Social Cognition Theory - Essay Example

Social Cognition Theory 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 behaviour is learned observationally through modelling: from observing others one forms an idea of how new behaviours are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for action.” –Albert Bandura, Social Learning Theory, 1977 Abstract Albert Bandura, a cognitive theorist in the area of social learning offered the theory that emotions and memory blended with environmental forces to influence a persons thoughts and judgment hence personality influence.The classic bobo doll experiment offered some great insights into observational learning and modelling of personality.(The children who watched the model aggressively kicking the doll with a hammer imitated the behaviour with precision). A step further rewarding or punishing the model for hitting the bobo doll elicited similar reactions on the children. Where the model was rewarded the children who viewed the tape felt inclined to do the same in order to also be rewarded. In the case of punishment the children refrained from imitating the model in fear of punishment. Following this experiment it is clear that personality is imitated and is alterable when reinforcements are placed. This essay therefore discusses this theory in line with related theories and how useful they can actually be in developmental learning. Introduction The social/cognitive theory is the brain child of Albert Bandura and has recently become highly influential as a theory of “ learning and development.” For Bandura, even though he believed in the basic concepts of traditional learning theory, the concept of direct reinforcement could not form the basis for all types of learning. .His theory gives the theory of learning a social aspect arguing that research and observation of behaviours plays a central role in this understanding. According to Bandura, children learn and observe from other people’s behaviours. He gives an example where some children observed an adult acting violently toward a Bobo doll. Later on they treated the doll violently as well and this showed how cognition affects learning development.For Bandura there is a trilogy of observational behaviourology for children Learning through a live model (actual demonstration). Learning through the verbal instructional model (descriptions of behaviour). Learning through a symbolic model(for example the examples and stereotypes set in the media) Secondly there is a concept of, Intrinsic Reinforcement within Bandura’s account where he has noted that the external, environment is not the only factor to influence learning and behaviour. The concept of intrinsic reinforcement brings with it feelings of internal reward, ( pride, satisfaction, or accomplishment.)So the Social Cognitive theory emphasises upon internal thoughts and how these internal cognitions aid in the understanding of cognitive developmental theories and behaviours. For Bandura this is not the a mere social/behavioural leaning theory but a Social Cognitive theory where he shows that mere learning does not affect behaviour.We learn through observations and experiences. It can arguably lead to a change in behaviour but not the same kind of learning that is reinforced by observation .In his explanation of the “modelling process” he goes on to explain that not all behaviours are learned properly and this depends on the type of model behaviour the child is looking up to. For him the road to effective learning involves certain requirements in the effective observational learning and modelling procedure The learner needs to have an effective attention span and distractions are not good for learning at all.For this the learning material needs to be interesting. Retaining information is very important. The learner should be able to retrieve the information learned at the right place and time. After absorbing information, and retaining it ,how it is manifested in your learning is an important factor.Once you have paid attention to the model and retained the information, it is time to actually perform the behavior you observed. Further practice of the learned behavior leads to improvement and skill advancement. Finally, in order for observational learning to be successful, you have to be motivated to imitate the behaviour that has been modeled. Reinforcement and punishment play an important role in motivation. While experiencing these motivators can be highly effective, so can observing other experience some type of reinforcement or punishment. For example, if you see another student rewarded with extra credit for being to class on time, you might start to show up a few minutes early each day. The many theories advanced by the different personality theorists offer different definitions and explanations to personality although there are several similarities that cut across the various theories. For instance, that personality is the enduring trait that makes a person unique. (Carver & Scheier, 2000). Additionally, there is a unanimous agreement that personality does indeed affect behavior of individuals. There is no definite answer on which theory is completely correct as each theory gives a different facet of personality and how to approach it. That said the question begs is; what is personality? According to Ryckman, 2004 personality is the set of traits that a person has that are unique to him/her and that influence his perceptions, inclinations and behaviors in different environments and situations. From the cognitive perspective personality is all about how individuals mentally integrate and organize all the thoughts that life experiences and the world around them bogs on them. The common expressions we hear say ‘you