BF Skinner’s Behavioral Analysis proposes that behavior can be controlled and predicted in a given environment with the use of science rejecting the individual’s internal perspectives such as thoughts, emotions, feelings, etc. However, human factors hold importance in constructing behavior. Here comes Albert Bandura with his Social Cognitive Theory, where he provided in-depth analysis about personality without disregarding the concepts of behaviorism.
In Social Cognitive Theory, Bandura believed that people learn by observing the actions and consequences of others. The phrase “ learn from other’s mistakes” describes the kind of learning he proposed called Observational learning. Modeling is crucial in observational learning where an individual tries to imitate another individual's observed behavior depending on the consequences of the behavior he/she has received. A prominent experiment that aided me in how modeling occurs and how social behaviors can be learned through observation is Bandura’s bobo doll experiment. One of the Bobo doll experiments, Bandura tried to combine the ideas of modeling and conditioning. There were 3 groups of children. The first group watched a video of an adult being aggressive to the bobo doll and was given a reward. The second group watched the same video, but the adult was punished. The third group watched the video without the adult receiving anything. The conclusion is that children are more likely to learn an observed behavior based on its consequences. Children became aggressive when they saw that this action was rewarded while less aggressive when punished. Consequences influence you to decide what behavior to portray once caught in the same situation in the future.
With the combination of observational learning and Skinner's Behavioral Analysis comes the triadic reciprocal causation. This proposes that human functioning is molded by the interplay of environmental factors, personal factors, and behavioral factors. Our environment, such as our family, friends, and school, can influence our personal factors such as self-efficacy, which then influence our behavior by doing or not doing certain actions. By encapsulating all three factors, this model emphasizes the core of human agency. Humans have the power to organize, regulate, and enact behavior that they believe will bring them pleasant consequences.