from the book of "theories of Personality" by Barbara Engler

1. Social Cognitive
Theory
By Albert Bandura

2. CONTENTS
• Biographical Background
• An Agentic Perspective
• Learning through Observation
• Aggression and Inhumane Behavior
• Moral Disengagement and Self-Efficacy

3. Biographical Background
of Albert Bandura

4. Biographical Background
• Born on December 4, 1925 in
Mundare, Alberta, Canada
• Youngest and only boy of the six
children
• Bandura graduated in 1949 from
the University of British
Columbia in Vancouver
• Became a clinical intern at the
Wichita (Kansas) Guidance
Center

5. Biographical Background
• Accepted a position at Stanford
University
• Became a full professor in 1964
and in 1974, he was awarded an
endowed chair
• At Stanford, He began field
studies on social learning of
aggression particularly
considering the role of modelling

6. Biographical Background
• He focused on Observational
Learning
• He was elected president of the
APA in 1973
• Received a Gold medal Award
for Life Achievement in the
science of Psychology in 2006

7. An Agentic Perspective

8. An Agentic Perspective
• An Agentic Perspective emerges on Bandura’s Socio Cognitive view of
personality
• He viewed people as AGENTS, or originators of experience.
• Bandura conceived HUMAN AGENCY as the ability to act and make
things happen

9. An Agentic Perspective
Human Agency entails intentionality which enables us to behave purposefully
 FORETHOUGHT: permit us to
anticipate outcomes
• Example:
when a person is deciding,
that person has his options .
With each options he has to
anticipate outcomes in order
for that person decides
depending on what might
comes out after.

10. An Agentic Perspective
Human Agency entails intentionality which enables us to behave purposefully
 SELF REACTIVENESS: allows us
to motivate and regulate
actions.
• Example:
Drinking on a beer house
gives a person pleasure and it
will give that person the
motivation to drink yet he will
regulate his actions in order for
him to get away from self-censured
stuff.

11. An Agentic Perspective
Human Agency entails intentionality which enables us to behave purposefully
 SELF REFLECTIVENESS: gives
us the ability to reflect on our
thoughts and behavior and
make changes as needed.
• Example:
Back to the deciding
situation, when a person
chooses one of his options and
everything went wrong, that
person will reflect and will
make changes for the better.

12. Learning through
Observation

13. Learning through Observation
The Bobo Doll
• In a famous and influential
experiment known as the Bobo
doll experiment, Albert
Bandura and his colleagues
were able to demonstrate one
of the ways in which children
learn aggression.
• The experiment involved
exposing children to two
different adult models; an
aggressive model and a non-aggressive
one.

14. Learning through Observation
The Bobo Doll
• After witnessing the adult's
behavior, the children would then
be placed in a room without the
model and were observed to see if
they would imitate the behavior
they had witnessed earlier.
• Bandura and his colleagues
believed that the experiment
demonstrates how specific
behaviors can be learned through
observation and imitation.

15. Learning through Observation
The Bobo Doll
• In a follow-up study conducted
in 1965, Bandura found that
children were more likely to
imitate aggressive behavior if
the adult model was rewarded
for his or her actions
• They were far less likely to
imitate if they saw the adult
model being punished or
reprimanded for their hostile
behavior.

16. Learning through Observation
The Bobo Doll
• Several studies involving
television commercials and
videos containing violent
scenes have supported this
theory of modeling.
• Albert Bandura believed
television was a source of
behavior modeling.

17. Learning through Observation
Observational Learning
• In his early writing, Bandura emphasizes the power and
pervasiveness of social modeling and the process of learning
through observation
• Bandura suggests that observational learning occurs either
intentionally or accidentally
• Observational Learning is done through imitation or
modeling

18. Learning through Observation
Difference of Imitation and Modeling
Imitation
Individuals observe and just
copy the action.
Example:
Drawing or painting objects
by just copying a subject

19. Learning through Observation
Difference of Imitation and Modeling
Modeling
Individuals observe specific models.
Observers sometimes are able to
solve problems correctly even after
the model fails to solve the same
problem.
Observers draw similar conclusions
from different responses and create
rules of behavior that permit them
to go beyond what they have seen
or heard.
Example:
Drawing or painting objects by using
the object only as a pattern. The individual
could just copy or change some of the
patterns to the art piece.

20. Learning through Observation
Factors that Influence Modeling
o Characteristics of the
Model
• We are more likely to be
influenced by someone who we
believe is similar to ourselves
rather than by someone who is
different.
• According to research, people
who are physically attractive
influence more people.
o Attributes of the Observer
• People who are lacking in self-esteem
or who are
incompetent are especially
prone to follow the structure
and style of the model.
• A highly motivated individual
will also emulate a model in
order to master a desired
behavior.

21. Learning through Observation
Factors that Influence Modeling
o Reward consequences
associated with the
behavior
• Participants are more likely
to emulate a behavior if
they believe that such
actions will lead to positive
short- or long-term results.

22. Learning through Observation
Process of Observational Learning
Attentional Process
• In order for learning to take
place, you need to pay
attention.
• Models should be noticeable
enough for the observer to
focus on learning a specific
task
Retention Process
• The ability to store
information or remember it.
• It can be through verbal or
imaginal
• Verbal- remembering the
words itself
• Imaginal- developing a visual
image

23. Learning through Observation
Process of Observational Learning
Motor Production Process
 Once we “know” how a
behavior should look and
remember the elements or
steps, we still may not
perform it smoothly.
 In the production phase,
practice makes the behavior
smoother and more expert.
Motivational Process
• We may acquire a new skill
or behavior through
observation, but we may
not perform that behavior
until there is some
motivation or incentive to
do so.