are who you think you are’ ‘believe and become’ are an extension of cognitive theory of personality. Therefore the way an individual approaches a situation or experience in life defines his end personality and hence his behaviour. This means that the process of information processing i.e. attending to perceived information, interpreting it, encoding the information and lastly retrieval affects ones outward show of personality. More to that cognitive theories advance that an individuals ability to self regulate and adjust his patterns of thought has an effect on personality hence individuals who constantly monitor their mental processes have the ability to change them to suit the different situations in life hence acquire various personalities at any given situation. As such it may be safe to say that individuals mental processes forms the basis of pragmatic and decision making capability of personality. A connected concept is his “social cognitive theory of morality” which lays a stress on a distinction between a “childs moral competence and moral performance”. This means that his notions of right and wrong also stem from his observation of his surroundings or what call be termed his cognitive-sensory process. They may have been through the learning process of knowledge but their sense of morals will always stem from their environmental awareness of their skills, their awareness of moral rules and regulations, and their cognitive ability to construct behaviors. For Bandura moral development is a combination of social and cognitive factors and that in the development of the moral self children adopt their own notions of right and wrong which they have observed. Another connected concept is the theory of self efficacy which is also a part of what Bandura preached as a cognition process. This is all about “ peoples beliefs about their capabilities to produce designated levels of performance that exercise influence over events that affect their lives.” These ideas will determine how a man thinks and behaves through the processes of cognitive, motivational, affective and selection processes.The stronger it is the more it enhances human accomplishment and personal well-being.The more trust people have within themselves the more they see and accept the daily challenges of life in a healthy manner. This outlook requires intrinsic interest and deep engrossment in activities. People who doubt their abilities shy away from different tasks and view challenges as personal threats. Self-Efficacy can be developed by four main sources of influence mentioned above. In his prominent book Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social-Cognitive Theory, Bandura has made some very interesting observations about this theory. At page 27 he states how self efficacy can be achieved from the four stage process.“Peoples conceptions about themselves and the nature of things are developed and verified through four different processes: direct experience of the effects produced by their actions, vicarious experience of the effects produced by somebody elses actions, judgments voiced by others, and derivation of further knowledge from what they already know by using rules of inference”. In the same book he goes on to say how people can use the notions of self efficacy to be successful in life. “Through their capacity to manipulate symbols and to engage in reflective thought, people can generate novel ideas and innovative actions that transcend their past experiences …..People regulate their level and distribution of effort in accordance with the effects they expect their actions to have. As a result, their behaviour is better predicted from their beliefs than from the actual consequences of their actions ……Accurate processing of information about outcomes is no simple task under the variable conditions of everyday life . . . usually, many factors enter into determining what effects, if any, given actions will have, Actions, therefore, produce outcomes probabilistically rather than certainly. Depending on the particular conjunction of factors, the same course of action may produce given outcomes regularly, occasionally, or only infrequently (Social Foundations of Thought and Action: A Social-Cognitive Theory) Conclusion Bandura has made some interesting contributions in the field of self development through his social cognition and self efficacy theories. Ultimately for him what we observe and how we perceive ourselves will strongly influence our personalities. Therefore his theory of Social Cognition makes an important contribution to the field of children’s learning and moral development. References Carver, C.S. & Scheier, M.F. (2000). Perspectives On Personality (4th Ed.). Eliasz, A., Hampson, S. E. & Boele De Raad (2005). Advances In Personality Psychology ISBN: 978-1-84169-546-4. Psychology Press. Judd, C.M., Dovidio, John F. & Carver, C. S. Journal Of Personality And Social Psychology ISBN: 0022-3514 Mroczek, D. K. & Little, T. D. (2006) Handbook Of Personality Development. ISBN: 978-0-8058-5936-2: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates Ryckman, R. (2004). Theories Of Personality. Belmont, CA: Thomson/Wadsworth Self And Identity The Journal Of The International Society For Self And Identity (7) ISSN: 1529-8868 Psychology Press. 2007 Tesser, A., Felson, R.B. And Suls, J M. (2000). Psychological Perspectives On Self And Identity. ISBN: 1-55798-678-9. Psychological Press. Bandura, A. (1994). Self-Efficacy. In V. S. Ramachaudran (Ed.), Encyclopedia Of Human Behavior (Vol. 4, Pp. 71-81). New York: Academic Press. (Reprinted In H. Friedman [Ed.], Encyclopedia Of Mental Health. San Diego: Academic Press, 1998 ________________________________________________________ Read More