentials to be a memorial to mention it.

• Imitation: in this phase the capability is tested. The capability to execute the behavior that the model has just validated. On the daily basis when we observe too many behaviors, but not all the behaviors we copy or recall as most of them are not even noticeable. As our memory is limited and we are bounded to our physical needs, we are unable to replicate all the behaviors which we see.

It also gives us strength to decide what to copy and how. For instance in case of an 85-year-old-lady which cannot walk properly saw a model to dance on the ice. She may admire the dancer according to her performance but cannot copy that, as her physical health won’t allow her to dance freely like that even if she needed.

• Inspiration: Most of the time copying behaviors gives as a reward or punishment. The recompenses and sentence that shadow a behavior will be deliberated by the viewer. If the apparent recompenses compensate the supposed expenditures (if there is some), then the performance will be more probable to be copied by the viewer. On the other hand if the indirect fortification is not worthy sufficient to the viewer, then they will not copy the conduct.

This is one learning theory part from Bandura’s Social Learning as Observational Learning the other is mediational processes seen by bandura, this is, Attention – where the individual needs to pay attention to the behaviour and the consequences of the behaviour, Retention – is where the behaviour is remembered, Reproduction – where the individual performs the behaviour just after viewing the demonstrated model and motivation – is the will to perform the behaviour and this can be seen as either rewards or punishment that will follow just after the behaviour, if its rewarded then the individual will continue that behaviour but if its punishment then the individual might take second thoughts on that type of behaviour.

References

• Hopper, Elizabeth (2020) Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs (Online Journal) Accessible at - https:www.thoughtco.commaslows-hierarchy-of-needs-4582571#:~:text=Maslow's hierarchy of needs is,esteem, and self-actualization.
• McLeod, 2016, Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory (Online Journal) Accessible at - https:www.simplypsychology.orgbandura.htmlMiller, Janet (2019) Care In Practice Fourth Edition (Book) (Page 206)