Social Cognitive Theory

A Comprehensive Summary of Social Cognitive Theory

 The social cognitive concept defines the effects of personal experiences, other people's deeds, and the surrounding elements on personal medical characteristics. This concept offers openings for social provision by imparting self-efficiency and the usage of observational education and other interventions to attain behavioral alterations (Stillman, Shen, & Ferguson, 2018). The construct of social cognitive concept was initiated as a social learning concept in the 1960s by Albert Bandura. Through the years, it changed into social cognitive theory in 1986 and stated that learning takes place in social situations with active and mutual communication of the individual, surrounding, and the behavior. One of the unique characteristics of the social cognitive concept is the importance placed on societal influence and its effect on both exterior and interior social underpinnings.

 This theory takes into consideration the exclusive mechanisms where an individual obtains and retains behavior. At the same time factoring into the social surrounding under which the person manifests the behavior. Also, the concept holds into account an individual's experiences, which in turn assists in predicting the underlying action behind the behavior (Rubenstein et al., 2018). Experiences tend to impact or support future actions hence help one form a pattern or routine. In the end, all these factors influence a general behavior to rely on past actions and expectations. One of this particular theory's unique function is the focus placed on maintaining behavior rather than offsetting certain actions. Hence, this concept is important in noting the maintenance of behavior. Social cognitive theory aims to examine how individuals manage their manners through regulation and support to attain objectives over a certain period of time.

Main Components of the Social Cognitive Theory

 The theory revolves around goal comprehension- self-observation, self-examination, self-feedback, and self-effectiveness. These four elements are interconnected to each other and all impact inspiration and attainment of certain personal objectives. In terms of self-observation, reviewing one's personal behavior informs and motivates them to move toward certain goals. Through self-observation, one can evaluate progress toward certain objectives and, in the process, gain the motivation required to do more (Beauchamp et al., 2019). In self-assessment, one draws parallels between past performances and the ideal performance or objective. Self- assessment is determined by certain norms set and the significance of the objectives. Objectives need to be particular and essential, thus pushing one to do more to achieve them. Thirdly, self-feedback is essential as it indicates a reaction to one's personal performance. If the performance is perceived as exemplary, then one feels good and persists on the same path. Self-feedback permits one to reexamine their personal objectives in line with other achievements. For instance, attaining a certain objective, they susceptible to take up more challenging tasks that would sustain the attained goal. Whereas if one fails to achieve a certain goal, they susceptible to lower their expectation to achieve smaller goals. Besides, self-effectiveness come about when a person imagines the benefits that come after achieving certain goals. After achieving certain goals, the imagination of the outcome is one of the underlying motivations of forming a certain behavior and working relentlessly toward certain goals.

Human mannerism is usually portrayed as one-sided. The unidirectional interconnection behavior tends to influence and regulate how humans perceive the immediate surrounding and how they draw out lessons from their peers or fellow human beings. Social cognitive theory favors the reciprocal nature of determinism, where behavior is connected to a certain action and outcome. With reciprocal causation, various sources can influence the final learning outcome. Some factors might be stronger than others, while others might vary depending on the proximity has to the rest of the other factors (Lin, & Chang, 2018). Thus, the connection of behavior to immediate surroundings drives situations and influences the choices people make in the long run. Whenever experts view human development from a holistic view, then the most influential parts can be said to be social influences, which are attained through education or familiarity developed through time. Some are biological, while others can be acquired through the implementation of behavioral patterns. Some may even claim that social and technological advancement is key in determining life events in one's particular life.

