Running head: WE ALL LEARN FORM OUR SURROUNDINGS

We all learn from our surroundings.

Carmen Garcia

Fresno Pacific University

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We learn from our surroundings

This piece summarizes Bandura us social learning theory, and illustrates the four

processes by drawing on examples of my experience working with children. Finally, it examines

how Banduras theory is applicable to this one working with young children.

The social learning theory devolved by Albert Bandura is a theory where children

observe behaviors around them in various ways. Through these observations children will learn

and imitate what they see. The individuals children are observing Bandura refers to as models.

Models can be a parent, siblings, extended family, television characters, teachers or any adult

that the child has a close connection with. Bandura claimed that childrens behavior is learned

through their environment. Bandura also pointed out that the adults will respond to the childrens

behavior with reinforcement, which can either be positive or negative based on the behavior. He

also pointed out that children dont just observe a behavior and copy it; there is a thought process

children consider before they imitate the behavior.

This thought process Bandura refers to as mediational processes, according to McLeod

(2011) he explained that there are four mediational processes (paragraph14). The first process

is called attention; this is where the behavior is noticed. The second process is called retention;

this is how well the behavior is remembered. The third process is called reproduction; this is

where we see the ability to reproduce the behavior. The last stage is called motivation; this is

where the thinking process is used, will it have a good outcome, or a bad outcome? With these

criteria Bandura in 1986 renamed his theory social cognitive theory, which better describes how

children learn from their environment.

I agree with this theory. Not only children but we all learn from our surroundings. As

children we are imitating our parents to learn simple everyday things. Little boys observe
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daddies shaving in the mirror, and imitate this behavior. Little girls observe mothers applying

makeup and curling, or straightening their hair and also imitating this behavior. As adults, we are

told to shadow a person at work to learn the job skills we will need to perform the job on our

own. So even though the context differs from children to adults, observation, information and

feedback from some authority figure-be they a parent or a supervisor, are critical to human

learning.

The first of the mediational process stags is known as attention. One of my many, many

years of working with young children an example comes of mind. I was in charge of two small

boys, which I will name Danny and Anthony. Danny is a year and a half older than Anthony. The

children were out with me running some much needed errands. The boys were hungry, so we

went to a place to eat. Both of the boys were sitting in high chairs. Danny became sick with his

food and vomited. This behavior immediately caught Anthonys attention. In no time, Anthony

started mimicking the behavior he saw from Danny. I believe this to be the first stage of

mediational process, where the behavior has to strike our attention to imitate the behavior. The

behavior caught the eye of Anthony; he was curious and wanted to try out this behavior. Danny

became ill do to the food.

The second mediational process stage is known as retention. Once more one of my own

personal examples comes to mind. When the children had free play, a child would come to me

for help with the puzzle she loved. I will name her Jolene. On this particular day she did not

come for help. She sat at the table by herself and tried to remember how the pieces fit together. I

stood from afar and watched to see if frustration was present to help Jolene immediately. To me

this is the part of working with young children I love. I get to watch the thinking process take

place. Retention was here at work. Jolene tried to remember the important behavior that was
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shown to her, how to make the pieces fit together without help. I observed that she was able to

put some of the pieces together but not all. She still could not reproduce putting all the pieces

together.

The third stage of mediational process is known as reproduction. In this stage the child

has the ability to imitate the behavior they just saw. We can see a behavior and want to imitate it,

but is the ability there to reproduce it. I recall a meeting that the kindergarten teachers requested

with the preschool teachers. One of their requests was that we teach the children how to tie their

shoes before they go to kindergarten. In my class room, I started to demonstrate how to tie their

shoes. We even had shoes on the dolly in the play house area; still, the children could not get this

skill down. This ties right back to the reproduction stage. The mental ability was not yet capable

to reproduce the behavior of tying their shoelaces.

The last stage of the mediational process is known as motivation; here the child is using

critical thinking and is asking their self if there will be a good consequence or a bad consequence

for the behavior they want to imitate. Working at a middle school I see this stage all the time. I

always remind the children that every behavior has some form of consequence. This past week a

student was suspended for having pot on him. When it was brought to attention all of the staff

was shocked because this student is not that type of student to experiment with drugs. We all

knew who that pot belong to and that this young man was asked to hold it. Here we see the

motivation stage, the student knew there was a consequence for this behavior and still took the

blame for something he did not do. Even though the consequence of being suspended was great,

being rejected by his peers was a greater threat to him, so he decided to hold the pot.

We all learn from our environment, from small children to adults. Our children are

always watching all behaviors that they are surrounded by. As adults we do not need to just tell
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our children how to behave, we need to demonstrate, so not only do they hear it, they also see it.

Nathan A Heflick Ph.D. also agrees with theory of learning, he states that children learn their

aggression from their parents. Parents should not just tell their children not to be so angry; they

need to show them how to control their anger (Heflick, 2011). Complementing these

observations Nancy Darling Ph.D, states that role models matter in our lives. We need these

models to encourage and remind us that we are capable of accomplishing the simplest things in

life, like learning how to dress ourselves to earning a degree (Darling, 2012).

The social learning theory is one of the theories that I truly can say I believe in. At the

Jr. High where I work, I am always a model for the students to observe, from showing how to

write a complete sentence, to demonstrating how to find the answers in the text books. Banduras

theory is one of the theories that I will continue to use throughout my field as an educator.
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References

Darling, N. Ph.DI ( 2012) Could Do That: Why Role Models Matter. (n.d.). Retrieved February

05, 2017, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/thinking-about-kids/201205/i-

could-do-why-role-models-matter

Heflick, N. A Ph.D. (2011) Children Learn Aggression From Parents. (n.d.). Retrieved February

05, 2017, from https://www.psychologytoday.com/blog/the-big-

questions/201111/children-learn-aggression-parents

McLeod S,(2011) Bandura - Social Learning Theory. (1970, January 01). Retrieved February 05,

2017, from http://www.simplypsychology.org/bandura.html