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Learning Theories

Name
Course
Date
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Assignment 1: Evaluation of learning strengths and weaknesses in relation to a learning

theory

Assessment of learning strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and threats (SWOT) plays a

fundamental role in enhancing the learning process. To be precise, relating SWOT to a certain

learning theory enables learners to pay attention to their personal growth in various aspects.

Assessing and knowing the strengths gives the learners a chance to focus on the areas they are

good at. Similarly, learners knowing their weaknesses enables them to know the things they are

likely to make better. The strengths and opportunities provide learners with a long-term personal

objective. On the other hand, the weaknesses and threats evaluate and predict the possibility of

learners’ success and the areas they need to improve. Personal SWOT analysis can be reflected

in the various learning theories such as cognitive psychology, behaviorism, social learning

theory, and experimental learning. This paper evaluates my learning strengths and weaknesses

concerning the social learning theory.

To begin with, my SWOT analysis is an important element that helps me in my learning

process. Some of my strengths include risk-taking, social nature, and being observant. On the

other hand, my weakness is that it is not guaranteed that I will be influenced by the changes that

come with social learning. The opportunity I can get is having various options for learning in a

social context.

Social learning is a learning theory that was developed by Albert Bandura, who worked as a

cognitive and behavioral theorist as well. Bandura’s theory states that people learn new

information, skills, or behavior by watching and copying the behavior of others in a social

context (Akers and Jennings, 2016, p. 232). Also, learning is triggered by the observation of

punishments and rewards that others may get. The learners imitate what they watch to get
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rewards and avoid some of the things they observe to escape punishment. According to Bandura,

learning is a complex process. Therefore, the social learning theory suggests elements that make

learning simple. One of the possible strengths of social learning theory is its ability to show how

a person can learn. For instance, in my case, I am a social and observant person. Social learning

theory can work best for me because I can learn from people and acquire some positive skills for

my personal development. However, social learning theory is not accountable for the actions that

a person can acquire (Juffer et al, 2017, p. 190). A person can observe good or bad behavior and

imitate them. My weakness is that I may not be influenced by the changes that come with social

learning.

In conclusion, social learning theory is useful in helping me observe and learn by

imitating the behavior of others from a social context point of view. I can improve through the

influence of the theory by observing and learning. The positive aspects of social learning theory

can make me learn and enhance my personal growth. The limitation of the theory can also

enhance me to learn because I am required to only choose the right thing to observe and imitate.
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References

Akers, R.L. and Jennings, W.G., 2016. Social learning theory. Wiley Handbooks in Criminology

and Criminal Justice, pp.230-240.

Juffer, F., Bakermans-Kranenburg, M.J. and van IJzendoorn, M.H., 2017. Pairing attachment

theory and social learning theory in video-feedback intervention to promote positive

parenting. Current Opinion in Psychology, 15, pp.189-194.

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Assignment 2

My weakness related to the social learning theory is that it is not guaranteed that I will be

influenced by the changes that come with social learning. Social learning is intended to have a

positive influence on someone. However, it is not guaranteed that people will have a positive

change related to the observation they see and how they copy them. In this case, practical and

realistic strategies need to be applied to address my learning weaknesses.

First, to address my learning weakness, various forms of the social learning process

should be used to influence my behavior. Some specific forms of social learning elements that

can be used and create an impact on my behavior are using social media. I may not necessarily

change my behavior when observing others physically but the use of social media can have a

great impact on me. Social media has its way of changing the perception of people. In this case,

the use of social media is likely to change my behavior more than observing people physically.

Another way to address my learning weakness is by including an expert in my social

learning process. Observing and learning from an expert can influence me, making me change

my behavior concerning the outlined learning topic at hand. For instance, a doctor will be more

valuable than a normal student to address me about the effects of smoking or drinking alcohol.

Similarly, I will be more influenced and likely to change if I am taught how to farm with an

expert farmer.
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Assignment 3

Learning theories explain how people receive, approach, and apply the knowledge they

get from learning. Some learning theories include behavioral and cognitive. Behavioral theory is

a learning theory that was developed by John B. Watson in 1913. According to Nason et al

(2018, p. 263), the behavioral theory focuses on the concept that all behaviors are received

through the conditioning process. Conditioning is brought about by people interacting with the

social environment. In this light, the environment has an impact on how people respond hence

shaping their behaviors Greve and Teh (2018, p. 25) argue that behavioral theory works by

evaluating human behavior. The evaluation is based on the outcomes and predecessors available

in a person’s environment. Behavioral theory has some positive elements. The theory can be

utilized to enhance positive change in people. Positive change in people builds their self-

confidence. However, the behavioral theory ignores that other people’s experiences can

influence how a person behaves. Behaviorists note that people only learn due to their own

experiences. Behavioral theory can be used in the real world. It can be used to gather

information, particularly statistics in various organizations.

The cognitive theory was first coined by Edwin B. Holt and Harold Chapman Brown in

1931. Their book noted that all the animals’ behavior should be based on psychological aspects

like desire, feeling, and emotions. The concept of the theory was later extended by psychologist

Albert Bandura. Cognitive theory can be applied through people observing others in the context

of media impact, social engagement, and experiences (Beck, 2019, p. 17). The cognitive theory

works when learners observe a particular model performing a certain behavior. The learners then

imitate the behavior by remembering how the behavior was done by the models (Bandura, 1999,

p. 158). The cognitive theory also has some strengths and limitations. One of the strengths of
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cognitive theory is that the concept can be applied to experiments, being the major research

approach. Cognitive theory is also used in many other practical applications such as the study of

autism. Nevertheless, cognitive theory refers to cognitive procedures. As such, people cannot

directly observe the behavior that they can acquire.

Both behavioral and cognitive theories are related to how humans behave. Behavioral

theory changes the behavior of people and cognitive theory engages people to perform the

behavior. Also, both theories utilize a mechanism as a significant assumption. However,

cognitive theory creates a larger mechanical behavior reflected in people’s minds and not just the

actions. Further, cognitive and behavioral theories are different because they have varying

results. In cognitive theory, people can learn from others but they cannot be necessarily

influenced (Bandura, 1999, p. 160). In the case of behavioral theory, behaviorists believe that

learning changes how a person behaves. Based on their comparisons, behavioral and cognitive

theories play significant roles in different learning cases. Cognitive theory is important for

autistic children because it is a theory of the mind. On the other hand, behavioral theory can be

used by teachers in a classroom. The teacher can offer rewards or punishments to students based

on how the students respond to a particular behavior.

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References

Bandura, A., 1999. Social cognitive theory of personality. Handbook of personality, 2, pp.154-

96.

Beck, A.T., 2019. A 60-year evolution of cognitive theory and therapy. Perspectives on

Psychological Science, 14(1), pp.16-20.

Greve, H.R. and Teh, D., 2018. Goal selection internally and externally: A behavioral theory of

institutionalization. International Journal of Management Reviews, 20, pp.S19-S38.

Nason, R.S., Bacq, S. and Gras, D., 2018. A behavioral theory of social performance: Social

identity and stakeholder expectations. Academy of Management Review, 43(2), pp.259-

283.