Social Cognitive Learning Theory

According to Albert Bandura (1977) proposed that people learn new information without changing their behaviour. So according to him it is not necessary to see a change in behaviour whenever a person acknowledges new information. Moreover people learn new information via observation through modeling. For an example the famous Bobo Doll experiment shows exactly this. When an aggressive action towards a Bobo Doll by an adult was shown to different children and they have observed what they have seen carefully and tried to repeat the same behaviour when they are given the opportunity with a Bobo Doll.

The basic concepts of this theory are people learn through observation, internal mental state is essential and always learning does not result in a change in behaviour. There are 3 essential classifications of observations. First the best way of learning is through modeling. In this way learners can see the real example and which help them to follow the same path. The next method is verbal instructional model. The teacher has to explain verbally the object. Sometimes when we explain the lesson we used our hands to show and express certain things. Finally symbolic modeling is also very essential part in observation. In this case students are taken to the excursion where the students can see the real objects or the symbols. Therefore by looking those symbols students can learnt their lesson more easily. For example field trips organized by our schools.

Internal mental State is really important in social learning theory. As environmental reinforcement is not the only factor which affect the learning but also intrinsic reinforcement also influence learning and behaviour. For an example satisfaction, pride, sense of accomplishment.

To achieve this learning theory successfully there are few basic steps to follow. They are;

1.     Attention

2.     Retention

3.     Reproduction

4.     Motivation

In order to succeed this theory learners have to be really attentive while the modeling is presented. Without the proper information learners are unable to learn new information. After successfully taking the information from the model the learner has to retain that information in his short as well as long-term memory. Without remembering what they have observed students cannot reproduce the idea that they have understood. Therefore the once the knowledge they have learnt should be use to create and exploit different new methods. And finally without motivation the above all the steps would fail. Therefore it is very important for the learners to be motivated and the teacher has to maintain their motivation throughout the class to achieve the target.

Which brings us to the role of the teacher who follows this theory. There are few important items a teacher has to remember while following this theory. First of all the teacher has to be a good model. As the basics from this theory say learners learn through observation they will always looks to their superiors and of course they will take example from the teacher. Therefore the teacher has to be a good model. Moreover the teacher has to develop the self-efficacy in students. The students should feel that they are important for this lesson and they are the one who is going to learn something. Last but not the least teacher has to motivate the learners to reproduce. Teacher can encourage students to reuse the ideas they have learnt and express them with new ideas.

On the other hand there are equal role for the learners as well. The learners have to be fully attentive in the class. Without receiving the correct information they cannot understand the lesson and which sometimes leads to retaining of false information’s. Consequently learners have to be fully attentive as well as retain the information they received. Moreover they have to use that information to reproduce new ideas and methods and repeat what they have learnt habitually in order to be familiar with the knowledge they received.