Albert Bandura’s Social Cognitive

Theory

Daleep Parimoo
Intellectual Developments

 Miller and Dollard (1941) wrote a book

entitled Social Learning and Imitation.
 This was a movement forward because they
discussed imitation; however, they viewed
imitation along traditional behavioristic
principles
 1960s, Bandura became quite well know with
his work on “modeling,” vicarious learning,
and his social learning theory.
Intellectual Developments (cont.)

 The point: humans can learn by observing

and modeling others, especially those that
they identify with.
 His most famous experimental research
studies at the time were his “Bobo doll”
studies which showed observational
learning and the impact it can have on violent
behavior in children.
Bobo doll experiment

 During the 1960s and 1970s, Bandura called his

theory observational learning or social learning
theory.
 Four key processes or steps to
observational learning:

1. Attention
2. Symbolic representation and retention
3. Transformation to action or production
4. Motivation
 Johnson’s 1984 model
 Similar to a regression model

 Y = X1 + X2 + X3 + Error

 You = nature + nurture + freewill + chance

Bandura landmarks

 One of many landmark works of Bandura’s is

his 1986 book entitled Social Foundations
of Thought and Action: A Social Cognitive
Theory.
 In this book Bandura formally broadened
social learning theory into a fuller theory of
human behavior (not just learning).
 He also presented his triadic reciprocality
model.
Triadic Reciprocality Model
Triadic Reciprocality Model (cont.)

 Here is a depiction of his triadic reciprocality

model of social and person causes.

Overt:Open and observable; not hidden, concealed, or secret

 3 bi-directional arrows
 Depicts a dynamic reality
 Within this system, self efficacy helps determine what
people decide to do (based on their capability beliefs)
and self-regulation helps them to set, monitor, and
control their goals and motivation.
 What is implicit is Bandura’s agentic perspective of
human behavior.
Four core features of human
agency:

1. Intentionality.
2. Forethought.
3. Self-Reactiveness.
4. Self-Reflectiveness.
Motivation

 Bandura integrates many different theories of

motivation into his SCT, but what is most
prominent in his theory is the agentic
perspective which involves personal goal
setting, self-reflection, self-regulation, and
self-development. His idea of collective
agency also is important (where social
groups and cultures also set goals, monitor,
and attempt to develop).
Fortuity

 Fortuity or chance plays an important role in

Bandura’s model of human behavior
 Bandura points out, however, that agency
even plays a role in fortuity.
 He is fond of the quote by Pasteur: “Chance
favors only the prepared mind.”
Key Concept in SCT: Self-Efficacy

 Self-efficacy, as a refined construct, came relatively

late in Bandura’s thinking.
 Bandura’s noticed a characteristic of successful
people in all phases of life. It was various self-
efficacy beliefs that let to their successes.
 “Self-efficacy is a person’s belief in their ability to
produce desired results by their own actions.”
 Successful people usually have high self-efficacy.
Self-Efficacy Versus Other Constructs

 “Self-efficacy as a judgment of personal

capability is not self-esteem, which is a
judgment of self-worth, nor is it locus of
control, which is a belief about whether
outcomes flow from behavior or from
extraneous forces” (2005)
Personal efficacy beliefs

 Teaching efficacy, Learning efficacy, Writing

efficacy
 Parenting efficacy
 I can quit smoking. (You can start naming
them)
 I can learn Spanish
 I can get over my phobias
Collective efficacy beliefs

 Sports team members’ collective or team

efficacy
 Our organization can make a profit in a
competitive and changing environment
Ways that self-efficacy beliefs are
developed:

1. Enactive mastery.
2. Social modeling or vicarious experience.
3. Social persuasion.
4. Physical and emotional states.
Applications of Bandura’s Work

Individual
 Treatment of phobias (modeling therapy)
 Treatment of drug and alcohol abuse,
bulimia, anxiety (self-control therapy)
 Explanations of moral engagement and
disengagement.
 Academic success (self-regulated learning)
Applications of Bandura’s Work (cont.)

Social
 Reduction of birthrates in countries with high
birthrates and high poverty
 Improvement of treatment of women in AIDS
prone areas
 Productivity in organizations
“There is much talk about
the validity of theories, but
surprisingly little attention is
developed to their social
utility…Theories are
predictive and operative
tools. In the final analysis,
the evaluation of a scientific
enterprise in the social
sciences will rest heavily on
its social utility.” (2005)
Observations on SCT

Strengths
 Interdisciplinary and integrative
 Helps link agency and social structure
 SCT passes the test of self-reference
 Strong research methodology
 One of only a handful of social scientists to discuss
fortuity
 Path models
 Many applications leading to social betterment
Observations on SCT (cont.)

Weaknesses
 Perhaps gives too much weight to human freedom of
action
 Perhaps gives too much weight to human rationality
 Downplays biological and upward causation (he
does a great job on downward causation:
agency/mind directing one’s intentionality and
behavior)
 Perhaps tries to include too much conceptual
territory in a single theory