a boy playing with a doll). Furthermore, social learning theory supports the nurture side of the nature nurture debate by stating that gender role is learnt through upbringing. Bandura found that children can tell the difference between male and female behaviours and they then use this to influence their own behaviour. For example, Bandura et al found that children do no model the behaviour of both of their parents (i.e. a boy may not cook dinner even though they observe their mother carrying out this behaviour).
He did an experiment on two groups of children, with an adult hitting a Bobo doll. “The first group was then shown a second adult either ignoring or encouraging the aggressive behaviour, while in the other group the second adult intervened to punish the aggressive behaviour.” Tassoni. P (2007: 71). After the children had watched the adult, they were put into a room, and their responses were written down. The first group of children mirrored the aggressive behaviour on the doll, whereas the second group showed little aggressive behaviour towards it.
Bandura believed that humans are able to learn through modeling. Modeling is an observational behavior and it is not purely imitation (Berger, 2011). Modeling allows children especially, to acquire new responses through observing others' behavior. A social model can be a parent, sibling, friend, or teacher, but particularly in childhood a model is someone of authority or higher status. The interaction of nature and nurture is clearly described in social learning theories.
This paper will assess the relevance of any three key ideas of social learning theory to teaching and learning which are observational learning, imitation, and modeling 1. Observational Learning According to Bandura (1997) social learning theory is the learning process whereby people retain behavior patterns from observing others, and the person is enabled to pass on these patterns of behaviour to others. This theory emphasizes on the importance of observing and modeling the behaviors, attitudes, and emotional reactions of others. He states that learning would be exceedingly difficult and hazardous, if people had to rely solely on the effects of their own actions to inform them what to do. Fortunately, most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling; from observing others, one forms an idea of how new behaviors are performed, and on later occasions this coded information serves as a guide for future actions.
There are, however, some processes which make it more possible that children will replicate the behavior that the society terms appropriate for its gender (Akers, 2009). First, children are more likely to listen to and emulate those individuals they perceive as similar to themselves. As a result, they are more likely to emulate behavior exhibited by individuals of the same sex as them.
Also, models in first two groups were divided by gender. There was also a fourth variation group where children were not exposed to the aggressive behaviour at all. Child, one at a time, was exposed to 10 minutes aggressive acts towards inflated Bobo doll. Afterward they were moved to a second room, which was arranged to mildly frustrate them by not letting them play with chosen toys. Finally, the child was moved to a third room, where the Bobo doll and other toys were available for 20 minutes of freely playing and where the child’s action were observed (Oates, 2012, p.110-11).
The social cognitive model is one that is places emphasis on explaining how the individual’s personal behaviors and beliefs are influenced by the individuals learning environment (Schunk & Zimmerman, 1997). In the findings of Schunk and Zimmerman (1997), individuals who are learning are active participants and these individuals can gain control of their learning experiences throughout various ways. This can include finding a work environment that is productive
UNDERSTANDING CHILDREN’S BEHAVIOUR –A STUDY BY BANDURA, ROS AND ROSS (1963) This report aims to: * Explain how and why research carried out by psychologists named Bandura, Ross and Ross, explained how social learning by children and the acts of aggression have helped us understand their behaviour. * Explain what they did to measure the types of aggression and what situations the children were put in * Issues raised by the research and whether it is applicable to working and understanding children’s behaviour Introduction In 1963 a group of psychologists called Bandura, Ross and Ross carried out a series of experiments involving children aged between 3 and 6, to find out if children replicated acts of violence. They were interested in the theory of “social learning”, a theory that the children learn socially from their environment by watching others around them. They were interested to see what actually triggered the aggression off and what sorts of aggression were shown. The experiments Bandura, Ross and Ross created four separate experiments to see if the children would imitate the acts of aggression shown to them, using what they called a “bobo doll” as the trigger object, a large blow up doll, something like a Kelly toy.
General Principle of Social Learning Theory 1. People can learn through observation. I n his famous "Bobo doll" studies, Bandura demonstrated that children learn and imitate behaviors they have observed in other people. The children in Bandura’s studies observed an adult acting violently toward a Bobo doll. When the children were later allowed to play in a room with the Bobo doll, they began to imitate the aggressive actions they had previously observed.
Social Cognitive Theory (SCT) - Started as the Social Learning Theory (SLT) in the 1960s by Albert Bandura. - It states that learning occurs in a social context with a dynamic and reciprocal interaction of the person, environment, and behavior - People learn through observing other people’s behavior, attitudes, and outcomes of those behaviors. “Most human behavior is learned observationally through modeling: from observing others, one forms and idea of how new behaviors are performed and on later occasions serve as a guide action” – Bandura *Reciprocal Determinism - Is the central concept of SCT. - 3 Factors: * the environment * the individual and, * the behavior itself. Essentially, Bandura believes that an individual's behavior influences and is influenced by both the social world and personal characteristics.