Lessons and Activities That Would Be Used To Incorporate Social Cognitive Theory

 Social learning depends on behavior acquired through observation. Thus, under an attentive learning surrounding, one can observe other students or teachers. During the observation process, one pays attention to every detail being performed. This way, the classroom can be turned into a training session where people observe each other and perform activities they have seen over a certain time frame (Otaye-Ebede, Shaffakat, & Foster, 2020). One of the best ways of learning is forming groups and then putting the students in control of the entire discussion hence permitting other students to direct the entire objective. The second activity and lesson is retention as students learn from fellow students. Whenever students learn from their fellow students, they are forced to observe how they are doing things. This way, the students can form teams and attend to the objective at hand. It is vital to note that the learning process might not necessarily lead to behavior formation, especially in the classroom environment. Learning does not take place immediately. The observer can develop the new behavior, but the learning might be affected later on. There is an assumption that objective aligned behavior is the best way of cementing learned behavior. A goal motivates one to acquire certain mannerisms to obtain the objective. An additional assumption pushed forward by social cognitive theory is that behavior is self-regulatory (Stillman, Shen, & Ferguson, 2018). The scholars behind this concept believe that once a behavior is acquired, an individual naturally acquires the ability to learn and regulate the said behavior. In simpler terms, if a teacher can alter a student's attitude, then, the student can acquire a new behavior that enables learning essential school material. The chance to come up with more than one way of tending to the students' needs depends on how well the behavior enables the achievement of certain objectives in particular surroundings.

 The social cognitive theory highlights a dynamic learning mechanism that narrates human functionality. This concept attributes a key role in the cognitive procedure in which a person can perceive others and the surrounding, replicate thoughts and actions based on the actions and certain routines. In the process, one gets the chance to realize the concept of self-regulation can be expounded on in the context of the capability to make choices and execute these choices based on certain interests (Beauchamp et al., 2019). If a social cognitive theory is redefined through free will, then the urgency of achieving certain objectives decreases due to the lack of need or motivation to pursue these objectives. For free will to take place, one has to rely on self-determination for motivation. For others, it takes more than just self-motivation to attain certain goals. The ultimate source of certain outcomes and behaviors are entirely dependent on compatibility, and the chance one has to come up with more than one way of acquiring behavior in the right manner. Even though the classroom allows one to learn flexibly and acquire information via more than one multiple means. The combination of a calm surrounding and a willingness to participate in the extension of more than one personal initiative helps students learn more than one behavior. Self-regulation highlights the essential role people play in defining perception and capabilities in furthering the information acquired over a certain time frame. The democratic concept that entails competency and issuance of successful learning tips to pursue goals is a defined and verified way of ensuring that.

Conclusion

 The social cognitive theory combines one's personal experiences, observable actions, and immediate surrounding elements to influence learning. This way, the theory gives a chance for social support through the impartation of expectation, self-assessment, and the usage of observational learning to acquire information and further apply the learned concept through coaching or any other means. Social cognitive theory's primary concept entails common determinism where a person interacts with the external surrounding, mannerisms, and experiences to generate an accurate objective. Therefore, the chance to manage the emblems of learning is through the achievement of certain goals. In addition, one has to ensure that the surrounding can facilitate the entire objective partly due to the resources found within a certain environment. Also, the capability of self-awareness creates a sense of obligation to achieve a goal.

 

 

Reference

Beauchamp, M. R., Crawford, K. L., & Jackson, B. (2019). Social cognitive theory and physical activity: Mechanisms of behavior change, critique, and legacy. Psychology of Sport and Exercise, 42, 110-117.

Lin, H. C., & Chang, C. M. (2018). What motivates health information exchange in social media? The roles of the social cognitive theory and perceived interactivity. Information & Management, 55(6), 771-780.

Otaye-Ebede, L., Shaffakat, S., & Foster, S. (2020). A multilevel model examining the relationships between workplace spirituality, ethical climate and outcomes: A social cognitive theory perspective. Journal of Business Ethics, 166(3), 611-626.

Rubenstein, L. D., Ridgley, L. M., Callan, G. L., Karami, S., & Ehlinger, J. (2018). How teachers perceive factors that influence creativity development: Applying a Social Cognitive Theory perspective. Teaching and Teacher Education, 70, 100-110.

Stillman, P. E., Shen, X., & Ferguson, M. J. (2018). How mouse-tracking can advance social cognitive theory. Trends in cognitive sciences, 22(6), 531-543.