#sociallearningtheory

[paulclews]

#Bandura #SocialLearningTheory (at Ilfracombe)

[guerrech-blog]

SOCIAL LEARNING THEORY: Imitation and Aggression

Part 1

Part 3

The Social Learning Theory, or also known as Observational Learning (or Modeling),  is “the theory that we learn social behavior (e.g., aggression) by observing others & imitating them.”  

(Source: Aronson, Wilson & Akert, SOCIAL PSYCHOLOGY: The Heart and the Mind, © 1994)

In Observational Learning, children observe the people around them behaving in various ways. This is illustrated during the famous Bobo Doll Experiment. (Bandura, 1961).

In society, children are surrounded by many influential models, such as their parents, guardians & the other members of the family that the child interacts with at home, characters on children’s TV/Movies, social media, friends within their peer group and the teachers at school.  These models provide examples of behavior to observe and imitate. 

Children pay attention to some of these people (models) and encode their behavior.  At a later time, they may imitate the behavior they have observed.  They may do this regardless of whether the behavior is “gender appropriate” or not, but there are a number of processes that make it more likely that a child will reproduce the behavior that its society deems appropriate for its gender.

Through the act of imitation or observation, children learn how to behave aggressively. Therefore, the act of bullying is a learned behavior, because whatever behavior the adults show, may easily be imitated & adapted by these children. So, it is VITAL for parents/guardians/caregivers/nannies to be able to show a good example.

To know more about Albert Bandura’s Social Learning Theory, visit Simply Psychology.                    

[hofstratelevision-blog]

Albert Bandura highlighted how serial dramas grounded in his social learning theory can lead people to make lifestyle changes and alter detrimental social practices.

[mbenzar]

Media Effects

Media effects - see something you will imitate, how we are affected by what we consume

Moral Panics - something gets so much media exposure creates fear

Censorship

(When you see violence or sex think MEDIA EFFECTS, MORAL PANICS AND CENSORSHIP, we live in a media saturated world)

Springhall says fear of new technology because challenges existing norms

If new technology allows individual to have a lot of power like expose government then e.g. 10 downing street website

Jamie Bulgar case – why did they do this? Children play video games is an assumption = media effects – impossible to prove cause because so many other texts, media saturated world, result? Stricter age restrictions

‘The Interview’ – marketing can affect Sony hack, how media influences those who consume texts, if something is censored makes you want to watch it

Social learning theory *Bandura, bobo doll – viewers learn from media consumption

Gerbner disagrees – one could be desensitized to violence but still be appalled by it

Cultivation theory – the more time we spend watching TV the more we end up feeling like we live in an imaginary world and TV is the main source of storytelling e.g. texts cultivates…

Heavy viewers overexposed to more violence and affected by the Mean World Syndrome

The more time we spend watching TV the more likely to believe we live in a social reality

Overuse of TV is creating a homogenous and fearful audience

Anderson & Grill – games played link to aggressive behavior because they encourage aggressive behavior by rewarding players with rewards

Criticism:

Audiences are treated as passive whereas today we know that audiences are very active

Also the focus is not mainly on adults but venerable groups like adolescents

Difficult to prove that one text has a dingle-handedly driven an individual to commit a violent act

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Social Learning Theory: Classroom Management

How does the social learning theory philosophy affect classroom management?

Teachers need to always keep in mind that "children learn through watching others and imitating positive role models in their environment is core to much early childhood teaching" and that "social rules and behaviors are caught and not taught" (MacNaughton 33)

Teachers need to provide ample opportunities for children to observe what they are modeling and give students time to remember and practice it

Teachers need to make sure they are a good role model for their students

Less teacher-directed approach when compared to other philosophies

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Social Learning Theory: Divserity and Inclusive Classroom

How does the social learning theory philosophy affectdiversity and inclusive classroom?

Social learning theory influences young children to learn social rules through the culture they live in

Manipulating a child's environment creates the desired gender role outcomes (MacNaughton 35)

This theory allows teachers the opportunity to create equal opportunity policies

Social learning theory allows little room for the child actively to make choices and so it ignores the possibility that children may resits the role models and social expectations they encounter (MacNaughton 36)

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Social Learning Theory: Curriculum and Academics

Rests on the principle that social roles and behaviors are caught and not taught.

To learn children need to be able to attend to a social role model, remember what they have done and be able to reproduce it and be motivated to do so.

Need to show children positive role models from literature and everyday life.

A HUGE part of cirriculum and academics for social learning theory is being a good model. If we present ourselves as positive and enjoyable role models that will create a stronger bond.

"Do not have to directly teach what they want the child to know."

Instead of lecturing the teacher would model what they wish the child to learn and act as s social reinforcer of the learning.

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Social Learning Theory: Assessment

"The next part of the exercise, which takes longer than fifteen minutes, is to systematically reconsider what we do with children, our day-to-day practices, in light of these long-term goals (Kohn 161)."

Assertive Discipline is (to allow teachers to engage students in the learning process uninterrupted by the students’ misbehavior) highly ineffective

Social Learning Theory causes children to learn passively, or through reinforcement

"First, teachers themselves are often judged on the basis of whether their students sit quietly and obey (MacNaughton 163)."

"They can only see two alternatives: punish or do nothing (Kohn 163)."