D) Social Learning

SOCIAL LEARNING

“Psychology cannot tell people how they ought to live their lives. It can, however, provide them with the means for ef ecting personal and social change.” - Albert Bandura From Social Learning Theory, 1977

Try this first!

Directions: Read each situation carefully and answer the following questions at a minimum of 2-3 sentences.

In the first quarter, you received high grades and eventually got on the honor roll. Your parents praised you for doing a great job and studying hard, giving you money as a reward. With this, what do you think you will feel, and how would it affect your behavior?

SYNOPSIS

Albert Bandura is a well-known social cognitive psychologist who is best known for his work on the Bobo doll experiments and the idea of self-efficacy; he developed a theory called the Social Learning Theory. According to social learning theory, it's critical to observe, model, and copy other people's behaviors, attitudes, and emotional responses (Bandura, 1977). It also looks at the interactions between cognitive and environmental elements that affect human behavior and learning.

LEARNING OUTCOMES

After this lesson, the students are expected to:

Learn the interconnectedness of cognitive, behavior and environment in Social Learning Theory; Integrate the observational learning process in social cognition of imitation and reinforcement; Apply the principles of Social Learning Theory in developing the learning process.

Social Learning Theory presents the interconnection of the cognitive and environmental factors that influence an individual's behavior and learning process. This learning theory suggests that learners can acquire information through observing other people’s behaviors and building their knowledge according to them.

Who is Albert Bandura?

Albert Bandura is an influential social cognitive Psychologist and a Professor Emeritus at Stanford University. He is the proponent of Social Learning Theory and Bobo Doll Experiment. These two emphasizes the importance of observing, modeling, and imitating the observed behaviors, attitudes, and reactions (Physical and Emotional) of others.

Bobo Doll Experiment

Bandura developed the Bobo Doll Experiment to demonstrate that children can learn through observing a model’s behavior. The experiment involved children being exposed to two separate adult models: an aggressive model and a non-aggressive one. Following the observation of the adult's behavior, the children would be put in a room without the model and watched to see if they would imitate the actions they had previously observed.

Figure: four (4) images in upper row show an adult that physically and verbally attacks an inflatable doll. And the remaining eight (8) images show the preschool-age children treating the inflatable doll just like how the adult attacks the doll.

The experiment used an inflatable plastic doll that was designed like a cartoon clown and was bottom-weighted so that it could return to an upright position when knocked down. The respondents were 36 girls and 36 boys, preschool students of Stanford University Nursery School that ranged in age between three (3) and almost six (6) years, with the average participant age of four (4) years and four (4) months.

The children were divided into three groups in Stage 1: (1) children observed the adult that showed aggressive behavior, (2) children observed a non-aggressive-behavior model, and (3) children observed a model that displayed no behavior at all. Stage 2: To put all children into mild aggressive arousal, each child was brought separately into a room containing separately different appealing toys. Stage 3: The children are then brought again to the following room with both aggressive and nonaggressive toys that lasted for 20 minutes. During this time, the children's behavior was monitored and evaluated using a one-way mirror. Bandura concluded that the children that saw aggressive models remarkably imitated their actions and reactions more than children in non-aggressive groups.

There are 2 points for Social Learning Processes: Observational Learning and 4 Mediational Processes.

OBSERVATIONAL LEARNING

The Bobo Doll experiment illustrated Observational Learning which pertains to the ability of children to observe and imitate the behavior of a person present in their environment. These people observed by children are referred to as Models. These models’ behavior serves as a reference for children to imitate. Some examples of models are family, characters in children’s TV, friends, teachers, and famous figures. According to Observational learning through observation, imitation may occur; imitation refers to the capability to copy only one behavior at a time from a model. Children pay attention to these models, encode their behavior, and later reproduce the behavior they have observed. Thus, enabling children to learn through observation. Identification involves adopting one or more behaviors from different models.

The possibility of imitation to occur may depends on three things:

1.Imitation and reproduction of behavior may depend on similarity between the child and the model and reinforcement of the behavior. The child is most likely to imitate the behavior of the observed model if the child perceives that the model is similar to itself.

EXAMPLE: A little girl has the greater possibility to copy the gestures and movements of her mother than to her father.

Similarity: Gender

2. Imitated behavior will receive a response from the people in the child’s environment that is reinforcement. If the response is rewarding, the child is likely to continue imitating the behavior. The reinforcement of the imitated behavior can be external or internal and positive or negative.

a. Internal Reinforcement is the response/feelings of the child towards the response received from his/her imitated behavior, e.g., being happy. b. External Reinforcement is the idea of approval or response from the people to the imitated behavior, e.g., approval/response from parents or peers.

EXAMPLE: Cosmo felt satisfied with the praises she received after dancing elegantly. She is inspired with the movements of the dancer she has admired since when she was in elementary. INTERNAL REINFORCEMENT: being satisfied with the praises received EXTERNAL REINFORCEMENT: viewers praises and comments

3. Vicarious Reinforcement is another type of reinforcement. It occurs when a child may or may not imitate an observed behavior based on the response received by the model after performing the behavior.

EXAMPLE: A child learned to say please and thank you after observing his/her older siblings get rewarded because of it. A student avoids being late in school after a teacher scolded his/her classmate because of being late.

4 MEDIATIONAL PROCESS

Observational Learning could not happen unless cognitive processes were at work. Mediating process happens between the stimuli and responses. This process includes four stages of social learning: Attention, Retention, Reproduction and Motivation. Let’s dig deeper!