24. Learning through Observation
Process of Observational Learning
Example: Driving a Car
• Pay
Attention
Attentional
Process
Retention
Process
• Remember the
right
buttons/pedals
• Practice
driving on
your own
Motor Production
Process
Motivational
Process
• Arrive
school in
time

25. Learning through Observation
Reinforcement in Observational Learning
Extrinsic Reinforcement
• Being rewarded with objects
and stuff
Example:
Winning a competition
and being rewarded with a
medal.
Intrinsic Reinforcement
• Being rewarded by the
feedback or the outcome of
the behavior done.
Example:
Playing a difficult piece of
music well leads to feeling of
accomplishment.
*self-satisfaction

26. Learning through Observation
Reinforcement in Observational Learning
Vicarious Reinforcement
• is learning by observing others.
• if people can learn by
watching, they must be
focusing their attention,
constructing images,
remembering, analyzing, and
making decisions that affect
learning.
Example:
A child who sees a
sibling being spanked for a
misdemeanour quickly
learns not to do the same
thing.

27. Learning through Observation
Reinforcement in Observational Learning
Self-Reinforcement
• controlling your own reinforces.
• This reinforcement is
important for both students and
teachers.
• We want our students to
improve not because it leads to
external rewards, but because the
students value and enjoy their
growing competence.
Example:
One runner might be
satisfied by completing a
mile in five minutes;
another would want to
finish it in less time

28. Aggression and
Inhumane Behavior

29. Aggression and Inhumane Behavior
Aggression
 Defined as the physical or verbal behavior that tends to
cause harm .
2 Kinds of Aggression
 Hostile – driven by anger
 Instrumental – means to some other end
 Ex .Self-defense

30. Aggression and Inhumane Behavior
Aggression
Albert Bandura believes that everyday life exposes us to
aggressive models.
Family
• aggressive children have parents who discplined them by
screaming , slapping and beating

31. Culture
• by experience or by observing others . Aggression are
motivated by variety of Aversive Experiences (pain
,frustration and insults)
• Examples : Aggressiveness of African-Amercans when they
are called Negro .
Mass Media
• violent scenes
• Examples: Bandura's experiment on the children's
behavior after watching aggressive film , movie and
cartoon . Wrestling as entertainment

32. Aggression and Inhumane Behavior
Inhumane Behavior
 Defined as the unkind , cruel and barbaric behavior .
Causes of Inhumane Behavior
 Too much exposure to violence .
 Inappropriate or less reinforcement .

33. Aggression and Inhumane Behavior
For Albert Bandura there are Multiple Effects of
viewing/watching violence .
Multiple Effects of Violence
 Overwhelming of the nervous system
 Aggressive style behavior
 Desensitization or habituation of viewers to violence
(emotional numb )
 Shaping the image of reality (distorted)

34. Moral Disengagement
and Self-Efficacy

35. Moral Disengagement and Self-Efficacy
 Moral Disengagement is defined as the process of convincing
the self that ethical standards do not apply to one self in a
particular context , by separating moral reactions from
inhumane conduct by disabling the mechanism of self-condemnation
.
 Supports destructive behavior by reducing pro-social feeling
prior self-censure and encouraging cognitive and emotional
reactions .

36. Moral Disengagement and Self-Efficacy
Social Cognitive Theory bases moral agency in a
self-regulatory system in which one controls one's
behavior by monitoring and evaluating in terms of
internal standards and situational circumstances .

37. Moral Disengagement and Self-Efficacy
Child (adopted
moral standards
from
parents/infuences)
Older We are developing our
External
Sanctions(Reinforcer)
own moral standards
and self-regulation .
Self-Sanctions
Accept behavior Reject
Behavior

38. Moral Disengagement and Self-Efficacy
 Self-Efficacy is defined as the people's belief that they can
successfully perform behaviors that will produce desired
effects .
 Cental mechanism of self-regulation .
 Govern our thoughts , motivations, and actions.
Sucessful Work
Skill Self-Efficacy

39. Moral Disengagement and Self-Efficacy
 Mastery of Experience and Hard-won achievements
alter our beliefs through comparison with others and
from social influences , as well from physical and
emotional states .
 Self-efficacy can be change . Different periods of life
create different challenge that can alter our
development of agency and self-efficacy beliefs .
 Efficacy beliefs structure the ways we select ,
construct and manage our environment and adapt to
changing social conditions .

40. Moral Disengagement and Self-Efficacy
 Collective Self-Efficacy refers to a group's shared belief in
the ability to organize and carry out actions that lead to
fulfillment of a certain group goals .
Effects of Self-Efficacy
 Academic confidence and success
 Vocational choices , educational preparation and levels of
accomplishments
 Modifies the biological systems of the body involved in health
and disease by contolling our behavior and environment .

41. Essence of Social Cognitive Theory
 The social influences shaped our behavior.
 Humans are product of learning .
 Emotional arousal stemming from aversive experiences motivates
aggression ,
 Observational models may strengthen or weaken every existing
response .

42. THANK YOU 
Social Cognitive Theory
By Albert Bandura
Prepared By:
Brillo, Nicole
Dalida, Mc Frederick
Dela Cruz, Ma. Nancy
II-10 BS-Psychology