Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory Essay

Victoria Fraser, 110201673

Learning and Cognition
Therese Lovette

A child will learn and develop through their personal, social, environmental and behavioural
influences. Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory will be analysed to determine the key concepts
surrounding the theory, how the theories key concepts will be incorporated into teaching and
learning practices and the strengths and limitation this theory presents.

Bandura clarified in his theory several key concepts which are significant to understanding children
and young people’s learning and development. (Bandura 2007 & Bandura & Locke 2003) claims
that the theory concentrates on how individuals expand on their social, emotional, cognitive, and
behavioural potential. The theory involves an individual being a role model to support others in
their learning and development. (Bandura 2007 & Bandura & Locke 2003) states that the theory
addresses cognitive factors of thoughts, belief, probability, anticipating, self-regulating and making
comparisons and judgments.

Observational learning is a key aspect to Bandura’s theory. Observational learning is gaining skills,
knowledge, abilities and strategies from observing other behaviours and actions. Attention,
retention, reproduction, and motivation are all processes that are associated with observational
learning. (Cruz 2014) states that for an individual to learn from observational learning they must
pay attention to the role model who is acting the behaviour. The observer must then retain the new
knowledge by transferring the information into mental images or verbal descriptions into their
memory. The new knowledge must be reproduced by the observer transforming the memory of the
learnt behaviour into the action, followed by the reinforcement and the motivation of the behaviour.
According to (Green & Piel 2016) ‘performance is influenced by three types of motivators: direct,
vicarious, and self-produced’.

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Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory Essay
Victoria Fraser, 110201673
Learning and Cognition
Therese Lovette

Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory is incorporated into teaching and learning practices as teachers
have adapted Bandura’s main concepts of his theory. A teacher needs to be a positive role model
demonstrating good social behaviour to the children. Teachers need to be able to provide new
concepts and knowledge to develop children’s cognitive capacity and use clear instructions when
teaching students. An experienced teacher will have the ability to gain and sustain young children’s
attention through the use of teaching strategies and learning about each individual child’s needs
and interests. A teacher must present opportunities for children to practice and reproduce new
knowledge to enable children to retain the new information.

(Woolfolk & Margetts 2016, p. 315) suggests that children’s personal, social, environmental and
behavioural factors influence how a child learns and develops. From this concept, teachers need to
consider the social environment in which the children are learning. In an early childhood setting,
teachers should offer sufficient learning resources and materials, teach in an enthusiastic manner
encouraging motivation among the children and teachers should pair children together who present
different levels of knowledge to promote role modeling and assistance with new concepts.

Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory has strengths and limitations. (Strengths and Weaknesses N.D)
outlines the strengths associated with Bandura’s theory by indicating that the theory is clear and
easy to understand, analysis’s different behaviours and allows for these behaviours to have
inconsistencies. (Strengths and Weaknesses N.D) also claims that Bandura’s theory provides in-
depth knowledge of how behaviour is learnt among young children and the theory demonstrates a
method to both social and cognitive theories.

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Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory Essay
Victoria Fraser, 110201673
Learning and Cognition
Therese Lovette

(Strengths and Weaknesses N.D) highlights the limitations of Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory as
they suggest that the theory doesn’t consider the physical or mental changes that young children
may experience and the theory doesn’t recognise that what one individual may observe as
punishment, another may view as a reward. In addition (Strengths and Weaknesses N.D) claims that
while the theory does analyse different behaviours, not all behaviours have been explained and the
behaviour differences hasn’t been determined.

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Bandura’s Social Cognitive Theory Essay
Victoria Fraser, 110201673
Learning and Cognition
Therese Lovette

References

 Bandura A 2007, Albert Bandura. In L. Gardner & W.M. Runyan (Eds.), a History of Psychology
in Autobiography (Vol. IX). Washington, DC: American Psychology Association

 Bandura A, Locke E 2003, negative self-efficacy and goal effects revisited. Journal of Applied
Psychology

 Cruz N 2014, Social Cognitive Theory by Albert Bandura, retrieved from

<http://www.slideshare.net/NancyDLuffy22/social-cognitive-theory-by-albert-bandura>

 Green, M & Piel, J.A 2016, Theories of Human Development: a comparative approach, 2rd edn,
Routledge, Oxen

 Strengths and Weaknesses N.D, Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, retrieved from
<http://bandurasociallearningtheory.weebly.com/strengths--weaknesses.html>

 Woolfolk A, Margetts K 2016, Educational Psychology, 4th ed., Pearson Australia Group Pty
Ltd, Melbourne, Australia.