Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory

 
     After how many months of moratorium about education topics, I now have to go back with my discussion since the next LET will be this April 2011. And my buena mano topic for this year is Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory. (I'm so sorry that this blog was not updated for how many weeks. There are a lot of things going on in my life...hehehehe...lol)
     Albert Bandura's Social Learning Theory States that learners learn through observing, modelling or imitating other people's behavior and the consequences of this behavior. (You might have remembered my previous video post about this theory that showed how the children imitated the way adults treated the "Bobo" doll.) This is also commonly referred to as "Observational Learning" or "Social Learning".

Father and son...peeing together...Who do you think is the model??? The father or the child?hehehe..

      Albert Bandura's theory can be categorized to "NeoBehaviorism" - a movement that crosses both behaviorist and cognitive views of learning. This proposes that internal and external factors of behavior both play important roles in learning. It explains the interplay among the mind, behavior and environment in the learning process.
 
Modelling

       Modelling has a lot to do especially on learning. It teaches by providing models for imitation as well as encourages and influences the frequency of a behavior to occur by providing vicarious or observed consequences of this behavior.

    

    As you have noticed with the conditions above, learning (reproduction of behavior) requires both internal and external processes. These, according to Bandura, are necessary conditions for learning(modelling) to occur. These are:
1. Attention -- this is the cognitive aspect(internal processes) of this theory by presenting that for learning to occur, a learner must first pay attention to a model.
2. Retention -- the learner remembers what was observed.
3. Reproduction -- the learner produces or replicates the action/behavior that is a copy of what was observed.
4. Motivation -- the environment delivers a consequence that changes the probability the behavior will be emitted again (reinforcement and punishment).


         Actually, there are still other essential topics under this theory (i.e. self-efficacy, reciprocal determinism, etc.) that have important applications on learning. However, let's just stick with modelling, in which shall I say, the most applicable topic if teaching and learning process is concerned. Watch out for my next post on specific applications of this theory in classroom setting.