ATTENTION: Attention is the first in the mediational process. It is actively observing the surroundings to identify the model or feelings. It helps the child to be invested in the observing process of the behavior to make it significantly easier to notice and imitate. EXAMPLE: A child learns from an adult not to throw candy wrappers anywhere

RETENTION: When the child notices the behavior, it is the time where it needs to be remembered. Retention refers to the recalling of the observed scenario or experience and revisiting cognitively or acting it out physically. EXAMPLE: Later, the child may be observed saying to his/her toys that it is not okay to throw trash anywhere.

REPRODUCTION: To be able to totally carry out the behavior, the child needs to initiate to actually reenact it. From effectively paying attention to the modeled behavior, the behavior must be demonstrated repeatedly. EXAMPLE: Whenever the child sees his/her peers throw candy wrappers anywhere, he/she tells them that it is wrong and teaches them where to throw it.

MOTIVATION: The child learned the behavior, remembered all the details from the behavior and effectively imitated it, they still need to have a reason to continuously do it. Motivation is the reason or driving force for the child to keep on imitating or reproducing the behavior. This includes the observation that performing similar behavior is being rewarded, or the desire to be like the observed model. EXAMPLE: The adult (model) that teaches the child not to throw candy wrappers anywhere, gives a candy to the children who follows what he/she teaches. The adult (model) that teaches the child not to throw candy wrappers anywhere is the child’s mother.

Organize your thoughts

Let yourself explore

In this activity, you are tasked to give your application on what you have learned. Kindly read each direction carefully and answer the questions or comply with the requirements that follow.

1. Among the Four (4) Mediational Processes, choose one and make your own example of a situation applying your chosen process.

2. What do you think is the importance of the Four (4) Mediational Learning or how did it help you in your personal learning experience?

Directions: Watch a video on YouTube entitled "Bandura's Bobo Doll Experiment" and reflect what you have realized in 3-5 sentences

Link: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dmBqwWlJg8U

sQUIZ your Mind

Direction: Carefully analyze the situation, choose the correct answer and put them on the blank before each number.

___1. Social Learning Theory gives emphasize to correlation of _________________ and _________________ in learning process. A. Cognitive, Knowledge B. Cognitive, Ability C. Learning Pattern, Environmental Factors D. Cognitive, Environmental Factors

___2. Who is the proponent of Social Learning Theory? A. Jean Piaget B. Howard Gardner C. Carl Rogers D. Albert Bandura

___3. These are the two key points for Social Learning Processes. A. Observational Learning and Imitation B. Observational Learning and Cognitive C. Observational Learning and Four (4) Mediational Processes D. Observational Learning and Learning Styles

___4. Cognitive Processes are necessary to have functional observational learning. What are the four conditions of social learning? A. Attention, Retention, Reproduction, and Motivation B. Attention, Modeling, Imitation, and Motivation C. Motivation, Imitation, Reinforcement, and Observation D. Modeling, Observation, Imitation, and Reinforcement

___5. Rue loves to play outside their house and that made her forget to take a bath in the morning. Before having an afternoon nap, she decided to take a bath and Rue’s mother caught and scolded her for not taking a bath in the morning, exposing her tired body in cold water. Because of this, Rue always takes a bath before playing outside to avoid being scolded. What kind of reinforcement approach is shown in Rue’s situation? A. Positive Reinforcement Approach B. Negative Reinforcement Approach C. Positive and Negative Reinforcement Approach D. None of the above

___6. Cosmo requested her mother to buy her a pair of shoes just like her mother owns. She is also fascinated by the videos she watched of girls decorating their hair with fancy hair clips and how they drink their tea in fancy tea cups. Cosmo raises her pinky finger whenever she drinks her milk and walks more slowly than usual. The imitation in the situation was based in? A. Similarity B. Reinforcement C. Vicarious Reinforcement D. Identification

___7. Being an academic achiever and active community leader, Igen is always awarded by her parents with gifts as a form of recognition to her efforts. Her younger sister also started to do well in school and became an academic achiever along with her. What kind of reinforcement is shown in the situation? A. Internal Reinforcement B. External Reinforcement C. Vicarious Reinforcement D. Identification

___8. Pertains to the similitude of behavior to be recalled in the process of observational learning to be able to reproduce an observed behavior. A. Attention B. Retention C. Reproduction D. Motivation

___9. _________________ is the ability to perform and imitate an observed behavior. A. Attention B. Retention C. Reproduction D. Motivation

___10. _________________ is the driving force to imitate the observed behavior. A. Attention B. Retention C. Reproduction D. Motivation

REFERENCES

Ackerman, C. E. (21 July 2018). 12 Examples of Positive Punishment and Negative Reinforcement. Positive Psychology. https://positivepsychology.com/positive-punishment/

Cherry, K. (2020, May 5). Quotes From Albert Bandura on His Theories. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/albert-bandura-quotes-2795687

Cherry, K. (15 April 2019). How Negative Reinforcement Works. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-negative-reinforcement-2795410

Cherry, K. (09 May 2020). How Negative Punishment Works. Verywell Mind. https://www.verywellmind.com/what-is-negative-punishment-2795409

Fitzgibbons, L. (20 December 2019). Social Learning Theory. https://www.google.com/amp/s/www.techtarget.com/whatis/definition/social-learningtheory%3famp=1

LaMorte, W.W. (2019). The Social Cognitive Theory. Boston University School of Public Health. https://sphweb.bumc.bu.edu/otlt/mphmodules/sb/behavioralchangetheories/behavioralchangetheories5.html

Marcin, A. (31 August 2017). Understanding Negative Reinforcement. Health Line. https://www.healthline.com/health/negative-reinforcement#versus-punishment

Mcleod, S. (2016, February 5). Social Learning Theory. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/bandura.html

Nolen, J. L. (2022, March 9). Bobo doll experiment. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/event/Bobo-doll-experiment

McLeod, S. (2016). Albert BAndura’s Social Learning Theory. Simply Psychology. https://www.simplypsychology.org/bandura.h